IPV is a serious public health concern in the United States and one that has the potential to affect an individual’s medical readiness.
These demands might include frequent moves to undesirable locations or overseas, separation from extended family for unknown lengths of time, frequent variability in work schedule, long hours, career uncertainty, mission ambiguity, training environments meant to simulate varying operational environments, and risk that is inherent to the field.
[3] In 2018, a discrimination scandal involving employees at the Family Advocacy Program in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii led military officials to re-evaluate how caseworkers treated male victims.
An investigation found that FAP caseworkers did not follow DoD policies, refused to provide services for male victims, purposefully withheld evidence of a woman committing child abuse and domestic violence, and did not record when male victims requested help.
Mild abuse involves verbal threats and physical injuries that don’t require medical treatment.
[8][1] Research suggests that individuals experiencing psychopathology are at a greater risk of perpetration or victimization of IPV compared to veterans without a formal clinical diagnosis.
[1] Intrusive negative thoughts, flashbacks, feelings of generalized distress, lack of connection with family or community, and hyperarousal are symptoms that have been shown to influence the relationship between combat exposure and IPV perpetration.
[2] Childhood trauma was found to be correlated with increased risk of violence with Air Force and Navy FAPs reporting 11–25% of service members experiencing physical or emotional abuse by a parent and 49% of treatment-mandated active duty service member samples reporting childhood abuse.
FAP was developed to support the specific needs of military families and currently provides several programs designed to reduce IPV.