Socioeconomic and Psychological Factors Leading to Domestic Violence

Running head: NRSG 210 1
Mental health Nursing
Student’s Name
University Affiliate

NRSG 210 2
Introduction
Domestic or intimate partner violence is a form of abuse where a person controls
his/her spouse either through verbal or physical assault (Herman, 2015). It is a global
phenomenon affecting all nations and is witnessed in families. Abuse can either be physical
like a sexual assault, psychological or emotional. Although women are the not only victims of
domestic violence, they account for a higher percentage followed by children, the elderly, and
men in that order (Cosh & Carslaw, 2016). Studies show that about 10 million people across
the globe have suffered from domestic violence, and 33% of women compared to 25% of
men have been victims. Domestic violence is one of the leading causes of family breakups
and injuries particularly on women ranging between 18 and 45 years of age (Berns, 2017).
Statistics show that about 20% of all violent crimes are family related and 18% of them
involve a weapon. What is horrible is that presence of guns increases the risks of homicide by
about 500%, and almost 12,000 women are killed each year due to domestic violence. Other
than family breakups, domestic violence negatively impacts mental health plus the wellness
of a person (Berns, 2017). Victims of domestic violence have experienced physical,
emotional as well as psychological damage leaving them with bruises, fractured bones and
post-traumatic stress disorders which affect their overall wellbeing. This paper identifies and
discusses the socioeconomic and psychological factors leading to domestic violence starting
from an international perspective down to Australia. It also analyses the consequences of
domestic violence.
Socioeconomic factors and how they influence domestic violence.
The three primary socioeconomic factors that influence domestic violence are alcohol,
education illiteracy and gender inequality.

NRSG 210 3
1. Alcohol and drug abuse
Alcohol and drug abuse are the leading causes of domestic violence in Australia and
contributes to about 72% of physical assaults. According to a 2010 domestic violence survey
done in South Wales, alcohol was the leading cause of domestic assaults with a rating of
41%. This figure has escalated to about 65% in the remote areas of the state. Victorian data
also shows a steady shift in the rate of alcohol-related domestic violence incidents from 12 to
24 incidents per 10,000 people over a ten year period. The risks of violence increases in a
family when alcohol is involved causing injuries and breakups. Children are most affected
during domestic violence, and in the end, they risk being neglected, abused or being
emotionally disturbed (Cattaneo, & Goodman, 2015). In addition, alcohol leads to domestic
murders. As per the Australian Institute of criminology, about 43% of all homicides reported
between 2004 and 2006 were alcohol-related. Such a rate is much higher for the Aboriginal
Islanders where the intimate partner deaths as a result of alcohol are 13 times more than that
of non-indigenous Australians (Hanmer & Itzin, 2013). Sadly, a majority of these victims are
women.
2. Education illiteracy
Almost 75% of the world’s illiterate adults are women, as per the report evaluating
progress towards gender equality (Jahanfar et al., 2013). The study also shows that for people
of 65 years and above, 19 % of men are illiterate compared to their female counterparts with
a higher margin of 30%. It is assumed that education illiteracy especially that involving a
woman is a key factor that causes domestic violence. As uneducated women are viewed
being less productive economic wise, it is the same way they are seen to have little
bargaining power in the family (Howard et al., 2013). Individuals with little or no education
are at higher risks of being victims of domestic violence than those that are literate. In
addition, those with education literacy are to an extent victims of domestic assault; the