Introduction
Family violence is perhaps one of the most widely researched and analyzed topics across different contexts. This is because of the varying implications that it causes on the society. While much has been hypothesized regarding family violence, it is important to note that it mainly connotes to the use of abusive behavior as a means of harming or controlling a family member. Use of such behavior can also be termed as family violence when an individual uses it on a person they are in a relationship with. In a nutshell, family violence entails emotional and physical abuse inflicted on intimate partners and family members. On another note, it is of the essence to realize that family violence also accrues in cases of neglect such as child neglect by parents or guardians.
Discussions
Implications
Implications on Children
Evidence from an array of researches points to the fact that children are more prone to the implications of family violence than any other age groups. Family violence inflicts more pain than broken bones and bruises (Katz & Barnetz, 2014). Family violence may not necessarily inflict physical pain on children. Instead, family violence often inflicts psychological pain whereby child abuse emanating from family violence causes long-lasting pain that the children may not forget throughout their lives. Overall, there is a need to note that family violence poses more severe implications on children. Sahraian et al., (2005) notes that close to 15.5 million children all around the world benefit from intervention geared towards curbing family violence. According to Barron & Mathew (2014), family violence elicits trauma in children resulting from detachment emanating from the violence.
Implications on Women
Women are also more prone to the implications of family violence. Most cases of family violence involve women as the victims. This is because of the primary fact that in an ideal relationship or family, the man is often the one in control. Therefore, in any instance of violence, the women are often submissive; hence, rendering them victims of violence. Sokoloff (2005) approves that women remain the most likely victims of family violence. Bentovim (2009) attributes the high rates of mental issues amongst women as an implication of family violence.
Implications on the Elderly
The elderly are also prone to family violence, which has a detrimental implication on their lives. In most cases, the elderly are abused in cases where a family member acts in a way that exposes the elderly to certain risks. In addition, the elderly often have special needs that should be catered for. Failure of the family to cater for such needs accrues as family violence. In a nutshell, family violence impacts on the community based on the manner in which it affects the elderly populations.
Factors Influencing the Occurrence of Family Violence
There often exists a pertinent notion that family violence may be dependent on the size of the family. Such notions are not true because of the fact that family violence occurs across families of various sizes (Fife & Schrager, 2012).
On another note, religious, socio-economic, and cultural factors relatively affect the occurrence of family violence (Fife & Schrager, 2012).
Forms of Family Violence
Family violence takes various forms including; neglect, emotional abuse, financial abuse, physical abuse, and sexual abuse. The various forms of family violence have varying implications.
In most cases physical violence entails the use of force and objects on someone. As such, extreme cases of physical abuse during instances of family violence may cause death. This has an implication on the society because it makes the society unsafe to live in.
Emotional abuse as a form of family violence involves the use of particular actions and words to isolate, control or frighten someone. This form of family violence impacts of the community because it results in the lack of self-respect for other community members.
Financial abuse entails the forceful acquisition of an individual’s property without their permission. This often occurs in cases of family violence whereby one partner may forcefully take the property co-owned by the family. This form of violence impacts on the community because it increases the occurrence of poverty (Bentovim, 2009). This is because the family members whose property is forcefully taken are left with nothing to support their lives. It is also essential to note that the elderly are more prone to this form of family violence whereby family members defraud them of their properties.
Family violence occurring in the form of neglect poses immense implications on the community. More importantly, neglect results in an increase in homelessness, which remains a major community problem. Homelessness results in the rise in street families who are often linked with crime. The people who are rendered homeless by family violence are often forced to engage in delinquent behaviors (Barron & Mathew, 2014). The makes the community an insecure place to live in.
Conclusion
Conclusively, family violence takes various forms with varying implications. Besides, the effects of family violence are dependent on gender and age, whereby women, children, the elderly are more prone to family violence.
Barron I., & Matthew L. (2014). A Preliminary Evaluation of Presenter Effects in the Delivery of Abuse Prevention Interventions: Teacher and Survivor Perspectives. Educational & Child Psychology, 31(3), 42-54.
Bentovim, A. (2009). Safeguarding children living with trauma and family violence: Evidence-based assessment, analysis and planning interventions. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Fife, R. S., & Schrager, S. B. (2012). Family violence: What health care providers need to know. Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Katz C., & Barnetz Z. (2014). The Behavior Patterns of Abused Children As Described in their Testimonies. Child Abuse & Neglect, 38 (6), 1033-1040.
Sahraian, A., Ghanizadeh, A., Hashemi, S., Mohammadi, M., & Ahmadzadeh, L. Prevalence and Predictors of Domestic-Violence towards Wives by their Psychiatric Hospitalized Husbands. (2005). Iranian Journal of Psychiatry, 10 (4), 233-238.
Sokoloff, N. J. (2005). Domestic violence at the margins: Readings on race, class, gender, and culture. Piscataway, N.J: Rutgers University Press.
