Domestic Violence Scenario, Factors, Risks - Case Study Example

Report: Domestic Violence Scenario Introduction This report critically examines a domestic violence scenario involving Beth Fitz, a 32 year old pregnant woman who is a victim of a series of abuse incidences committed by her 36 year old partner, Ben. Firstly, it explores the harms evident in this scenario and possible indicators. It also looks at the individual, family and environmental factors of concern and subsequently identifies the protective needs of the client. Secondly, this report critically assesses this scenario and proposes several approaches and goals for intervention. Thirdly, it identifies the key outcomes and assesses appropriateness of the interventions suggested for this scenario. Lastly. it looks at some of the interpersonal skills that may be necessary for working with the client and family involved in this scenario Possible Harm, Factors of Concern and Protective Needs The domestic violence scenario involving Beth and Ben is characterised by a number of harm and risk factors. There are also several individual, family & environmental factors of concern. Foremost, this scenario is marked by emotional abuse. According to Kieran (2006), emotional abuse is the persistent or continuous emotional ill-treatment of an individual that causes adverse psychological distress. It may involve causing an individual to feel intimidated, humiliated, frightened, stressed and depressed. Similarly, O’leary & Maiuro (2004) note that; emotional abuse entails acts of recurring criticism, verbal aggression, domination of a partners and isolation. Such acts cause the partner on the receiving end to become fearful and have a low-self-esteem. Bogdanos (2013) further observes that, some of the key indicators of emotional abuse include; domination, control, humiliation, negative criticism, accusations, emotional distancing and isolation. In reference to Bogdanos (2013) and Kieran (2006), it is evident that Beth is a victim of emotional abuse. Some of the key indicators that she is being emotionally abused include the fact that, her partner Ben is excessively domineering, she has been blamed for infedility, isolated from her family and her movement and activities are continuously being controlled. Secondly, this scenario is marked by physical abuse. Physical abuse can be described as an act of aggression intended to cause physical and psychological pain or harm to an individual (O’leary & Maiuro, 2004). According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABC) approximately 33% of women experience some form of physical abuse in their conjugal relationships (ABC 2006). In this scenario, it is apparent that physical abuse occurred since, Ben once got angry and hit Beth in the face leaving a bruise on her chick. Besides the emotional and physical harm evident in this scenario, there are also a number of individual, family and environmental factors of concern. When it comes to Beth, there is the concern that recurring incidences of emotional and physical abuse could have adverse impact on her pregnancy. Humphreys & Nicky (2006), note that pregnancy is a high risk period. During this time, expectant mothers are vulnerable to numerous risks that could not only affect their health and well being but also that of the child that they are carrying. Similarly, a study by Schornstein (1997) found that, women who were subjected to physical and emotional abuse in the course of their pregnancy are four times more likely to miscarry than women who have not experienced any kind of abuse. Therefore, this is a major issue of concern. Due to the critical nature of pregnancies, there is need to protect Beth from recurring incidences of abuse by withdrawing her from the environment where the abuse is taking place or averting her contact with the abuser. On the other hand, when it comes to Ben, there is the concern that stress at work could be the cause of his abusive behaviour. Barnett, Miller-Perrin & Perrin (1997) found that stress can be a major contributor to abusive. Therefore, a suitable intervention should be implemented to ensure that Ben is equipped with relevant knowledge and skills on how to cope with stress in an effective and healthy manner. There is also the concern that his heavy drinking almost every night may further aggravate his pattern emotional and physical abuse towards Beth. A number of research studies have found a positive correlation between alcoholism, substance abuse and aggravated patterns of domestic violence (Leonard, 2001; Testa, Quigley & Leonard, 2003). A considerable number of evidence in literature suggests that, alcohol use increases the severity and occurrence of domestic violence (Brecklin, 2002;Klostermann & Fals-Stewart, 2006; Leonard, 2005). It is therefore, crucial to implement a suitable intervention that will address Ben’s drinking behaviour in order to avert incidences of emotional and physical abuse. This scenario also elicits a number of family concerns. When it comes to Beth there is the concern that Ben’s domineering, controlling and abusive behaviour is isolating her from her family. As a result, she may not able to get the much required familial support and help during her pregnancy. Due to this isolation, she may also not be able to get the support she requires in order to cope or address issues pertaining to domestic violence. Keyes & Goodman (2006) argue that, isolation and the lack of support can cause expectant women to become depressed. Other studies have also found a close link between isolation during pregnancy and depression (Durruthy, 2006; Misri, 2006).).Due to depression, expectant mothers may fail to take care of their health as required. Consequently, this could not only affect their health and well being but also that of the child that they are carrying (Keyes & Goodman 2006; Durruthy, 2006). Evidently, there is need for Beth to receive significant social support from family and friends in order for to cope. When it comes to Ben, there is the concern that past incidences of abuse in his family may be a contributing factor to his recurring patterns of emotional and physical abuse towards Beth. Given that, when Ben was growing up he witnessed his father’s recurrent violent behaviour towards his mother, there is likelihood that, this could be one of underlying cause of his anger, stress and abusive behaviour. The social learning and classical and operant conditioning theories postulate that behaviour can be shaped through observation, conditioning and reinforcement factors in the environment (Barnett et al. 1997). Moreover, there is significant evidence in literature that suggests that, individuals raised in a family characterised by violence or abuse are prone to display such behaviour when they grow older (Flood & Fergus, 2008; McInnes, 1995). Therefore, there is need to explore, confront and address past incidence of abuse in Ben’s life