ABUSE AND VIOLENCE

VIOLENT FAMILIES
CHARACTERISTICS
Family violence encompasses spouse battering;
neglect and physical, emotional or sexual abuse of
children; elder abuse and rape.
Family members tolerate abusive and violent
behaviors that they would never accept from
strangers.

SOCIAL ISOLATION
One characteristic of violent families is
social isolation.
Abusers threaten victims with even greater
harm if they reveal the secret.

ABUSE OF POWER AND

CONTROL
The abusive member always holds a
position of power and control over the
victim.

INTEGRATIONAL
TRANSMISSION PROCESS
Means that patterns of violence are
perpetuated from one generation to the
next through role modeling and social
learning.
Suggests that family violence is a learned
pattern of behavior.

SPOUSE OR PARTNER
ABUSE
Spouse or partner abuse is the
mistreatment or misuse of one person by
another in the context of an intimate
relationship.
The abuse can be emotional, physical,
sexual or a combination (which is
common)

 EMOTIONAL ABUSE includes name

calling, belittling, screaming, yelling,
making threats, or ignoring the victim
PHYSICAL ABUSE ranges from
shoving, and pushing to severe battering.
SEXUAL ABUSE- includes assaults during
sexual relations such as biting nipples,
pulling hair and slapping such as rape

 Dependency is the trait most commonly

found in abused wives who stay with their
husbands.
Perceives that she is unable to function
without her husband.

CYCLE OF VIOLENCE
The cycle of violence or abuse is another
reason often cited for why women have
difficulty leaving an abusive relationship.
Usually the initial episode of battering or
violence is followed by a period of the
abuser expressing regret, apologizing and
promising it will never happen again.

TREATMENT AND
INTERVENTION
A woman can obtain a restraining order
(protection order) from her county of
residence that legally prohibits the abuser
from approaching or contacting her.
Individual psychotherapy or counseling,
group therapy, or support and self help
groups can help abused women deal with
their trauma and begin to deal with their
trauma and start new healthy
relationships.

CHILD ABUSE
Child abuse is defined as the intentional
injury of a child. It can include physical
abuse or injuries, neglect or failure to
prevent harm, failure to provide adequate
emotional or physical care, abandonment,
sexual assault or intrusion

TYPES
PHYSICAL
ABUSEresults
from
unreasonably severe punishment or
unjustifiable punishment.
SEXUAL ABUSE- involves sexual acts
performed by an adult on a child younger
than 18 years.
NEGLECT is malicious or ignorant
withholding of physical, emotional or
education necessities for the childs wellbeing.

TYPES
PSYCHOLOGICAL ABUSE- includes
verbal assaults

CLINICAL PICTURE
Parents who abuse their children often
have minimal parenting knowledge and
skills.
Parents who abuse their children often are
emotionally
immature,
needy
and
incapable of meeting their own needs
much less those of a child.

TREATMENT
Ensure the childs safety and well-being
Play therapy
Family therapy

ELDER ABUSE
Is the maltreatment of older adults by family
members or caretakers. It may include
physical and sexual abuse, psychological
abuse, neglect, self neglect, financial
exploitation, and denial of adequate medical
treatment

CLINICAL PICTURE
The victim may have bruises, fractures;
may lack needed eyeglasses or hearing
aids; may be denied food, fluids or
medications or may be restrained in a
chair.

TREATMENT AND
INTERVENTION
Relieving the caregivers stress and
providing additional resources may help to
correct the abusive situation and leave the
caregiving relationship intact.

RAPE
Rape is a crime of violence and
humiliation of the victim expressed through
sexual means.
A phenomenon called date rape may
occur on a first date, on a ride home from
the party or when the two people have
known each other for some time.

TREATMENT AND
INTERVENTION
Immediate support through family, nurses,
physicians, law enforcement officials.
Rape treatment centers
Giving as much control to the victim is
important.
Prophylactic treatment.