Understanding Domestic Violence

Care Choices HMO is concerned about our members who are either experiencing or inflicting domestic violence. There is treatment and help for those who are suffering and for those who are abusive and want to learn how to correct this behavior. We have included some current information on this national problem.

The National Domestic Violence Hotline: 24-hours a day, 365 days a year

Domestic Violence and Women

• One of four women with incomes above $50,000 (26 percent) reported domestic abuse in her lifetime by a spouse or boyfriend, as did 37 percent of women with incomes of $16,000 or less.
• Rates varied little for women when comparing by race, ethnicity, educational level, or geographic location.
• Half of women with a history of any type of violence or abuse reported high levels of depressive symptoms, compared with a third of women with no history of abuse.
• One fifth of women with a history of violence or abuse reported having a disability or illness that limits their work or daily activities, compared with 15 percent of women without a history of violence.
• One of three women with a history of violence or abuse faced problems with access to health care in the past year.
• While three-quarters of women exposed to domestic abuse had discussed these incidents with a friend or relative, only 29 percent had discussed them with a physician or health care professional.

Links to health care and domestic violence

Please visit Endabuse online, a national health care and domestic violence National Health Resource Center, for more information.

Domestic Violence and Men

Men as victims and survivors
Domestic violence affects everyone. It is not color blind nor is it gender blind. Men are also victims of domestic violence and can find themselves in a relationship where they are battered.

Men as abusers
Men's violence against women includes physical violence-both sexual and non-sexual, verbal, emotional and economic abuse. There are programs available for men who have recognized their patterns of abuse and would like to address them.

You can also visit the Endabuse online for information on men as victims and survivors and on how to control abusive behavior.

Excerpts obtained from the National Domestic Violence Hotline website. For additional information, go to www.ndvh.org.