30423 Domestic Violence

Course overview

Discussion about domestic violence. Topics include different types of domestic violence; who is affected by domestic violence; the cycle of violence; reasons why victims continue relationships with abusers; risk factors; lethality issues; dynamics of abuse; signs and symptoms of domestic violence; and healthcare implications and adverse effects. There is also a discussion about how implicit bias may impact healthcare. Domestic violence is a pattern of abusive behavior in any relationship that is used by one partner to gain or maintain power and control over another intimate partner. In the United States, more than 10 million adults experience domestic violence annually. Domestic violence can be physical, sexual, emotional, economic, psychological, or technological actions or threats of actions or other patterns of coercive behavior that influence another person within an intimate partner relationship. Violence is an urgent public health problem, affecting people in all stages of life, and can lead to a lifetime of physical, emotional, and economic problems. Nurses can play a unique and crucial role in the identification and care of people who find themselves in a domestic violence situation.