EFFECTS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
Domestic violence has an enormous impact on the health and well-being of those who are affected as well as on the healthcare system. Injuries sustained during episodes of violence are only part of the damage to victims’ health. Physical and psychological abuse are related to other adverse health effects, including both vague and specific complaints, such as:
- Headaches
- Back pain
- Pelvic pain
- Gastrointestinal disorders
- Gynecological disorders
- Obstetrical problems
- Sexually transmitted infections
- Central nervous system disorders
- Heart or circulatory conditions
- Asthma
- Diabetes
- Fibromyalgia
- High blood pressure
- Chronic pain
Intimate partner violence is also linked to mental health problems, including:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Fatigue
- Restlessness
- Decreased appetite
- Insomnia
- Panic attacks
- Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
(Huecker, 2019)
Consequences of teen dating violence may include:
- Depression and anxiety
- Tobacco, alcohol, and drug use
- Antisocial behaviors
- Thoughts about suicide
- Continued victimization in college
(CDC, 2016b)
The effects of any type of stalking can be severe. Victims of stalking can become depressed, hypervigilant, experience sleep problems, and develop PTSD. Victims may cope by taking time off work, changing jobs or schools, and relocating to avoid the stalker (Dardis, 2018).
The economic impact that accompanies the personal and emotional effects are severe. Researchers estimate the lifetime cost of domestic violence is at $103,767 per female victim and $23,414 per male victim, which totals nearly $3.6 trillion over victims’ lifetimes based on a population of 43 million U.S. adults with victimization history (Peterson, 2018).
HEALTH EFFECTS ON CHILDREN
Children who are subjected to domestic violence develop problems such as attachment disorder, depression, anxiety, and oppositional defiance disorder. A violent environment will have the greatest adverse effects on the brains of the youngest children, even infants. This is because the developing brain of a child is highly sensitive, and the chronic state of fear and stress that these children experience prevents the brain from developing normally. Instead, the brain is influenced adversely by abnormal patterns of neurological activities and brain chemicals (CWIG, 2015).
The Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) Study, published in 2009, investigated the association between childhood maltreatment and later-life health and well-being (CDC, 2009). The ACE Study findings suggest that child maltreatment experiences are major risk factors for the leading causes of illness and death as well as poor quality of life in the United States. The more adverse childhood experiences that were experienced by an individual, the greater the risk of developing alcoholism, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), depression, illicit drug use, intimate partner violence, sexually transmitted infections, criminality, and smoking.
(See also “First Impressions: Exposure to Violence and a Child’s Developing Brain,” listed in the “Resources” section at the end of this course.)