Family Violence

Risk Factors for Family Violence

Among the major risk factors for the occurrence of family violence are age of the potential perpetrator (perpetrators are most likely to be between eighteen and thirty years of age; young age is not, however, a risk factor for elder abuse), sex of the potential perpetrator (men are the most likely offenders in acts of intimate violence, though men and women have similar rates of child homicide), and income (although most poor parents and partners do not use violence toward intimates, the rates of all forms of family violence except sexual abuse are highest for families living below the poverty line). Stress is another major factor: Families facing the stresses of unemployment, financial problems, single parenthood, teen motherhood, sexual difficulties, and so forth are more likely to experience family violence. Other factors are equally important.

Social Isolation and Social Support. People who are socially isolated from neighbors and relatives are more likely to be violent in the home. Conversely, social support is an important protective factor. The more a family is integrated into the community and the more groups and associations they belong to, the less likely they are to be violent.

The Intergenerational Transmission of Violence. Evidence from studies of parental and marital violence indicate that while experiencing violence in one's family of origin is often associated with later violent behavior, such experience is not the sole determining factor. When the intergenerational transmission of violence occurs, it is likely the result of a complex set of social and psychological processes.

Gender Inequality. The greater the degree of gender inequality in a relationship, community, and society, the higher are the rates of violence towards women. The link between gender inequality and intimate violence is evident in a variety of cultures. Husbands in India sometimes engage in violence against their wives in order to extort additional dowry from the wives' families. Indian women may die from kerosene fires in their kitchens set by husbands who have been frustrated in their attempts to extort more dowry. Husbands in other societies may use violence to control women who seek to adopt a perceived western model of gender equity in society and families.

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