Intimate Partner Violence Interventions

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV)
Intimate partner violence, as Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – CDC (2017) points out, has got to do with “physical, sexual, or psychological harm by a current or former partner or spouse.” As the organization further points out, intimate partner violence affects not only heterosexual partners, but also gay couples. It is important to note that although there have been instances where women are the aggressors; the greatest burden of intimate partner violence is borne by women, whereby their male partners are the aggressors.
In essence, according to the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence (2012), “half of men in batterer intervention programs appear to abuse alcohol and drugs…” and “half of the women in treatment for substance abuse have been battered.” This indicates that there is a clear relationship between IPV and substance abuse. For abusers, substance abuse tends to disrupt thinking processes (and hence the acceptance of violence as a way of solving problems) and is indicative of a deeper problem such as troubled childhood and/or stress and depression during adulthood. Victims, on the other hand, engage in substance abuse as a way of escaping realities of IPV.
In seeking to provide support and care to victims of intimate partner violence, several models of care have been proposed. One of these models seeks to address the triggers of intimate partner violence (CDC, 2017), i.e. poor communication, anger, etc. This could, amongst other things, be accomplished by promoting healthy relationship behaviors such as understanding, healthy communication, and patience.
Also, in seeking to provide support to victims of intentional violence, there are programs that bring on board individuals that are influential in specific spheres to promote positive relations amongst couples and motivate change of behavior. According to CDC (2017), “trusted adults and peers are important influencers of what adolescents and young adults think and expect and how they behave.” Influencers could in this case include, but they are not limited to, sports personalities, movie stars, and political leaders.
Several organizations and agencies have also been established in an attempt to avail care to victims of IPV. This is particularly the case given that victims of intimate violence could experience both short-term and long-term physical and emotional harm as a consequence of IPV. These include the National Women’s Health Information Center, the U.S. Department of Justice Office for Victims of Crime, Family Violence Prevention and Services Program, etc. (Augusta-Scott, Scott, and Tutty, 2017). There is also need for creating a buffer zone for victims – i.e. a protective community environment. This is key as in addition to ensuring that the community intervenes in instances of IPV, it encourages IPV disclosure amongst victims, thus effectively enabling them to access help and support.











References
Augusta-Scott, T, Scott, K, & Tutty, L.M. (Eds.). (2017). Innovations and Interventions to ADDRESS INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE – Research and Practice. New York, NY: Taylor and Francis Group
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – CDC (2017). Intimate Partner Violence. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/intimatepartnerviolence/index.html
National Resource Center on Domestic Violence (2012). Substance Abuse and Intimate Partner Violence. Retrieved from http://vawnet.org/material/substance-abuse-and-intimate-partner-violence