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Domestic Violence and Victims’ Support Unit

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Domestic Violence

  • 6 Accesses

Synonyms

Battering; Coercion; Domestic violence abuse; Family violence; Intimate partner violence; Maltreatment; Manipulation; Partner abuse; Spousal abuse; Victimization

Definition

Domestic violence, a pervasive and deeply rooted social issue, presents itself as one of the most significant challenges in modern society. This phenomenon, which transcends geographical, cultural, and socio-economic boundaries, is characterized by a pattern of abusive behavior in any relationship used by one partner to gain or maintain control over another intimate partner (Karmen, 2015; Spalek, 2017; Tennent, 2019; Walby et al., 2015). It is important to understand that domestic violence is not a recent development but a historical issue that has evolved over centuries. It has been deeply influenced by cultural norms, legal systems, and societal attitudes, which have historically fluctuated between acknowledgment and denial of its severity. In many societies, domestic violence was, for long periods...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Gray’s Trauma-Informed Care Services Corp/Integrated Healthcare Education, Lake Elsinore, CA, USA

    Amber Deneén Gray

Authors
  1. Amber Deneén Gray
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Amber Deneén Gray .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Oakland University, Rochester, MI, USA

    Todd K. Shackelford

Section Editor information

  1. No affiliation provided

    Todd K. Shackelford

  2. No affiliation provided

    Gavin Vance

  3. No affiliation provided

    Madeleine K. Meehan

  4. No affiliation provided

    Haylee Majewski

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Gray, A.D. (2024). Domestic Violence and Victims’ Support Unit. In: Shackelford, T.K. (eds) Encyclopedia of Domestic Violence. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-85493-5_428-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-85493-5_428-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-85493-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-85493-5

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

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