in order to address issues pertaining to his abusive behaviour. There are also concerns that in future, Beth’s and Ben home environment may not be conducive for raising a baby in a healthy manner due to Ben’s recurrent abusive behaviours. There is compelling evidence in literature that shows that, domestic violence has detrimental impact on children’s development (Flood & Fergus, 2008; Humphreys & Nicky, 2006; McInnes, 1995; Park, Smith & Ireland 2012). Humphreys & Nicky (2006) suggest that, children living in homes characterised with domestic violence experience high level of distress. This could negatively affect their development, wellbeing and perspective about life. They further argue that children who witness incidents of domestic violence could be at risk of substantial physical and emotional harm (Humphreys & Nicky, 2006). Therefore, there is need to ensure that in future, Beth’s child is provided a safe and conducive home environment free from domestic abuse. Critical Assessment of Possible Interventions In reference to the identified harm, individual, family and environmental factors of concern and the protective needs of the clients, it is apparent that this scenario requires serious and urgent intervention. Foremost, when it comes to Beth it is evident that she is at high risk, since the recurring incidences of emotional and physical abuse could affect her pregnancy and overall well being (Humphreys & Nicky, 2006; Schornstein, 1997). Given that, the process of behaviour change is not a simple process, it may be implausible to except that Ben’s abusive behaviour would change overnight (Browning & Thomas, 2005). Therefore, there is need to protect Beth from recurring incidences of abuse by withdrawing her from the environment where the abuse is taking place or averting her contact with the abuser (Wuest & Merritt-Gray, 1999). This may require that Ben either moves in with her immediate family or separating from Ben. The goal of this intervention is to ensure that, the various risks associated with emotional and physical abuse during pregnancy are averted or minimised in order to enhance the overall health and well-being of the expectant mother. In a feminist grounded theory study carried out by Wuest & Merritt-Gray (1999), it was established that, disengaging or withdrawing from the abuser can be an effective strategy of addressing domestic violence. Other studies have also found that, women who withdraw or separate themselves from their abusive partners are able to reclaim themselves and break-free from the cycle of domestic abuse (Merritt-Gray & Wuest, 1995; Lempert, 1996). Subsequently, it may be crucial for Beth to undergo clinical counseling in order for her to effectively cope with any stress associated with emotional and physical abuse. According to Eckhardt et al. (2006), women who have been victims of domestic abuse are at a higher risk of experiencing depression, post-traumatic stress disorders, suicidal tendencies and poor physical health than women in non-abusive relationships. Therefore, it may be crucial for her to undergo clinical counseling. There is compelling evidence in literature that suggests that, clinical counseling can be an effective approach of addressing issues pertaining to domestic violence (Feder & Dugan, 2002; Bennett et al., 2004; Sanderson, 2008). The Social Learning theory and the Classical and Operant Conditioning theory provide a suitable framework for assessing the underlying causes of Ben’s abusive and self-harming behaviours. Based on these theories, it is plausible to argue that his abusive and self-harming behaviours were significantly shaped by his childhood experiences (Barnett et al. 1997). Clinical counseling can be used as an intervention for addressing Ben’s childhood experiences of violence that aggravate his abusive behaviours. The goal of clinical counseling will be to help Ben explore issues in his childhood, understand how these issues have affected him and guide him towards decision-making and commitment towards behaviour. In this case, clinical counseling will also aim at providing social and psychological support in the process of behaviour change (Sanderson, 2009). The counseling session also aim at equipping Ben with relevant knowledge and skills on how to cope with stress in an effective and healthy manner. A study carried out by Eckhardt et al. (2006) established that, as part of batterer intervention programs, clinical counseling can play a significant role in preventing future abuse. In this scenario, alcohol abuse is also major issue that can be linked to the recurrent incidences of abuse (Brecklin, 2002; Klostermann & Fals-Stewart, 2006; Leonard, 2005). In this case, brief interventions can be used to discourage incidences of alcohol abuse. The goal of this intervention is to help avert alcohol misuse by helping alcohol abusers to come into terms with the impact of their alcohol misuse and help them make informed decision regarding their alcohol use. Furthermore, this intervention aims at equipping drinkers with skills that will help them consume alcohol in a safe way (Miller, 2013). Brief intervention is an appropriate intervention in this case mainly because it is can help to facilitate behaviour change when it comes to the use of alcohol. This intervention is grounded in several theories in psychology that touch on issues pertaining to understanding and behaviour change. For instance, brief intervention is grounded on social learning theory by Albert Bandura. It focuses on changing individual attitudes, knowledge and skills pertaining to the risk- behaviour. Moreover, brief intervention is grounded on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). It is essentially a talk-based treatment that is implemented in order to make individuals change how they think and what they do. Unlike intervention which focus on past symptoms and causes. Brief intervention focuses on the “here and now” problems thus it is a suitable approach for directly dealing with alcohol abuse (Miller, 2013). In order for the proposed interventions to be effective in addressing the issues identified in the provided scenario, the use of certain interpersonal skills is crucial. For instance, during clinical counseling and brief intervention sessions, it may be crucial to employ interpersonal skills such as interviewing skills, active listening, observation and empathy. Interviewing skills may enable the clinical psychologist to attend to the clients, engage them in a conversation and encourage them to talk about issues openly. Through active listening, the clinical psychologist involved can be able to gather and clarify information shared by the client. On the other hand, observation skills may help the clinical psychologist to collect relevant non-verbal cues that may provide crucial information regarding the client’s feelings and behaviour. 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