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By Hope Cristol<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Domestic abuse is more than just hitting, shoving, and other physical attacks. It\u2019s a pattern of controlling behaviors. The goal always is to get and keep power over an intimate partner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You may not realize you\u2019re in an abusive relationship. Not even if you\u2019re the abuser. Abuse can happen to anyone, anywhere. It happens to married, unmarried, and same-sex couples. Abusers and their partners can be rich or poor, and come from any race and ethnicity. Men can abuse women. Women can abuse men.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You may think the troubles in your relationship are no big deal. Your partner slaps you only during huge fights. Or insults you only after a bad day at work. It all counts as domestic abuse. And chances are it will only get worse as time passes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Types<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Domestic abuse is any behavior that scares, intimidates, humiliates, isolates, and controls another person. Physical violence. The abuser may:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Domestic abuse is more than just hitting, shoving, and other physical attacks. It\u2019s a pattern of controlling behaviors. The goal always is to get and keep power over an intimate partner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You may not realize you\u2019re in an abusive relationship. Not even if you\u2019re the abuser. Abuse can happen to anyone, anywhere. It happens to married, unmarried, and same-sex couples. Abusers and their partners can be rich or poor, and come from any race and ethnicity. Men can abuse women. Women can abuse men.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You may think the troubles in your relationship are no big deal. Your partner slaps you only during huge fights. Or insults you only after a bad day at work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It all counts as domestic abuse. And chances are it will only get worse as time passes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sexual abuse.<\/strong> It\u2019s a type of physical abuse. Anytime you feel forced into any sexual act you don\u2019t want, because you\u2019re not in the mood or for any other reason, that\u2019s sexual abuse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Emotional or psychological abuse<\/strong>. This can be verbal or nonverbal. The aim is to lower your sense of self-worth and chip away your independence. Your partner may:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Call you names or yell at you<\/p>\n\n\n\n Economic abuse<\/strong>. This isn\u2019t about one person managing the household finances. It\u2019s when the abuser keeps their partner financially dependent by controlling the money. They also may not allow you to have a job or attend school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Abuse in Certain Groups<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Many abusers act alike. But sometimes, the abuse can take specific forms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n LGBTQ people:<\/strong> Abusers may go after their partners\u2019 sexual identity. They may threaten to \u201cout\u201d their partners or accuse them of not really being gay, bi, or trans — which can not only demean the abused person but also isolate them from the community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Immigrants:<\/strong> People who are here legally or illegally can have a hard time getting help. Their abusers may:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Disabled people:<\/strong> They are especially vulnerable to domestic violence, including sexual assault. Their abusers may:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pregnant women:<\/strong> The abuse can start or get worse as the woman shifts some of their focus away from their partner to their unborn baby. Physical violence also can raise the woman\u2019s chances of miscarriage or complications during labor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If You\u2019re Abused<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The abused person is never at fault. Fights and arguments happen in every relationship. But a pattern of abusive words and behavior is not normal and it\u2019s not OK.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you feel that you\u2019re abused, visit www.thehotline.org anytime for a live chat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Originally published at WebMD<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Hope Cristol Domestic abuse is more than just hitting, shoving, and other physical attacks. It\u2019s a pattern of controlling behaviors. The goal always is to get and keep power over an intimate partner. You…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6915,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[10],"tags":[2316,495],"class_list":["post-6913","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","tag-domestic-abuse","tag-violence"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\n