Domestic Violence, Teen Dating Violence, and Elder Abuse in Mendocino County

Domestic Violence

No one is immune from domestic violence. It’s a crime that touches every ethnic group, and every strata of society. Acts of domestic violence occur in one out of four American families, and often go unreported. The National Network to End Domestic Violence‘s Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Fact Sheet states that approximately 37% of women seeking injury-related treatment in hospital emergency rooms were there because of injuries inflicted by a current or former spouse/partner. According to the DC Coalition Against Domestic Violence, this percentage accounts for more than 200,000 visits to the hospital emergency room each year. Violence in a family has long-lasting effects on all its members.

In Mendocino County:

• From 2005 to 2014, the number of domestic violence-related calls for assistance in Mendocino County declined from 595 in 2005, to 515 calls in 2014. (State of California Department of Justice, Statistics)
• The number of calls for help with domestic violence in Mendocino County is still higher than that of the overall state; in 2014, the rate was 8.6 calls per 1,000, compared to the state rate of 6.0 per 1,000. (State of California Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General)

Types of domestic violence include:

• Physical – when a partner is pinched, hit, shoved, slapped, punched or kicked.
• Psychological/Emotional – threatening a partner or harming his or her sense of self-worth. Examples include name calling, shaming, bullying, embarrassing on purpose, or keeping the partner isolated, away from friends and family.
• Sexual – forcing a partner to engage in a sex act when he or she does not or cannot consent. This can be physical or nonphysical, like threatening to spread rumors if a partner refuses to have sex.
• Stalking – is a pattern of harassing or threatening tactics that are unwanted and cause fear in the victim. This can take place in person or electronically, such as posting sexual pictures of a partner online.
  
  

The Effects of Domestic Violence on Children

Children are exposed to or experience domestic violence in many ways. They may hear one parent or caregiver threaten the other, observe a parent who is out of control or reckless with anger, see one parent assault the other, or live with the aftermath of a violent assault. Many children are affected by hearing threats to the safety of their caregiver, regardless of whether it results in physical injury. Children who live with domestic violence are also at increased risk to become direct victims of child abuse. In short, domestic violence poses a serious threat to children's emotional, psychological, and physical well-being, particularly if the violence is chronic.

Children’s immediate reactions to domestic violence may include:

• Generalized anxiety
• Sleeplessness
• Nightmares
• Difficulty concentrating
• High activity levels
• Increased aggression
• Increased anxiety about being separated from a parent
• Intense worry about their safety or the safety of a parent

The long-term effects, especially from chronic exposure to domestic violence, may include:

• Physical health problems
• Behavior problems in adolescence (e.g., juvenile delinquency, alcohol, substance abuse)
• Emotional difficulties in adulthood (e.g., depression, anxiety disorders, PTSD)

Exposure to domestic violence has been linked to poor school performance. In addition to these physical, behavioral, psychological, and cognitive effects, children who have been exposed to domestic violence often learn destructive lessons about the use of violence and power in relationships. Children may learn that it is acceptable to exert control or relieve stress by using violence, or that violence is in some way linked to expressions of intimacy and affection. These lessons can have a powerful negative effect on children in social situations and relationships throughout childhood and in later life.

Teen Dating Violence

A 2013 study found that during the past year, one in ten teenagers in America reported they had been physically hurt on purpose by a boyfriend or girlfriend. (http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/ss6304a1.htm?s_cid=ss6304a1_w) As teens are not yet fully emotionally developed, dating violence can have a profound influence on later relationships. Teens are increasingly exposed to a variety of influences, such as on-line pornography, that normalizes violence in relationships. Often teens don’t report violence because they’re afraid to admit it happened, or because they are afraid to admit they were somewhere they shouldn’t have been.

Risks of having unhealthy relationships increase for teens who:

• Believe that dating violence is acceptable
• Are depressed, anxious, or have other symptoms of trauma
• Display aggression towards peers or display other aggressive behaviors
• Use drugs or illegal substances
• Engage in early sexual activity and have multiple sexual partners
• Have a friend involved in dating violence
• Have conflicts with a partner
• Witness or experience violence in the home

Youth who experience dating violence are more likely to experience the following: 

• Symptoms of depression and anxiety
• Engagement in unhealthy behaviors, such as tobacco and drug use, and alcohol
• Involvement in antisocial behaviors
• Thoughts about suicide
• Youth who are victims of dating violence in high school are at higher risk for victimization during college.

Dating violence can be prevented when teens, families, organizations, and communities work together to implement effective prevention strategies.

“Choose Respect” is an initiative of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that helps teens form healthy relationships to prevent dating violence before it starts. This national effort helps parents, caregivers, older teens, educators, and other caring adults motivate teens to challenge harmful beliefs about dating violence and take steps to form healthy and respectful relationships.

Important Numbers:

A Thin Line (Informational)  Website: http://www.athinline.org/  Email: support@athinline.org

CA Youth Crisis Hotline Sacramento 800-843-5200

Elder Abuse

With an increasing population of older adults, domestic violence against elders is increasing nationally and in Mendocino County. It is a complex phenomenon that may include physical, sexual, or emotional injury, neglect, abandonment, and/or financial harm. Aggressors include spouses and partners, adult children, extended family and in some cases, caregivers or staff at assisted living or nursing facilities. The distinctive context of domestic abuse in later life is the abusive use of power and control by a person known to the victim. Studies estimate a national rate of 9% to 15% of abuse in the population of older at-risk individuals.

