6 The Victim
Victims of domestic violence have multiple health problems as a result of the abusiveness of their partners. They seek medical care for injuries resulting from the perpetrators’ acts (e.g., burns, broken bones, internal injuries, vaginal injuries, miscarriages, head injuries, damage to eyes or ears, dental injuries, knife or gunshot wounds, cuts, back injuries) and with illnesses aggravated by the stress of living with their partner’s abusiveness (e.g., asthma, lupus, MS, depression, anxiety, insomnia, eating disorders).
Victims may also be patients in the health care system for issues seemingly unrelated to their victimization, and their treatment for their medical conditions may be compromised by the continuing abuse (e.g., an insulin-dependent patient whose perpetrator controls her by withholding her medications or by refusing to allow her to keep her medical appointments). This victimization by intimate partners puts patients at future risk for medical and psychological sequelae to abuse.
If the domestic violence is not identified and addressed, there are both long and short-term consequences for the victims. Unidentified victims may receive inappropriate treatments for their presenting injury or illness (e.g., over-medications, treatment protocols they are unable to carry out due to the control of the abusers) and/or they may be denied the opportunity to get the information and support they need to protect themselves from future injuries, illnesses or death.
Failure to identify victims of abuse also creates consequences for the health care system. The health care practitioner misses the opportunity for early identification, intervention and ultimate prevention. Initial injuries and illnesses are followed by repeated injuries and illnesses due to the violence. Victims seeking assistance return to the health care system for multiple visits, consuming scarce resources. For some victims the only professional with whom they have contact is the health care provider and they will return again and again in hopes that their suffering will be alleviated.
1. Victims of Domestic Violence Can Be Found in All Age, Racial, Socioeconomic, Educational, Occupational, Religious, Sexual Orientation and Personality Groups
Victims of domestic violence are a very heterogeneous population whose primary commonality is that they are being abused by someone with whom they are, or have been, intimate. They do not fit into any specific age group, racial group, personality profile, socioeconomic, educational, occupational, religious or sexual orientation.
Too often, victimization is seen as a problem for one group but not for another. For example, teen victims of domestic violence are often ignored. While there is a great deal of public discussion about the need for appropriate sex education to help teens protect themselves from unwanted disease or pregnancy, there is little aware- ness of the need for teen education about domestic violence. With further doc