Knowing the risk factors of domestic violence can help assess whether you or a friend is at risk for becoming involved in a domestic violence incident:
Personality Factors:
- Low self-esteem
- Depression
- Anger and hostility
- Self-centered (narcissistic) personality traits
- Antisocial personality traits
- Borderline personality traits
- Emotional dependence and insecurity
- Desire for power and control in relationships
- Being a prior victim of physical or psychological abuse
Early Childhood Factors:
- Aggressive or delinquent behavior as a youth
- History of witnessing abuse between parents
- History of experiencing poor parenting as a child
- History of experiencing physical discipline as a child
Other Individual Factors:
- Low academic achievement
- Young age
- Heavy alcohol and drug use
- Prior history of being physically abusive
- Unemployment
Social Factors:
- Couple not in a stable, married relationship
- Marital/social conflict
- Relationship instability — divorces or separations
- Unhealthy family relationships and interactions
- Having few friends and being isolated from other people
Community Factors:
- Poverty
- Lack of institutions, relationships, and norms that shape effective partner interactions
Adapted from: Centers for Disease Control: Intimate Partner Violence: Risk and Protective Factors.
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