Black Health Trust Highlights the Dangers of Intimate Partner Violence( continued)
85 % of the victims are women but with gay relationships becoming a greater focus of attention in today’ s society, the cycle of emotional abuse and isolation becomes a part of the IPV spiral. Olympic gold medalist Greg Louganis wrote Breaking the Surface and discussed such issues in gay relationships as power control mechanisms, abuse, isolation, and physical violence.
In Dr. Rahn Bailey’ s way of thinking, gun violence is the primary problem contributing to IPV incidents. Guns are too powerful and harmful and pose an acute public health problem. Homicide is interpersonal. Pointing a gun, guns tied to emotional abuse, and the psychological effects of gun violence led him to consider the need for a system of psychological autopsy.
Fifty percent of homicides and suicides result from coercive, abusive contacts with gun violence. The long term decrease in homicide rates is tied to women becoming less and less economically dependent on men. African American women are the most abused of all gun victims.
He cited four contributing factors to the cycle of violence:
• Persons feel vulnerable and react by acquiring guns; the“ arms race”, as he cited.
• Data proposes the importance of using dedicated strategies to de-escalate violence; having a gun escalates the violence.
• When there is a risk of violence it serves to elevate blood pressure, as people feel disrespected.
• People moving toward a higher intensity gun is the problem.
• Race is clearly a contributing factor to gunrelated incidents.
Dr. Roger Mitchell discussed the impact of military service on IPV. He cited the example of a 33-yearold wife of a returning vet who ended up dead with 20 stab wounds. Fatal domestic violence is not a new dynamic experienced by military personnel. Individuals with a poor home life have a higher incidence of joining the military to establish structure in their lives.
Citing various conditions including childhood abuse compounded by combat trauma and PTSD, gun violence is also an ever-present factor in many returning veterans’ lives. Adverse childhood experiences are higher amongst the military than civilians. Negative events lead to poor future outcomes based on a higher risk of experiencing anxiety and depression.
That in turn creates a cohort of individuals with adverse childhood experience who are then exposed to combat trauma. PTSD contributes to the climate of fear and trauma. The longer the time of service, the higher the risk to commit acts of domestic violence upon return to civilian life.
The period of deployment is purposely intended to be a time of separation from home and family and upon resettlement stateside, the effect of deployment is problematic for the spouse. Dr. Mitchell recommended that a formal resource program be established to re-bond the family, including social services, medical treatment, clinical counseling, and anger management.
Dr. Mallory Williams noted that the current COVID-19 pandemic is actually a poly-pandemic. Multiple issues are involved including the health and economic status of the family. How those factors interplay with IPV determines the outcome of the given situation.
He likewise noted that African American women are killed at a disproportionate rate through domestic violence than their peers. Social isolation is more acute when young children anchor women at home. Social isolation engenders loss of mobility, unemployment, health related issues amid the current quarantine.
The impact of the quarantine produces anxiety, economic disparities, and substance abuse. Online alcohol sales increased by 243 %. Firearm sales skyrocketed even prior to the George Floyd incident. African Americans were overrepresented in receiving essential services and underrepresented in outdoor work such as building construction.
Some takeaways: keeping patients safe is keeping society safe. Wraparound services do matter. It is imperative to create a medium to bridge communication. Dr. Williams noted that African American men need to address the culture of toxic masculinity and begin to discover ways to minimize it.
CDU College of Medicine | PG. 26