VIOLENT RELATIONSHIPS: ACUTE AND LONG TERM IMPLICATIONS

VIOLENT RELATIONSHIPS: ACUTE AND LONG TERM IMPLICATIONS

INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND OF THE STUIDY

Relationships are the main drivers of human growth, which results from reciprocal interactions between individuals and their environments and cultures. These effects can be felt across generations and lead to risks and assets that are both intra- and intergenerational. When faced with hardship, having healthy relationships can act as a bulwark and a foundation for recovery (Frontiersin.org). Although relationships are the bedrock of healthy mental health, many things have changed, especially among intimate partners.

Partnerships, which are supposed to be significant in our lives as humans, have deteriorated recently, particularly those between intimate partners in a partnership marred by abuse of any kind. The term “intimate relationships” is used here to be as inclusive as possible of any romantic and/or sexual relationship between two unrelated individuals, including courtship and dating relationships, cohabitation relationships, relationships in which two people have children in common but are no longer formally involved romantically or sexually, and marital relationships (encyclopedia 2021). Such connections should ideally be caring and reassuring, safe and protective for each partner. Regrettably, some persons act abusively toward their relationships, often inflicting significant mental and/or physical harm and injury, while still meeting these nurturing, positive needs of their partners at least occasionally and at the beginning of their relationship. Abuse can result in the death of one or both partners in extreme situations, as well as other persons on occasion. Abuse that is not fatal may stop when a relationship ends. Yet, violence frequently continues after a relationship ends or gets worse. This can occur whether only one partner ends the relationship or whether there appears to be shared consent. Yet, intimate partner violence (IPV) is becoming a major public health issue that affects people all over the world. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), intimate partner violence (IPV) refers to any actions taken by an intimate partner that harms the other person(s) in the relationship physically, psychologically, or sexually. (WHO 2018). Abuse can take many different forms and manifest itself in close love relationships. The presence of two or more forms of abuse in the same relationship is common. In partnerships, emotional abuse frequently occurs before, alongside, or after physical or sexual violence. Many abusive relationships can co-occur with non-sexual physical abuse.

Because physical abuse also causes victims emotional and psychological pain, and because both types of abuse aim to gain dominance and control over another person, it may be artificial to distinguish between physical and emotional abuse.

Abusive relationships can cause worry, anxiety, problems sleeping, difficulty focusing, loss of confidence, and a sense of loneliness among the victims. Those who are in violent relationships run the danger of contracting STDs in addition to physical wounds (STIs). Domestic abuse may make mental health disorders including depression, purposeful self-harm, and post-traumatic stress disorder more likely to manifest (PTSD). So, the underlying premise of this research is that violent relationships have both short-term and long-term effects.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Global attention has been drawn to violent relationships, particularly those between young people, married couples, and partners. It is slowly becoming more prevalent in Nigeria, culminating in the deaths of the victims and psychological breakdowns in which individuals engaged experience depression or become estranged from those around them. Those who are in an abusive relationship run the danger of contracting sexually transmitted diseases in addition to physical wounds (STIs). While WHO refers to all forms of violence in a romantic relationship as intimate partner violence, violent relationships among married individuals are known as domestic violence (WHO 2013 recited in WHO 2019).Statistics show that there is a lot of violence in relationships in Nigeria, and it frequently targets women. Amnesty International (2007), cited by Frontiers (2015), states that one-third (and occasionally two-thirds) of women are believed to have experienced physical, sexual, and psychological abuse at the hands of fathers, spouses, and husbands. Additionally, girls are frequently forced into early marriages and are subject to punishment if they attempt to leave their husbands. Project warning (2001), reported in Ose A. (2019), conducted interviews with women working in markets and other workplaces, as well as girls and young women in high schools and colleges, as part of a research on violence against women carried out in Lagos state, Nigeria. 64.4 percent of the 45 women surveyed at work and 56.6 percent of the 48 women surveyed at the market reported having been beaten by a spouse (boyfriend or husband). Similar results were obtained from similar interviews performed in Oyo State and other regions of Nigeria. Abuse within the home is a frequent occurrence. Obi and Ozumba conducted a study in 2007 on the variables associated with intimate partner violence in South East Nigeria, which was cited by Ose. 70% of respondents reported experiencing harassment in their home, with 92% of the victims being female spouses and 8% being men. Another example is Ambrose Ali, a college student who killed his girlfriend severely during a heated argument. He was in a romantic relationship with her (Premuim Times 2021). Because of this, the goal of this study is to evaluate the short- and long-term effects of violent relationships.