Domestic Violence

             Types of Abuse.
             There are fundamental differences in the types of abuse. Research by O"Leary, 1993, reveals there are continues acts of aggressive behaviors towards spouse that may progress. His framework of aggression progression is illustrated below: .
             1. Verbal Aggression includes insults, yelling, and name-calling. Some of the causes reported were jealousy, marital discord, misuse of partners" power, and the need to control a partner. .
             2. Physical Aggression includes pushing, slapping, and shoving. An increase in aggression is caused by alcohol abuse, aggressive personality, prior child abuse, modeling physical aggressive behavior seen as a child, and the acceptance of violence as means to control others.
             3. Severe Aggression includes beating, punching and hitting a partner with objects. At this point aggression progresses; it may be caused by a personality disorder, signs of emotional labiality and poor self-esteem. .
             4. Aggression may accelerate causing the abuser to murder their partner.
             Abuse, Rape and Pregnancy.
             It is important to mention, their partners forcibly, and violently rape 1.2 million women, more than once, every year (U.S. Department of Justice, 1994). Unfortunately, pregnant women and their baby may both be victims of abuse. Some abusers become jealous of the unborn child, which may cause an escalation of the abuse (Berlinger, 2001). Seventeen percent of pregnant women reported being battered which caused miscarriages, stillbirths, .
             low birth weight, and premature babies. Women who have been battered experience twice the health care needs and cost of peers who have not been abused (U.S. Department of Justice, 1994). .
             .
             Non-Physical Abuse.
             Most of the focus is on physical abuse, yet other types of abuse should be noted. Susan Schecter, 1995, has research and found five major categories of emotional abuse .
             (cited in Davis, 1995). .
             1. Isolation, which involves the abuser restricting their daily activities, monitoring and questioning phone calls, not allowing the partner to be involved with others outside the home.