{"id":64213,"date":"2021-03-12T09:51:03","date_gmt":"2021-03-12T09:51:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/?p=64213"},"modified":"2026-02-27T11:06:58","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T11:06:58","slug":"what-is-domestic-violence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/domestic-violence-and-abuse\/what-is-domestic-violence\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is Domestic Violence?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Closeup<\/p>\n

All relationships have their ups and downs, as well as conflict and disagreements from time to time, but <\/span>unhealthy relationships<\/span><\/a> may include domestic violence<\/span>.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Unfortunately, according to the <\/span>National Coalition Against Domestic Violence,<\/span><\/a> 1 out of 4 women and 1 out of 9 men experiences domestic violence in the form of severe <\/span>physical abuse<\/span><\/a>, sexual violence, or stalking.<\/span><\/p>\n

Answers to questions like, “What is domestic violence?” can help you to understand what constitutes domestic violence and whether you might be in need of help <\/span>dealing with domestic violence<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

<\/span>What is domestic violence?<\/span><\/h2>\n

There are multiple answers to what is domestic violence. From the perspective of the <\/span>law,<\/span><\/a> domestic violence involves a felony or misdemeanor crime in which a current or former spouse or romantic partner commits an act of violence against the victim.<\/span><\/p>\n

Domestic violence can also occur with a current or former household member or with someone with whom the perpetrator has a child.<\/span><\/p>\n

While domestic violence laws vary from state to state, they tend to include instances in which a perpetrator intentionally causes bodily injury to the victim, commits sexual assault, or causes a victim to believe they will be seriously harmed.<\/span><\/p>\n

Some states also include stalking or threatening behavior in their definitions of ‘what is domestic violence.’ <\/span>Child abuse<\/span><\/a> can also fall under the criminal definitions of domestic violence<\/span>.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

The National Conference of State Legislatures provides <\/span>information<\/span><\/a> about domestic violence laws in each state.<\/span><\/p>\n

While criminal definitions of domestic violence tend to include acts like <\/span>physical abuse<\/span><\/a>, stalking, and threats of harm,<\/span> domestic violence can extend beyond this.<\/span><\/p>\n

For example, domestic violence can include emotional and <\/span>verbal abuse<\/span><\/a> or cases of <\/span>financial abuse<\/span> that may not always fall under the criminal definition. These different types of domestic violence will be discussed in further detail below.<\/span><\/p>\n

Related Reading: <\/strong>Causes of Domestic Violence<\/a><\/em><\/pre>\n
<\/span>6 Types of domestic violence<\/span><\/h2>\n
\"Closeups<\/p>\n
When we are talking about what domestic violence is<\/span>, <\/span><\/i>it is important to understand that there are different <\/span>domestic violence types<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/i>These include the following:<\/span><\/p>\n
1. Physical abuse<\/b><\/h3>\n
Physical abuse is an intentional  act of applying external force to cause injury to the victim.<\/span><\/p>\n
This includes:<\/span><\/p>\n