Domestic Violence: Socioeconomic and Psychological Factors

This paper examines the role of socioeconomic and psychological factors in domestic violence, including poverty, education, mental health, and childhood experiences. It also evaluates the impact of domestic violence on victims' health and well-being, including the risk of homicide and suicide. The paper concludes with a call for legal and psychological support for victims of domestic violence.

Introduction
Human health is mostly dependent on the well being of them. If their mental state is
not satisfactory then it can affect their health status. Violence is a term which is recognized to
all and it present in almost every case, from workplace to home. If violence is destroying the
peace of home, then it is termed as domestic violence (Brassiolo, 2016). It is defined as the
aggressive behaviour of the abusive partners. Violence is not only counted as physical
torture, but also in some cases mental and sexual abuses are kept in the category of domestic
violence. A constant fear and anxiety chase the victims of domestic violence which ruins
their mental stability. Mainly the sufferers are the women but in some exceptional cases, men
also experience domestic violence (Cox, North & Weingast, 2015). This crime is growing all
over the world and it has snatched away the peace from the life of its victims. Various factors
are associated with domestic violence which is the main reason behind it. This paper is going
to analyze what are the factors that cause fear of insecurity within the homes. Paper is also
focussed to depict the evaluation of the factors among the victims.
Domestic violence and socioeconomic factors
Socioeconomic factors play a major role in the occurrence of the domestic violence. It
generally affects the overall human functioning including the physical as well as the mental
well being. Lower socioeconomic status and its correlates such as poor education, poverty,
poor health all affect the society ultimately (Krook, 2015). If the financial status of any
particular community is not good then it affects the educational achievement of that
community which in turn resists their development in the society. It also affects their
relationship status among the people of the society. All these reasons keeps them far behind
from the main stream of the society. As a result, they cannot access anything so easily as per
their demand which acts as a stressor and they always stay under societal pressure. Inequities

in the health distribution, inequities in the wealth distribution and inequities in the education
distribution are increasing across the globe. However, violence is present amongst all the
communities of the society but the worst sufferers are the people from lower socioeconomic
status groups. Again, the income of a family is also responsible for violence. In some studies
it has been found that if the income of women is higher than the income of her partner then
chances of the occurrence of violence become low. Again, some other studies also revealed
that if men are getting more salary than their wives then it results in violence as their partners
become abusive. This situation can be supported by the bargaining model of economics
which depicts that the violence will be decreased if income and economic status of women
will be increased (Cox, North & Weingast, 2015). Again, according to the backlash theory of
sociology, the violence will increase in some cases (Krook, 2015). So, domestic violence can
occur anytime irrespective of the income of partners but in all the cases economic status is
related.
Domestic violence is common in rural areas and some studies revealed that almost
43% women are more likely to experience slapping and beating from their husbands during
domestic violence. Race and ethnicity is one of the most important sections of socioeconomic
status which is highly responsible for domestic violence. The Hispanic women are the
extreme sufferer of violence as they lack some facilities of society and which acts as stressor
among Hispanic men (Alaggia, Gadalla, Shlonsky, Jenney & Daciuk, 2015). Due to less
educational achievement, the people with poor socioeconomic status are more likely to
experience unemployment too. Financial stressor creates negative impact in their homes and
as a result they become aggressive and violence occurs. Socioeconomic status is related to
behavioural and attitudinal change of human being which makes them more violence on their
partners (Cattaneo & Goodman, 2015). So, poverty is not the main factor, rather some
stressors that are associated with the poverty are responsible for domestic violence

occurrence among the people or community of lower socio-economic status in compared to
higher socioeconomic status community.
Domestic violence and psychological factors
There is a massive involvement of psychological factors on domestic violence. Many
retrospective studies have proved the fact that psychology correlates to the partner violence.
Psychology of perpetrator can be affected by various external factors that can result in their
aggressive and dominant behaviours which in turn makes them an abusive partner in a
relationship. Psychology develops from the childhood so the upbringing as well as the mental
development in the childhood is directly involved with the mental state of a human being. If a
child has witnessed the domestic violence or became the victim of domestic violence, then
the chances increase that he will also become an abusive partner when grown up (Pearlman,
Zierler, Gjelsvik & Verhoek-Oftedahl, 2016). If a boy as a child does not learn to respect
women then they will also not respect women in future. This is due to the psychological
factor that has made them believe that abuse is normal in a relationship.
Two different emotional dynamics can also greatly contribute to the domestic
violence and one of them is destructive thought process. Abusers in this case always carry a
thought that men should have all control over women and if women do not obey them they
should have a right to be aggressive on them and as a result they make harmful physical as
well as mental torture to their partners (Berns, 2017). Even, in many countries, still women
are considered as a property of men and it allows aggression and control in case of alleged
misbehaviour. Even, in some community, if women do any mistake then men try to punish
them as they think that they have the right to do so. Another emotional dynamics can be
termed as fantasy bond, in which a sense is involved with the perpetrator that the other person
is responsible for their happiness and if it is not achieved they should be tortured or punished.

In some cases, abusive partners can sexually abuse their wives forcefully. It is also a part of
domestic violence that has major contribution in affecting the mental peace and stability of
women. These psychological conditions can make a partner abusive in relationship. Again,
sometimes, getting affected or influenced by some external factors like anxiety, depression
and fear, people consume alcohol and due to over consumption they lose their control over
themselves and become more aggressive and violent to their partners to get an instant relief
from the hidden emotions and depression. Due to some unnatural behavioural disorder such
as getting angry or overreact on something can make a person abusive in relationship (Berns,
2017). Even, studies have revealed that aggressive behaviour is mostly responsible in partner
violence. Again, some psychological trauma or mental illness in childhood can also create
behavioural disorder among the human being which in turn affects the personal life and
creates domestic violence. So, psychology keeps a major contribution in the occurrence of
domestic violence among the people from all over the world.
Evaluation of these factors
These socioeconomic as well psychological factors contribute to the domestic
violence and which highly affects the health and well being of the victims. Even, in some
cases massive domestic violence has occurred deaths of the victims. Some victims get
irritated due to the domestic violence and they have been afraid of their lives. This thought
process results in suicidal attempts among the victims. In some studies, it has been found that
more than half of homicidal death of females has been occurred as a consequence of domestic
violence. Australian Bureau of Statistics has revealed that almost 16% women have
experienced domestic violence in their lives (Dowling et al., 2014). From the women, who
have reported domestic violence, 92.4% were still living with their partners and 7.6% women
were separated (Henry & Powell, 2015). The Victoria taskforce produced the result that
children were involved in almost 80-85% cases of domestic violence in Australia

(Dragiewicz & Burgess, 2016). In a survey of EU countries done by the European Union
Agency for the fundamental rights of women, revealed that 20% women above the age of 15
have experienced physical violence and 43% psychological violence from their partners
while in a relationship (FRA, 2014). All the statistics are alarming and irrespective of the
types of violence, it affects the health and well being of the victims and in some cases it has
also endangered their lives.
Conclusion
Violence has made the lives of victims full of anxiety and fear. It not only disrupts the
life of the victims but also the children as well as the future generation who are yet to come in
their lives. Regardless of the financial and educational status, women experience violence
from their partners throughout the world. Even, sometime women are less likely to reveal
their endurance of violence publicly. However, to omit the crime from the root, apart from
the legal assistance, victims also need the support from psychologists to get over all the issues
affecting their mental status which comes out in the form of anger and makes them an
abusive partner in relationships (Krnjacki, Emerson, Llewellyn & Kavanagh, 2016). Various
women support organizations throughout the world have taken initiative in this regard.

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