 |
Behavioral Signs
Some signs of abuse are clear: physical
injuries, repeated injuries, injuries that are explained in
a manner unlikely to occur, bilateral injuries, injuries that
appear in a pattern left by the object used in the assault.
In addition to the physical injuries, there are behavioral
indicators that IPV/DV may be occurring.
|
Case Study
3. Rhoda
|
|
Rhoda and Jim have been married for 38 years. Rhoda
has been suffering from severe headaches for about 10
years. At a recent holiday dinner, Rhoda's niece Hannah
notices, once again, how Jim always accuses Rhoda of
flirting with one of her 4 brothers-in-law. Inevitably,
at every family get together, after a few drinks, Jim
starts this behavior. Hannah has always liked her aunt
Rhoda, despite not seeing her very often, and her shy,
self-effacing manner. But Jim has always been jealous.
Hannah knows that he also doesn't allow Rhoda to spend
much money. She turns over her paycheck to him and he
gives her a small allowance. That is all she's allowed
to spend. Jim has not allowed Rhoda go to have the headaches
evaluated. Jim does all the shopping in the home. Besides
work and the occasional family occasion, Rhoda doesn't
really get out much. Hannah is curious and asks Rhoda
if she's ok. Rhoda begins to cry and tells Hannah that
Jim has been physically abusing her ever since he started
drinking-about 10 years ago-after Jim had been laid
off from his high level management position with a Fortune
500 company. That was about the same time that her headaches
started.
Hannah offers to take Rhoda to see her primary care
provider, a nurse practitioner, for her headaches. When
the NP screens for IPV/DV, this time, Rhoda admits to
the abuse.
|
Sometimes it is hard to identify an abusive
relationship, or to admit to it, if suspicions arise. There
are clear signs to help in the identification of abuse. Consider
IPV/DV when faced with the following (USDHHS, 2008):
- Monitoring how the partner spends all of her time;
- Criticism of even little things;
- Constant accusations of unfaithfulness;
- Prevention or discouragement of partner seeing friends
or family, or going to work or school;
- Anger when drinking alcohol or using drugs;
- Controls how any money is spent;
- Controls the use of needed medicines;
- Humiliates the partner in front of others;
- Destroys property or things that the partner cares about;
- Threatens to hurt the partner, the children, or pets,
or does cause hurt (by hitting, beating, pushing, shoving,
punching, slapping, kicking, or biting);
- Uses or threatens to use a weapon against the partner;
- Forces sex against the partner's will;
- Blames the partner for his/her own violent outbursts.
Continue on to
|
|
