Domestic Violence Against Females REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE Introducti

According to a report issued by the Public Health Service (1990), at least 18 percent of all homicides in the United States occur within families with the risk for women being 1.3 times that of their husbands. However, according to Campbell (1986), even when wives kill their husbands, self-defense is involved approximately seven times as often as when husbands kill their wives.

In terms of actual numbers, Straus and Gelles (1990) state that about 1.8 million women are battered by their husbands each year in America. The authors further state that this figure is low because it does not include violence against women in either dating or cohabitating relationships.

Straus and Gelles also report that while all spousal violence is serious, abuse of female partners is a particularly serious community health problem; and this for several reasons. These reasons include its greater prevalence, the stronger potential for homicide, the effects on the children, and its more serious long-term emotional and physical consequences.

In their discussion of spousal violence against women, Papalia and Olds (1992) noted that there are definite patterns to the violence. First, it usually begins with only a shove or a slap; however, over the course of the relationship, it soon escalates to a beating. Second, wives are more likely to be battered if couples are young, poor, and unemployed.

Papalia and Olds (1992) also state that

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violence. However, the authors report that the media, when used inappropriately such as via dramatizations containing violence, can also contribute to the problem of domestic violence through its constant exposure. Unfortunately, the media is often used for this purpose; indeed, by age 18 years, the average child has seen 1,800 murders and countless acts of nonfatal violence on television alone. Community facilities can also be used to assist efforts to curb violence. For example, recreational facilities can provide socially acceptable outlets for feelings of aggression through participation in competitive sports. Similarly, spectator sports such as football or hockey can also allow community members to channel their aggressive impulses. Psychological Responses There are a number of psychological programs which have been designed to provide therapeutic assistance to abused women and their families. Programs are not only for the victims but also for the men to help them stop their violent behavior (e.g. Bernard & Bernard, 1984). Also, there are family therapy programs which provide treatment for all family members; according to Gelles and Maynard (1987), such family therapy programs, if given sufficiently early, can somet
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Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page)