|
Course Sample:
Introduction Abuse is a common problem in our society. Abuse takes place when a person harms someone else on purpose. Anyone at any age can be abused. Even infants and elderly persons can be abused. As a healthcare worker, you may notice that some of your clients or your clients' families have signs and symptoms of abuse. This course discusses different types of abuse and the health problems caused by abuse. It is intended to be an introduction to common abuse issues. In this course, you will learn about the signs and symptoms of abuse, how people who abuse others behave, and ways you can help stop abuse. We also offer another course, Elder Abuse, which focuses on abuse of elderly persons. TYPES OF ABUSE Sadly, abuse occurs throughout the lifespan. Child abuse is the abuse of a person under 18 years of age. The abuser is often a parent or someone responsible for taking care of the child (Mulryan, Cathers, & Fagin, 2000). Abuse of older adults is called elder abuse or abuse of seniors. People who commit elder abuse are usually in a position of power and/or are responsible for the care of the older adult (Canadian Health Network, 1999). Young and middle-aged adults can also be victims of abuse. Abuse can take many different forms. It can be physical, emotional, sexual, or financial. Neglect is also considered a form of abuse. SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT? The greatest discovery of my generation is that man can alter his life simply by altering his attitude of mind. William James Physical Abuse Physical abuse involves beating, hitting, slapping, choking, kicking, pushing, burning, biting, or using a weapon to harm someone (Health Canada, 2001). Let's talk about physical abuse against women first. Women This section focuses on women as most adult victims of domestic violence are women. Men can also be victims of domestic abuse. Wives or female partners abuse between 100,000 and 150,000 men (Fontaine, 2003a) each year. Domestic violence is a type of physical abuse that occurs when a husband, lover, boyfriend, or other family member abuses a woman. These women are also called battered women. Other terms relating to battered women are wife abuse, wife assault, spouse abuse, partner abuse, and woman abuse (Health Canada, 1997). In the United States, about 3 to 4 million women are badly abused every year. Three to four battered women are killed every day in the United States (Fontaine, 2003a). Husbands, ex-husbands, boyfriends, or former boyfriends are responsible for more than 50% of the murders involving women in the United States (Breslin & Lucas, 2003). Women seem to be at a higher risk for abuse when they are pregnant. About 16-25% of women report being abused while they were pregnant (Fontaine, 2003a). Each year, hundreds of women in Canada are badly hurt or killed because of physical abuse. In 1999 a major survey of 26,000 Canadian men and women found that 8 % of the women said they were abused. Also, 523 women were badly hurt or killed by their husbands or common-law partners in 1999 (Health Canada, 2001). |
