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Resiliency: Relationships and Domestic Violence

This LibGuide provides materials on relationships and domestic violence.

Navigating this LibGuide

This LibGuide features materials related to relationships (both intimate and others, like friends or familial relationships) and domestic violence. Please see below for instructions on how to navigate this guide:

  • To the left, you will find your main menu, which includes three sections: ProQuest Materials / NC Live Materials / Additional Resources
  • You will find many materials about each topic on their subject page. Each item will have a link that will take you to NC Live or ProQuest.
  • To access the ProQuest Materials, you can either:
    • Type in the e-ISBN in the search bar on your university library's webpage OR
    • Click the title to follow the link directly to the ProQuest Webpage for this item. Use your university single sign on credentials to access the materials.
  • To access Additional Resources:
    • Click on the title/name of the item to load it
  • To Access the NC Live Materials:
    • Go directly to the NC Live website and enter the information on the search bar OR
    • Click the title to follow the link directly to the NC Live Webpage for this item. NC Live will ask you the name of your institution through a drop-down menu. Scroll through the menu until you locate the name of your library. Select the name of your library to to log into NC Live. 

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary (2024), the term relationship (noun) is defined as:

  1. the state of being related or interrelated (ex: the relationship between healthy eating habits and healthier health outcomes
  2. a state of affairs between those having relations or dealings (ex. the doctor/patient relationship, therapist/client relationship, etc.)
  3. an emotional attachment between individuals

In the context of this LibGuide, relationships will be defined as #2 and #3. Relationships can be romantic, platonic, professional, or familial. Examples of relationships include paid supports, acquaintances, group members, family members, friends, and romantic relationships.

While the definition of this term is clear, the question remains: what is a healthy relationship?

While all relationships exist on a spectrum from healthy to abusive, there are indicators if a relationship is healthy, unhealthy, or abusive. Healthy relationships include several factors between both parties (Domesticshelters.org, 2024; State of Connecticut, 2024):

  • Communication and sharing
    • talking and listening to one another
  • Respect
    • setting boundaries
    • feeling comfortable and safe
  • Trust
    • being honest and open with one another
  • Dependability
    • can you rely on this individual?
  • Happiness
    • do you feel happier after you spend time with them? do you want to/look forward to spending time with them?
  • Patience
  • Space
    • does your partner, friend, or family member allow for you to have personal space when needed?
  • Kindness
  • Honesty
  • Growth
  • Comfortable Intimacy
    • this includes consent
  • Equality

Domestic Violence (DV) is defined as a pattern of abusive behavior that is used by one partner to gain or maintain power and control over another intimate partner (Office on Violence Against Women [OVW], 2024). Abusive behavior can include (OVW, 2024):

  • physical abuse (i.e. hitting, slapping, shoving, biting, or denying medical care or forcing alcohol/drug use)
  • emotional abuse (undermining an individual's self-worth or self esteem)
  • sexual abuse (coercing or attempting to coerce any sexual contact or behavior without consent and includes marital rape, attacks on sexual parts of the body, forcing sex after physical violence has occurred, or treating one in a sexually demeaning manner)
  • economic abuse (controlling or restricting an individual's ability to acquire, use, or maintain economic resources to which they are entitled; this includes coercion, fraud, or manipulation to restrict access to money, assets, credit or financial information)
  • psychological abuse (causing fear by intimidation, threatening physical harm to self, partner, children, or family; destruction of pets or property; and/or forcing isolation)
  • technological abuse (behavior that is intended to harm, threaten, control, stalk, harass, impersonate, exploit, extort, or monitor a person using any form of technology)

DV can happen to anyone regardless of age, sex, race, sexual orientation, religion, or gender identity, socioeconomic background, or education level. DV occurs to intimate partners who are married or who are dating, living together, or share a child. Furthermore, DV occurs in both opposite-sex and same-sex relationships.

Other important terms (domesticshelters.org, 2022; National Domestic Violence Hotline, 2024; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 2024; U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 2024):

  • Violence Against Women's Act (VAWA) - a federal law that, in part, provides housing protections for people applying for or living in units subsidized by the federal government and who have experienced DV, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking, to keep them safe and reduce their likelihood of experiencing homelessness
  • Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) - a specific form of domestic violence that occurs between two adults and includes verbal, emotional, psychological, or sexual harm by a current or former partner
  • Safety Planning - a form of protection that allows a survivor to prepare what they can do during or between abusive incidents to keep themselves and their children safe; may involve how they can escape, where they can go, who they can rely on, and any additional protections they can put into place to stay gone for good.

According to the National Domestic Violence Hotline (2024):

  • An average of 24 people per minute are victims of rape, physical violence, or staking by an intimate partner in the U.S. - more than 12 million individuals per year
  • Women ages 18 to 24 and 24 to 34 generally experience the highest rates of intimate partner violence
  • Nearly 1 in 3 college women say they have been in an abusive dating relationship
  • 58% of college students say they don't know what to do to help someone who is a victim of dating abuse
  • 38% of college students say that they don't know how to get help for themselves if they experience abuse as a victim

Sources:

Domesticshelters.org. (2022). A guide to domestic violence safety planning. https://www.domesticshelters.org/articlescomprehensive-guides/a-guide-to-domestic-violence-safety-planning#google_vignette

Mirriam-Webster. (2024). Relationship. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/relationship

National Domestic Violence Hotline. (2024). Create your personal safety plan

National Domestic Violence Hotline. (2024). Domestic violence statistics. https://www.thehotline.org/stakeholders/domestic-violence-statistics/

National Domestic Violence Hotline. (2024). Healthy relationships. https://www.thehotline.org/resources/healthy-relationships/

State of Connecticut. (2024). Healthy friendships and relationships. https://portal.ct.gov/advocatescorner/life-tips/your-choices/healthy-friendships-and-relationships

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. (2024). Frequently asked questions. https://www.hud.gov/vawa#faq

U.S. Department of Justice. (2024). Domestic violence. https://www.justice.gov/ovw/domestic-violence

Looking for more information on your campus?

Use the following search terms in your university library's search engine:

  • healthy relationships
  • domestic violence
  • domestic violence AND college students
  • college students AND relationships