Domestic Violence: Risk and Protective Factors

Domestic Violence: Risk and Protective Factors

Risk factors are associated with a greater likelihood of domestic violence victimization. They are contributing factors and may or may not be direct causes. Not everyone who is identified as “at risk” becomes involved in violence.

A combination of individual, relational, community, and societal factors contribute to the risk of becoming a victim of domestic violence. Understanding these multilevel factors can help identify various opportunities for prevention.
Risk Factors for Domestic Violence

Individual Risk Factors

* Low self-esteem
* Low income
* Low academic achievement
* Young age
* Aggressive or delinquent behavior as a youth
* Heavy alcohol and drug use
* Depression
* Anger and hostility
* Antisocial personality traits
* Borderline personality traits
* Prior history of being physically abusive
* Having few friends and being isolated from other people
* Unemployment
* Emotional dependence and insecurity
* Belief in strict gender roles (e.g., male dominance and aggression in relationships)
* Desire for power and control in relationships
* Perpetrating psychological aggression
* Being a victim of physical or psychological abuse (consistently one of the strongest predictors of perpetration)
* History of experiencing poor parenting as a child
* History of experiencing physical discipline as a child

Relationship Factors

* Marital conflict-fights, tension, and other struggles
* Marital instability-divorces or separations
* Dominance and control of the relationship by one partner over the other
* Economic stress
* Unhealthy family relationships and interactions

Community Factors

* Poverty and associated factors (e.g., overcrowding)
* Low social capital-lack of institutions, relationships, and norms that shape a community’s social interactions
* Weak community sanctions against domestic violence (e.g., unwillingness of neighbors to intervene in situations where they witness violence)

Societal Factors

* Traditional gender norms (e.g., women should stay at home, not enter workforce, and be submissive; men support the family and make the decisions)