Definition

Domestic violence has many names: wife abuse, marital assault, woman battery, spouse abuse, wife beating, conjugal violence, intimate violence, battering partner abuse, etc. In addition to this variety of terminology, there are different behavioral and legal definitions for domestic violence. With so many different terms and definitions, there can be a lack of clarity about what is meant by 'domestic violence,' leading to inconsistencies in identification, assessment, interventions and research.

Domestic violence occurs in a relationship where the batterer and the victim know each other. It occurs in both adult and adolescent intimate relationships. The victim and batterer may be dating, co-habitating, married, divorced, separated or gay. They may have children in common, and the relationship may be of short or long duration.

The intimate context of the violence is important in understanding the nature of the problem and in developing effective interventions. To an outside observer, domestic violence may look like stranger-to-stranger violence (with punching, slapping, kicking or choking). Domestic violence victims experience traumas similar to those of victims of stranger violence (burns, internal injuries, head injuries, bruises, stab wounds, broken bones, muscle damage or psychological trauma). However, the intimate context of the domestic violence shapes the way in which both the batterer and the victim relate to and are affected by the violence. And, unfortunately, the intimate context all too often leads those outside the relationship to take domestic violence less seriously than other types of violence.

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