Medical Issues with Adult Victims of Family Violence

Abstract

Interhuman violence is generally estimated to affect millions of persons in the United States. Violence in the context of this chapter refers to physical force that contravenes societal norms or penal codes. Abuse can generally be categorized as verbal abuse, battering, mobility restriction, communication restriction, or economic exploitation. A more inclusive categorization of abuse involves physical abuse (e.g., infliction of pain or injury), sexual abuse (e.g., rape, sexually transmitted diseases), emotional abuse (e.g., derogation, humiliation), neglect (e.g., abandonment, deliberate denial of food, medications), or financial exploitation (e.g., illegal or improper use of funds).