In Mendocino County during 2015, 637 cases of abuse were opened by Adult Protective Services. 

Often the abusive relationship may have begun years earlier, but got worse as the partners aged. When abuse begins or is exacerbated in old age, it is likely to be linked to:

• Retirement
• Disability
• Changing roles of family members
• Sexual changes
• Abuse of drugs or alcohol
• People who enter into intimate relationships late in life
• Financial exploitation

Elderly individuals may be suffering from dementia or have other cognitive issues. Effectively assessing and responding to elder abuse frequently requires an understanding of whether the vulnerable person is able to exercise informed consent, and their ability to withstand undue influence. The following additional patterns are also characteristic of elder abuse:

• The frequency and severity of injuries are likely to increase over time
• Victims often experience intense confusion and disassociation
• Violent incidents are often preceded by periods of intensifying tension and followed by periods of apparent contrition on the part of perpetrators.

Often abuse involves unauthorized use of an elderly person’s funds or property, either by a caregiver or an outside scam artist. Types of neglect, financial exploitation, medical fraud or abuse may include:

• Significant withdrawals from the elder’s accounts
• Sudden changes in the elder’s financial condition
• Items or cash missing from the senior’s household
• Suspicious changes in wills, power of attorney, titles, and policies
• Addition of names to the senior’s signature card
• Unpaid bills or lack of medical care, although the elder has enough money to pay for them
• Financial activity the senior couldn’t have done, such as an ATM withdrawal when the account holder is bedridden
• Unnecessary services, goods, or subscriptions
• Duplicate billings for the same medical service or device
• Evidence of over-medication or under-medication
• Evidence of inadequate care when nursing/caregiver bills are paid in full
• Problems with the care facility: poorly trained, poorly paid, or insufficient staff; crowding; inadequate responses to questions about care

Many nonprofessional caregivers, such as spouses, adult children, other relatives and friends, find taking care of an elder to be satisfying and enriching. However, the responsibilities and demands of elder caregiving, which escalate as the elder’s condition deteriorates, can also be extremely stressful. The stress of elder care can lead to mental and physical health problems that make caregivers burned out, impatient, and unable to keep from lashing out against elders in their care. Even caregivers in institutional settings can experience stress at levels that lead to elder abuse. Nursing home staff may be prone to elder abuse if they lack training, have too many responsibilities, are unsuited to caregiving, or work under poor conditions.

Among caregivers, significant risk factors for elder abuse are:

• Inability to cope with stress (lack of resilience)
• Depression, which is common among caregivers
• Lack of support from other potential caregivers
• The caregiver’s perception that taking care of the elder is burdensome and without psychological reward
• Substance abuse

If you suspect elderly abuse, but aren't sure, look for clusters of the following physical and behavioral signs.

• Frequent arguments or tension between the caregiver and the elderly person
• Changes in personality or behavior in the elder
• Physical abuse
• Unexplained signs of injury, such as bruises, welts, or scars, especially if they appear symmetrically on two side of the body
• Broken bones, sprains, or dislocations
• Report of drug overdose or apparent failure to take medication regularly (a prescription has more remaining pills than it should)
• Broken eyeglasses or frames
• Signs of being restrained, such as rope marks on wrists
• Caregiver’s refusal to allow you to see the elder alone³

Mendocino County’s District Attorney’s Office Victim Witness Assistance program is available to assist victims of elder abuse by reducing any trauma or insensitive treatment of victims and witnesses as they participate in criminal justice proceedings. The program also provides services for victims including crisis intervention, emergency assistance, referrals, support and other services. For more information call Victim’s Witness office at 707-463-4218.

If you feel that you, or someone you know, have been a victim of physical or financial elder abuse, please contact Adult Protective Services of Mendocino County immediately at 707-463-7900 or 877-327-1799 (no charge to calling party). Our office believes the best way to effectively combat elder abuse is to report it to the proper authorities, and we all must work together to protect the elders in our communities.

References:

National Social Life, Health and Aging Project (NSHAP) study, conducted by Laumann, et al. (2008).

http://www.helpguide.org/articles/abuse/elder-abuse-and-neglect.htm

Other Important Numbers:

DeafSAFE (multiple locations) North Highlands 916-993-3393 (VP/Phone)

DomesticShelters.org Phoenix

Inter-Tribal Council of California (multiple locations) Sacramento 916-973-9581

National Domestic Violence Hotline Austin 1-800-799-7233 (SAFE) Hot Line

Project Sanctuary Fort Bragg 707.463-4357 (Inland)

Safe At Home; Confidential Address Program All Counties 877-322-5227

Ukiah Community Center Ukiah 707-459-4357 (Helpline)

W.E.A.V.E. 24-hour support line (916) 920-2952

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Julie Beardsley is the Senior Public Health Analyst for Mendocino County. She holds a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Hawaii and has lived in the northern Bay Area for many years.