How Has the Trend of Domestic Violence Within Society Changed over Time and What Effect Does the Violence Have on the Mentality and Psychological Wellbeing of Victims and Witnesses?

Research Question

How has the trend of domestic violence within society changed over time and what effect does the violence have on the mentality and psychological wellbeing of victims and witnesses?

Hypothesis

The trend of reported domestic violence has increased over time in addition; the effects of such violence may lead to violent tendencies in both victims and witnesses such as young children and a range of emotional and physiological disorders such as clinical depression or post-traumatic stress disorder.

Research (Including Methodology)

The use of current, trustworthy and unbiased information is imperative in any research report to provide a clear and precise picture of the situation. The best recourses of such information include reputable internet sources and academic journals. There were a large number of academic journals used to acquire relevant information to the topic these mostly revolved around the concepts of the trend of domestic violence and the damaging effects of violence on victims and witnessed long after the physical and or sexual abuse has ceased.

The data used in this report were collected from a number of journal articles that conducted anonymous surveys using a cross sectional design of a number of women, aged 16+. As a result, this report statistically focuses on the crime trend in regards to women.

Findings

From 1997-2005, the recorded rate of domestic violence cases in Sydney has increased by 39.5% - 50.7% dependant on geographical location, this suggests and reflects an increases in violence as numerous cases still remain unreported [NSW bureau of crime statistics and research, 2005]. About 10% of reported cases involved child abuse however; the increase was predominantly in violence against women. Consequently, several studies have suggested that domestic violence in Australia may be more extensive that first perceived. However, it has to be noted that statistics are only based on reported situations and fail to capture the ‘dark figure’ of crime.

Discussion

While domestic violence is often defined as violent physical abuse directed towards a spouse or partner, it often extends to affecting victims in terms of emotional, verbal, physiological, sexual, social and financial abuse and control. In many cases, the immediate response is to check for signs of physical abuse however, the emotional and psychological scars tend to have a longer term affect on victims. As with any victim of abuse or trauma, they can exhibit a withdrawal in social and emotional behaviour and situations as well as denial of abuse. High amounts of anxiety, stress and fear are also reported among victims that still live with their perpetrators. This can eventually lead to chronic mental health issues which left untreated can lead