Domestic Violence in the United States

Domestic Violence in the United States
Name
Institution
Domestic Violence in the United States
Overview
Domestic violence is defined as any use of physical violence, intimidation, psychological abuse, or financial abuse to control the other partner in an intimate relationship. This can be a one-time behavior or a model of behavior in relationships, which range from courtship, marriage, family or even roommate relationships. Domestic violence is a critical social problem and a public health concern with major negative effects on individuals and the society. Domestic violence is one of the major causes of injury among women in the United States today. According to statistics from the National Institute for Justice, close to 40% of women admitted for emergency treatment for violence-related injuries were mistreated by a close partner. In addition to this, one in three women in the United States is abused by their intimate partner at one point in the relationship. Each year, averages of 3 million women are physically mistreated in the United States (Emery, & Laumann-Billings, 2013). This makes the issue of domestic violence a matter of public health concern that warrants a close examination.
Population
Although everyone is at risk of experiencing domestic violence, statistics show that women are at a greater risk. Domestic violence is the primary cause of injury among women between the ages of 15 and 44 in America. This number is higher than car accidents, muggings and rapes put together. Each year, three to four million women are battered in their homes by their husbands, ex-partners or boyfriends. Although men are still victims of domestic violence, 85% of victims are women. Unlike other forms of violence that might be inherent in a certain group, domestic violence is evenly distributed among people of all ethnicities, ages, social class, religious inclinations, and educational backgrounds (Emery, & Laumann-Billings, 2013).
Prevention Strategies
The major problem with domestic violence is that it is deeply ingrained in the American culture to point where it mostly goes unnoticed. This has given to a scenario where the problem fails to receive the level of concern that matches the devastation it has on families and children. Majority of the societal interventions that address domestic violence are focused on crisis intervention, on offering support to people and families already affected by domestic violence in order to prevent additional harm. While crisis intervention is an important response to domestic violence and can be highly effective at certain periods of time, it is unable to deal with the intricate dynamics of domestic violence on its own. This realization has led to the development of more proactive ways of preventing domestic violence. However, very few of the proposed ways have been able to deal with the complex problem of domestic violence (Whitaker, et al, 2007).
In order to prevent domestic violence from taking place, all the preventive efforts should commence from a young age. Research has indicated that most individuals who are engaged in domestic violence are from a similar background. This fact should push all stakeholders to target all preventive measures on the young ones instead...