Her research, supported in part by a grant from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, also helps explain why people may have a hard time leaving abusive partners. The problem is daunting. Conservatively 40 percent of men use force in relationship with women to get their way. It's a crime not just against women but against society and nature. It's our responsibility as men to end it.
Psychological abuse is more common and widespread than physical abuse.
Arias has found that people who physically abuse their mates almost always use psychological abuse first and that men who escalate from psychological abuse to physical force frequently grew up in domestically violent homes. Those women don't usually identify themselves as victimized, and a lot of times professionals don't either. But it goes beyond being a bad marriage, she said. There's a population of women out there who need specific services and attention that are being ignored because of the bias toward looking at physical abuse. Arias' studies are providing solid information for therapists, social service providers and policy-makers who work with abusive people, their spouses and children.