Domestic violence is a crime that too often goes unnoticed. Only in the past 20 years has there been significant research into the causes of domestic violence and subsequent legal and public policy changes (Carlson and Worden 2005). In academia, we have gained a better understanding of the causes of domestic violence, but has that translated to the general public?
It is important to note that researchers have determined “no single factor accounts for partner violence… [but] personality characteristics and defects and alcohol abuse lead to violence” (Carlson and Worden 2005). There are still many unknowns about domestic violence, but research is progressing. Researchers Alyssa Worden and Bonnie Carlson created a survey in order to determine if an increase in understanding of domestic violence has reached the general public. They created a study given to six communities in New York divided in two different parts: an open ended section and a close-ended section (2005). It is necessary to flag that this survey was initially done in 2005 and there has been little research on the public opinion of domestic violence since, and the researchers refer to the abusers as men, and the victims as women.
For the first section of the survey, participants were asked “In your opinion, what causes couples to physically hurt one another?”. Each response was coded into up to six different overall themes, such as substance abuse, adultery, jealousy, family stress, disrespect, etc. (Carlson and Worden 2005). Participants offered varying answers as to what they personally think causes abuse, but the main takeaway and pattern observed by the first half of the study demonstrates that people don’t think of domestic violence in any context outside of individuals or households (Carlson and Worden 2005). The most common answers were coded into “work-related or financial stress”, “substance abuse”, “anger or loss of control”, “relationship problems”, “family exposure to violence”, “adultery or jealousy”, and “perpetrator’s mental health problems” (Carlson and Worden 2005). Beyond showing that the participants did not think of partner violence in any larger context outside the household, this information shows that participants do, in fact, have an idea of what causes domestic violence.
The second half of the survey, given to the same participants, were closed ended questions. Participants were given a statement related to the causes of domestic violence and were then asked to respond if they agreed with the statement, disagreed, or did not know (Carlson and Worden 2005). From this section, it can be concluded that the majority of participants (over 60 percent) believe that abusive behavior is unlikely to change and can easily escalate, and that substance abuse, personality defects, and sometimes even socialization for boys to be aggressive can lead to domestic violence. However, 37 percent of participants agreed that “A lot of what is called “domestic violence” is really just a “normal reaction to day-to-day stress and frustration”, and 23 percent of participants agreed that “Some women who are abused secretly want to be treated that way.” The study goes on to show that 63 percent of the participants agreed that “Most women could find a way to get out of an abusive relationship if they really wanted to” (Carlson and Worden 2005). This suggests that participants often view sources of domestic violence in a stereotypical sense, seldom mentioning the causes of violence that appear in empirical research like childhood and societal risk factors. Also, particularly with the response to the questions about women, there seems to be evidence of widespread victim-blaming, with the assumption that women can leave the relationship, therefore are choosing to stay, and that some women want to be abused (Carlson and Worden 2005).
This study leads to one main takeaway: education and outreach is needed to change the conversation surrounding domestic violence (Carlson and Worden 2005). It is important for the public to understand the many barriers for women leaving abusive relationships, that violence is not a normal or acceptable response in relationships, and that victims are never, under any circumstances, being asked to be abused.
References
Carlson, Bonnie and Worden, Alyssa. “Attitudes and Beliefs About Domestic Violence: Results of a Public Opinion Survey.” Journal of Interpersonal Violence, Vol. 20, No. 10, 2005, pp. 1220-1240, https://journals-sagepub-com.proxyau.wrlc.org/doi/abs/10.1177/0886260505278531
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