Spousal abuse can also be denoted as domestic violence. Spousal abuse occurs when an intimate partner chooses to act in a way that puts the health of the other partner at risk. Spousal abuse can be in the form of physical abuse, emotional abuse, or sexual violence.

It is important to note that anyone can be a victim of spousal abuse irrespective of their age, gender, race, ethnicity, social status, economic background, or sexual orientation.

The United States Department of Justice revealed in a recent statistic that about 1.3 million women and 835,000 men are reported victims of spousal abuse.

Spousal abuse has a lot of consequences, especially on the victim. In most cases, the effects also extend to their immediate family members.

Effects of Spousal Abuse

Spousal abuse has a lot of effects on the psychology of the victim. People who are in violent relationships often undergo a lot of mental and emotional trauma which may affect them and their ability to relate to other people.

Usually, couples who are in a violent relationship experience a cycle, one where the abuser flares up, abuse the other party, inflicts pain, and then apologizes. This cycle, over time, can cause the victim to experience low self-esteem, intense fear, anxiety, panic attacks, depression, and in extreme cases, withdrawal from friends, family, and other loved ones.

Other victims of spousal abuse have been reported to exhibit suicidal thoughts and tendencies, insomnia, emotional detachment, loss of interest in things they had considered fun, and more.

Spousal Abuse Statistics in the United States

The United State’s data revealed that at least one in three women and one in four men in the united states have been victims of rape, stalking, and/or physical violence. All of these are perpetrated by a current or former lover.

To better understand the statistics, different sources agree that at least one in ten high school students has been a victim of physical violence in the hands of their partners in a one year period. This lends credibility to other data that stated that children born into homes where spousal abuse is prominent are more likely to become abusers themselves.

24 people, on average,  are reported victims of stalking, physical violence and/or rape by an intimate partner in the United States per minute. This puts the annual figure to over 12 million victims annually.

About 29 percent of women, that is 3 in every 10 women, and 10 percent of men, 1 in every 10 men, are victims of stalking, physical violence by partners, and/or rape. These people have also reported the impact of this attack on their ability to function properly.

About 14.8 percent of women and 4 percent of men in the United States have also been reported to be injured due to spousal abuse. Such injuries may have been due to rape, stalking, and/or physical violence by an intimate partner.

24.3 percent of women and 13.8 percent of men over the age of 18 are reported victims of extreme physical violence in the hands of an intimate partner leading to serious injuries.

An average of 50 percent of women and men across the united states have experienced a form of aggression, mostly psychological, from their intimate partners in their lifetime.

Women between the ages of 18 and 24 and those between 25 and 34 experience the highest rate of spousal abuse in the United States.

Victims of spousal abuse need to act fast to ensure that their lives and sanity are protected. Contacting an attorney may be a viable approach to answering questions about domestic violence in Boston.