Behind closed doors: Scientists have studied what is behind domestic violence

The home should be a place where a person feels safe, but for millions of people, it is close relationships that become a source of threats, humiliation and physical violence. Such cases often remain behind closed doors: victims depend on relatives, are afraid of the consequences of seeking help, or do not perceive what is happening as violence. See the Izvestia article about why domestic violence remains a widespread problem and what international research says about it.

Violence behind closed doors: relatives are among the main victims

Researchers at the Open University of Catalonia have studied more than 2.5 thousand murder cases considered by Spanish courts. In 278 cases, about 10.75% of the total, crimes were committed by people with diagnosed mental disorders. In most of these cases, the victims were family members and 26.1% of crimes were murders of parents or other relatives in the ascending line. The work was published in the Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine (JFLM).

At the same time, the results of the study cannot be interpreted as evidence that people with mental disorders are generally prone to violence. The researchers analyzed murder trials rather than a representative sample of people with psychiatric diagnoses.

The scale of the problem: one in three women and billions of children

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that about 840 million women worldwide — almost one in three — have been physically or sexually assaulted by an intimate partner or sexually assaulted by another person at least once in their lives. If we consider only violence by a current or former partner, 25.8% of women aged 15 to 49 who have been in a relationship have experienced physical or sexualized violence at least once.

Domestic violence also affects children. According to UNICEF estimates, about 1.6 billion children in the world — about two out of three — regularly face abusive parenting methods at home, including physical punishment and psychological aggression. There are about 400 million of them among children under the age of five.

Another vulnerable group is the elderly, who may depend on relatives for housing, finances, and care. According to a WHO survey, approximately one in six people over the age of 60 living at home has experienced some form of violence in the past year. This can be physical or psychological impact, financial exploitation, neglect of human needs, denial of necessary care or abandonment. Dependence on those who have to take care of an elderly relative makes it difficult to identify such cases.

The most serious manifestation of domestic violence is murder. According to a joint report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and UN Women, about 50,000 women and girls were killed by intimate partners or other family members in 2024. A change in the estimate compared to previous years does not necessarily mean a real decrease in the number of crimes: international organizations warn that statistics also depend on the completeness of data available in different countries.

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Why violence occurs: Control, inequality, and learned patterns of behavior

There is no one universal cause for domestic violence. Experts note that the risk depends on a combination of individual characteristics, relationship history, environment and social conditions.

One of the central mechanisms may be the desire to control another person. Violence does not always begin with a physical attack. It can gradually manifest itself in demands to report on every step, prohibitions on communicating with friends, checking correspondence, restricting access to money, or attempts to decide for a partner where to work and whom to meet. As a result, people lose their independence and have fewer and fewer opportunities to make decisions without the risk of conflict.

The attitudes that society passes on from generation to generation are also important. If physical punishment of a child is considered a normal way of parenting, and jealousy is perceived as proof of love, the line between care and control may blur.

Why victims don't leave: Fear, addiction, and Isolation

One of the common questions that arise from others is why a person does not end a relationship in which he is being abused. However, the question itself suggests that the victim always has a safe and affordable way out. In practice, leaving can be accompanied by threats, loss of housing, financial instability, risk to children, and the need to start life anew without the support of loved ones.

Cassandra Wiener notes that leaving a dangerous relationship can be risky in itself: an aggressor who is used to controlling a partner is able to perceive a breakup as a loss of power. If a person threatens to harm the victim, children, or himself in advance, the decision to leave requires not only emotional readiness, but also an assessment of real safety. Therefore, calls to "just leave" do not take into account the threats and practical obstacles that people face.

The study, published in the Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma, is based on in-depth interviews with 20 women in the UK who have experienced partner violence. The participants mentioned among the reasons why they remained in a relationship, the desire to save their family, marriage and pregnancy, love for a partner, economic dependence, social isolation and cultural or religious beliefs. The reasons for leaving were fear of further harm, mental deterioration, support from specialists and loved ones, as well as the desire to protect children.

Violence can also be difficult to recognize if it does not leave visible injuries. Humiliation, threats, sexualized coercion, financial constraints, and constant monitoring of behavior can be perceived by others as family conflicts. But conflict involves disagreements between people, whereas coercive control is based on restricting the freedom of one of them. The distinction is also important for victims: the absence of bruises does not mean that a person is safe.

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Violence can be repeated from generation to generation, but it is not inevitable.

Children who grow up in an atmosphere of threats and aggression may experience consequences even if they themselves do not become direct victims of attacks. The constant expectation of conflict, watching one parent humiliate or intimidate the other, and the lack of a safe environment can affect one's emotional state, relationships with others, and ideas about how to resolve disagreements.

WHO considers childhood abuse to be a risk factor for subsequent health and well-being problems. Research also links the experience of physical violence and witnessing violence between parents with an increased likelihood of encountering aggression later in life, both as a victim and as the person who commits it. However, this relationship does not mean that the child will necessarily repeat the behavior of adults: the risk depends on a variety of circumstances, including the support he receives in the future.

Mental disorders and violence: why it is impossible to put an equal sign

The original study focuses on murders committed by people with mental disorders, but its results cannot be transferred to all people with such diagnoses. The authors considered crimes that had already been committed, rather than assessing the prevalence of violent behavior among psychiatric patients. Therefore, the work does not prove that mental disorders alone make a person dangerous.

Josep Maria Tamarit and his colleagues draw attention to the fact that the fight against stigmatization should not lead to ignoring the victims. According to the researcher, family members may find themselves in a particularly vulnerable position, since they are the ones who are in more frequent contact with a person and are often left alone with a problem. If loved ones do not have access to help, and a potentially dangerous situation remains unaddressed, the risk for them may persist.

At the same time, it is wrong to determine the risk of violence solely by diagnosis. To assess a specific situation, experts take into account the history of threats and attacks, human behavior, life circumstances, and the availability of support. It is also important to distinguish between a mental disorder that requires medical attention and intentional violent behavior. These phenomena may overlap in some cases, but they are not synonymous.

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How to break the cycle of violence: prevention and affordable care

International organizations consider domestic violence as a problem of public health and human rights protection. To solve it, it is not enough to react only after severe injuries or murders. WHO recommends combining legal protection, prevention programs, medical care, victim support, and measures aimed at changing societal norms that justify aggression.

Parental support programs and the dissemination of nonviolent parenting methods play an important role in relation to children. UNICEF notes that harsh discipline not only does not ensure the sustainable development of self-control, but can also cause harm. Parents need accessible ways to get help in difficult situations, and children need the opportunity to report violence to adults who are able to protect them.

For victims of partner violence, not only medical and psychological services are important, but also safe housing, legal support, and economic independence. If a person is afraid of losing their livelihood or being left without a roof over their head, one recommendation to break up with the aggressor is not enough. Assistance should take into account specific circumstances and not expose a person to additional risk.

In cases where there is a risk of severe violence, the coordinated work of medical specialists, social services and law enforcement agencies is necessary. At the same time, measures should be aimed at the safety of potential victims and based on an assessment of specific circumstances, rather than assumptions about a person based on their diagnosis, social status, or membership in a particular group.

To prevent violence, it is important to see it not only as a private family conflict, but also as a situation in which another person's safety may be compromised. The ability to seek help, the availability of protection, and the willingness of society to take threats and coercion seriously make it possible to identify dangerous situations earlier. And support for the victims should be maintained even after the immediate threat has passed.