Why do some survivors of domestic abuse maintain a relationship with their abusive partner - Essay Example

It results in acute medical conditions such as multiple injuries to the face, head, neck, breast, or abdomen, and in chronic conditions such as headaches, abdominal pain, pelvic pain and sexual dysfunction (Campbell, 2002; Ellsberg, 1997; Gelles & Straus (1998) R.J. Gelles and M.A. Straus, The medical and psychological costs of family violence. In: M.A. Straus and R.J. Gelles, Editors, Physical violence in American families—Risk factors and adaptations to violence in 8145 families, Transaction Publishers, New Brumswick [USA] & London [UK] (1998), pp.

425–430.Gelles & Straus, 1998; Goodman, Koss, & Russo, 1993; Karol, Micka, & Kuskowski, 1992; Martin & Younger-lewis, 1997; Nduna & Goodyear, 1997). Intimate partner violence is also associated with lowered self-esteem and lowered self-perception of health by the victims (Amoakohene, 2004; Baker, 1997; Ellsberg, Caldera, Herrera, Winkvist, & Kullgren, 1999; McCauley et al., 1995; Skupien, 1998). Partner abuse has serious reproductive health consequences, including inability to use a contraceptive method at all or consistently, unwanted pregnancy, and increased levels of sexually transmitted infections and HIV/AIDS.

Even the period of pregnancy is not protective (Blaney, 1998; Diop-Sidibé, 2001; Gazmararian et al., 2000; Jejeebhoy, 1998; Maman, 2000; Letourneau, Holmes, & Chasedunn-Roark, 1999; Martin et al., 1999; Parsons, Goodwin, & Petersen, 2000; Rickert, Wiemann, Harrykissoon, Berenson, & Kolb, 2002; Sharps & Campbell, 1998). Of course the most extreme physical consequences of this type of violence are death of the victim, by suicide or homicide, and homicide against the perpetrator (Breiting et al, 1989; Wilson & Daly, 1994).

Although the associations of IPV and detrimental health outcomes have been well established in research from industrialized countries, they have seldom been studied in developing countries. Similarly, despite the fact that IPV against men is known to occur in the USA,