Domestic Violence Effects

According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence “Nearly twenty people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States.” These victims of domestic violence, whether they escape their abuser or not, can face repercussions for the rest of their lives. Liz Neporent says it wonderfully, “The effects of domestic violence on its victims doesn’t stop once the abuse is over.” Domestic Violence can occur in several different ways and there can be numerous different effects of the abuse. These lasting effects of domestic violence can be emotional, behavioral, social, and physical. Physical signs of domestic abuse are the signs that others seem to pick up on the most. The typical black eye and bruises all over …show more content…
This effect is also an effect that worried friends and family pick up on. Behavior effects can include withdrawal and avoidance. The victims will start to pull away from their day to day lives because they are depressed or frightened by what others might think about them. They might start to avoid situations that remind them of the abuse they have sustained, thus hindering their ability to live a full life. Victims tend to have nightmares and flashbacks of the abuse. Nightmares can cause a lack of sleep that can make victims even more stressed out. Flashbacks can cause anxiety for the victims. Some victims can become easily startled and have difficulty controlling their emotions. Trying to cope with feeling so startled and nervous by other people and the outside world can become draining. These behavioral changes can be exhausting and make the victim feel defeated by the …show more content…
Emotional effects of abuse seem to play the biggest part. After someone is abused they can start to feel depressed and abandoned. Depression can take hold of the victim’s life and drag them down. This can cause a lack of motivation and can stop the individual from achieving what they need or completing day to day tasks. From the abuse can come low self esteem. Low self esteem is another emotional struggle that might tear down a victim’s spirit. After they have been abused they may start to see themselves as less than what they really are. They might see a weak or frail person. Shame and guilt are two big emotional setbacks that an abused person has to face. The abuser can get inside the victim’s mind and make them feel like what happened to them is their own fault. While this is clearly not true, a victim who has already been broken down can easily be manipulated to think this is true. Sometimes victims can become filled with rage. Having this anger following them around can push people away. People might become annoyed or frightened by the anger that the victim is portraying. Confusion and having a hard time focusing on their daily lives can cause problems as well. It is hard to achieve tasks when the victim is constantly distracted by thinking about what has happened to them or what might happen next. Overall, emotional effects can tear away at a person’s sanity and stunt the progress of their day to day