Chronic Family Violence

Introduction Throughout a person 's life, there are many events, situations and experiences that will form a person 's personality and emotional wellbeing as well as influence their actions. Some of these events and experiences will affect the individual in many ways, either in positively or negatively. Some will provide great life opportunities, while others will unfortunately affect the individual in a negative way which can lead to emotional and behavior issues/problems. One of the most common and potentially most traumatic experiences is that of being raised within or being a witness to chronic family violence, such as domestic violence also known as intimate partner violence (IPV). This type of trauma is categorized at Type II, also referred to as complex trauma. This type of trauma can overwhelm a person 's ability to effectively cope with emotionally painful experiences. Even though there has been some arguments about the definition of what a traumatic event is, there is a large consensus that when an individual 's internal and external resources are insufficient to cope with external threat, the experience is that of trauma (Levendosky, Huth-Books, Semel & Shapiro, 2002; Black, Woodworth, Tremblay & Carpenter, 2012). When trauma is severe, chronic or unresolved PTSD is developed (Cozolino, 2010). Type II Trauma: Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) What is intimate partner violence (IPV) IPV is currently defined as emotional, physical or sexual abuse between married or dating partners. The abuse can either be in existing or past relationships and can either be a onetime incident or an ongoing reoccurring abuse (Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2012). Many times, the abuse can begin with verbal abuse where the perpetrator uses mean and demeaning words and then can slowly escalate to physical and sexual abuse/assault. Therefore, IPV can be categorized as Complex Trauma because according to Lawson and Quinn (2013), when a child or adolescent is exposed to chronic and repetitive exposure to severe stressors and abuse with in the caregiver system or by a seemingly responsible adult, such as a parent, it can be categorized at Complex Trauma (CT). IPV is an escalating, widespread social problem that can take many forms, including sexual, emotional, verbal and at times, economic. IPV survivors live in a constant state of hyper vigilance filled with fear, anxiousness, and stress. For many of these survivors, their main goal and focus may be to not "rock the boat" or do anything that could further upset or anger their abusive partner. For the abuser, regardless of the what type of abuse it is, their main goal is to have complete control and power over their victim (McKay-Cook & Zanjanian, 2010). Generally speaking, one should feel safe and loved in their own home, however, for IPV victims and their children, their home may represent a place of fear and anger, and it 's a place in which they are subjected to ongoing violence. …show more content…
Unfortunately, it 's almost like that is all they know and are accustomed to. According to Eisentat & Bancroft (1999), family violence crosses the boundaries of sex, age, social class, education, and race. Statistics show that approximately 1 out of every 3 (35.6%) women worldwide will be affected by family violence within her lifetime (Black, et al 2011). Additionally, every year, there are approximately 5 million incidents of abuse against women, and at some point in their lives, 1 out of every 4 women in the U.S. will report physical or sexual abuse by an intimate partner, spouse or date (Rizo, Macy, Ermentrout & Johns, 2011). In reality, many families in which IPV is present may also have to deal and struggle with other problems such as substance abuse and exposure to other forms of violence (Fantuzzo, Boruch & Berianna, 1997). Children and intimate partner violence …show more content…
The left hemisphere helps with verbal communication and organizes problem-solving tasks. Failure of left-hemisphere functioning may occur during states of extreme arousal such as a traumatic experiences, and is believed to be responsible for experiences of derealization and depersonalization (Black et al, 2012). Derealization and depersonalization is method in which the brain protects the victim from reliving the experience and/or situation. It allows an individual to avoid the reality of what he/she is not ready to confront. Increasing evidence has demonstrated that PTSD causes changes in the brain, affecting areas such as the amygdala and hippocampus (Cohen, Mannarion & Deblinger,