Domestic Violence/Interpersonal Violence Flashcards
(28 cards)
Definition of Domestic Violence/Interpersonal Violence
Pattern of assaultive and coercive behaviors, including inflicted physical injury, psychological abuse, sexual assault, progressive social isolation, stalking, deprivation, intimidation, and threats.
Facts about Domestic Violence/Interpersonal Violence
- Affects people regardless of race, ethnicity, class, sexual and gender identity, religious affiliation, age, immigration status, and ability.
- Behaviors are perpetrated by someone who is, was, or wishes to be involved in an intimate dating relationship with an adult or adolescent, and are aimed at establishing control by one partner over the other
Vulnerable Population
- Infants and Children: Unable to fight back
- Youth: Bullying is PREVALENT; Bullying can set up for emotional effects later on in life (person flips slides and becomes the violent one) Teen tend to run away from home
- Older Adults: Rely on others to take care of them
- Substance Use/Abuse: When under the influence, judgement is altered and unrightfully decisions are made
- Mental Health Conditions: Client mind is already altered
- Exposure to Violence as a Child: Children play violent video games making them think violence is okay
- Sociocultural Factors
- Both men and women
Types of Domestic Violence
- Self-Directed
- Collective Violence
- Interpersonal Violence
Self-Directed Violence:
Any intentional act that could result in injury or death to oneself.
o It can include a range of behaviors such as, suicide attempts, self-harm, suicidal gestures and threats
Collective Violence:
When a group of people use violence against another group or individuals to achieves political, economic or social goals
o Example: Gangs
Interpersonal Violence
- Violent act between people who have some form of prior or existing relationship in a physical, psychological, sexual, and neglect and/or deprivation nature
Types of Interpersonal Violence
- Sexual
- Physical
- Psychological
- Deprivation
- Neglect
Sexual Abuse
- Takes place when a person knowingly causes another person to engage in a sex act by threatening or place the other person in fear, or if someone engages in a sexual act with a person who is incapable of appraising the nature of the act or unable to give consent
Physical Abuse
- Aggressive or violent behavior by one person towards another that results in bodily injury
* Example: pinching, slapping, tripping, punching and grabbing, twisting of arms or legs, pulling hair, beating, choking, pushing, biting, use of a weapon
Psychological Abuse
- Violence may be carried out by threatening emotional or physical harm
* Example: threats of child abuse, threatening to publicly reveal the victim’s sexual orientation, threatening suicide, threatening to take children away, threatening to harm pets and threatening to harm family
* Emotional Abuse: pattern of behavior in which the perpetrator insults, humiliates, and generally instills fear in a n individual in order to control them
o Example: playing mind games, laying the blame for anything on the victim, putting you down, treating you like a servant, not allowing you to make anything big decisions and making you feel bad about yourself
Deprivation
Deliberate denial to an eligible adult of required medications, medical care, shelter, food, therapeutic devices or other physical assistance, thereby exposing that person to the risk of physical, mental or emotional harm
Neglect
- An act of omission in the care leading to potential or actual harm
- Example: inadequate health care, education, supervision, protection from hazards in the environment and unmet basic needs such as clothing and food
Predisposing Factors of Domestic Violence
- Low self-esteem
- Low education or income
- Young age
- Aggressive or delinquent behavior as a youth
- Heavy alcohol and drug use
- Depression and suicide attempts
- Anger and hostility
Knowledge of Who Domestic Violence Affects
- IT AFFECTS EVERYONE
Abuser Characteristics
- Not leaving the person’s side
- Not letting the patient talk
- Only allowing the patient to stay for a certain amount of time
- Charming: quickly smother the others with gifts and praise; immediately pushes for an exclusive relationship using phrases like “I can’t live without you” or “I’ll kill myself if you leave
- Manipulative: Easily detects vulnerability in others and uses it as a weapon to control, belittle, and demean the victim
Signs of Abuse
- Physical
- Mental/Emotional
- Sexual
- THERE CAN ALSO BE NO OBVIOUS SIGNS OF ABUSE
Signs of Abuse Can Also Be..
- Abuse can be controlling money, withholding basic necessities, tracking phone/car use
- Look for signs of controlling behavior: partner making decisions, answering for patient, controlling access
- Look for clothing used to hide physical signs- long sleeves in summer, scarfs, etc.
Physical Assessment
- Direct impact of physical traumatic injury and the accompanying pain, need for repair, and related recovery time
- Scratches, bruises, swelling, lesions, burns and cuts, headaches, back pain, sexually transmitted diseases, gastrointestinal disorders, and heart or circulatory conditions
- Fractures: face (especially cheek, jaw, nose with DV/Intimate)
- Unintended pregnancy and gynecologic complications—bleeding, infection, pain during intercourse, chronic pelvic pain, STIs, HIV transmission, and urinary tract infections, pregnancy effects on fetus
- Skin: signs of trauma (bruising in various stages of healing, burns, scar), lice, branding or tattoos
- Reproductive: genital mutilation or scarring, vaginal or anal trauma, STDs or other infections, signs of multiple terminated pregnancies, pelvic inflammatory disease
- Skeletal: old fractures, abnormal gait
- Respiratory: TB and untreated asthma
- Psychological: strong startle reflex, panic/anxiety, depression, flat affect, withdrawn and passive or stoic behavior, signs of drug misuse, deferring to a companion, suicide and aggressive behavior
10 Interactional: Companion speak for the person; companion refuses to leave patient even during an examination; the victim seems afraid to answer or defers the answer to the companion
Mental Assessment
- PTSD
- Depression
- Strong Startle Reflex
- Panic/Anxiety
- Flat Affect
- Deferring to a Companion
- Withdrawn, passive or stoic behavior
- Suicide, or aggressive behavior
General Assessment
Detachment, avoidance, insomnia, difficulty focusing, hypervigilance, fear, hopelessness, withdrawn
Documentation
- Assess and log accumulation of all S/S
- Document injury by narrative note
- OBJECTIVE, state FACTS only (be as descriptive as you can; include dimensions/size of bruises, color, etc.)
Worse Case/Extreme Version
- Critical Moments:
o Rape
o Patient is being seen in healthcare as a direct result of a violent incident - Worse Case
o Suicide
o Homicide
Interventions: NURSING FOCUS
- Ensure immediate safety of patient (our TOP priority)
- Perform screening: oral questions, written assessment, physical assessment
- Protect patients: isolate or hide in system, stop visitors
- Report to physician and police (WE ARE MANDATORY REPORTERS)
- Know the policy in your institution for next steps
- Document physical and emotional assessment findings OBJECTIVELY (make sure statement is not biased)