• Home
  • Health & Wellness
  • Disclaimer
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • DMCA Notice
Podcast
  • Home
  • Health & Wellness
  • Disclaimer
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • DMCA Notice
24/7 Health News
No Result
View All Result
Home Article

The Heard v. Depp trial is not just a media spectacle – it is an opportunity to discuss the nuances of intimate partner violence

May 23, 2022
in Article
0
The Heard v. Depp trial is not just a media spectacle – it is an opportunity to discuss the nuances of intimate partner violence
file 20220518 26 spf288
The Depp v. Heard trial provides a chance to shine a light on intimate partner violence. Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

Strip away the celebrity intrigue and media frenzy, and the high-profile court battle between actors Johnny Depp and Amber Heard involves issues painfully familiar to many women and men across America.

The civil defamation case, which is due to conclude on May 27, 2022, centered around discussion of intimate partner violence. IPV is experienced by an estimated 6.6 million women and 5.8 million men each year in the U.S.

A court will decide the merits of a libel lawsuit Depp filed against Heard after she wrote an op-ed in The Washington Post describing her experience as a “public figure representing domestic violence.”

As a scholar and someone who cares about expanding public understanding of the complex dynamics of IPV, I have mixed views over the high-profile nature of the Depp v. Heard trial.

The spotlight affords the opportunity to openly discuss the nuances of IPV that are often overlooked and perhaps may empower some victims to feel less alone. However, many have consumed the trial as a form of entertainment, exposing a tendency of online observers to armchair-label the parties involved either as the “real” victim or perpetrator of abuse.

Table of Contents

  • Bidirectional violence vs. mutual abuse
  • IPV is not a singular phenomenon
  • Helping victims, providing resources

Bidirectional violence vs. mutual abuse

Away from the Depp v. Heard trial, IPV is experienced and perpetrated by both women and men across the world. Research suggests that around 1 in 4 women and 1 in 10 men in the U.S. have experienced IPV with some form of negative impact, be that fear, concern for their safety or injury.

Further, the occurrence and consequences of IPV have been exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic as a result of isolation and financial insecurity.

While some IPV will be unidirectional, meaning only one partner inflicts violence on the other, the jury of the Depp v. Heard trial heard evidence that each had been violent toward the other during their relationship.

The type of behavior alleged is what experts describe as bidirectional violence, and it is quite common in certain cases of IPV.

Indeed, a 2012 review of published studies measuring bidirectional versus unidirectional violence in relationships found that, on average, nearly 3 in 5 occurrences of IPV were bidirectional in nature.

Bidirectional violence is typically defined as instances in which a person reports both perpetrating and being the victim of violence.

Notably, it does not imply that the frequency, severity, motivation and consequences of the violence are the same between partners. Further, the term bidirectional violence is not synonymous with the notion of “mutual abuse” – a controversial term that arose during testimony in the Depp-Heard trial.

The term “abuse” implies a power imbalance between partners. It would entail one partner utilizing the power differentiation to control, threaten and intimidate the other partner.

As such, the idea of “mutual abuse” does not make sense in the context of how many experts conceptualize IPV in heterosexual relationships, as there is unlikely to be a mutual power imbalance. While IPV may, and often does, involve abusive behavior, it is problematic to label a relationship as mutually abusive even if both partners are both violent toward each other, as one partner may be violent in response to the other partner’s abuse.

IPV is not a singular phenomenon

Allegations of violence and substance use on both sides during the Depp-Heard trial painted a troubling picture of what occurred in their relationship. An audio recording used in the trial depicted Depp’s apparent concern that he couldn’t take any more “physical abuse on each other” after Heard admitted to hitting him. Heard, meanwhile, testified that she hit Depp “reactively” while Depp hit her “proactively.”

This brings up another important point. To accurately measure and understand the nuances of IPV, one must consider the context under which the violence occurs.

For example, are both parties instigating the violence, or is one party acting in self-defense? Is the violence part of a repeated pattern of other abusive behavior?

Experts describe multiple types of IPV that involve different characteristics and patterns regarding how often women and men perpetrate such violence.

For example, “coercive controlling violence” – which is also referred to as “intimate terrorism” – is a type of IPV more commonly perpetrated by men than women, wherein one partner – the primary abuser – perpetrates coercive control over the other – the victim.

The goal of coercive control is to strip a victim of autonomy. It can involve both physical and nonphysical abuse tactics centered around fear, intimidation and degradation. For example, an abuser may restrict a victim’s access to credit and debit cards to exert financial control. Or they may limit a victim’s access to the outside world through monitoring or taking their phone.

However, coercive control is not present in all types of IPV. “Situational couple violence” is another form of IPV, characterized as conflict that escalates into physical violence. The violence can range from what is classified as minor, for example slapping, to severe, such as choking.

This type of IPV is perpetrated by women and men at similar rates, research shows.

Much of the research surrounding IPV is limited to heterosexual couples. There is evidence that both coercive control and situational couple violence are found in same-sex IPV. But it is unclear from current research how issues of power, control and situational violence as they play out in same-sex relationships conform to and diverge from heteronormative relationships.

Helping victims, providing resources

Regardless of what anyone thinks of the merits of Depp’s or Heard’s allegations, people should be aware of the powerful impact IPV has on those who experience it.

Every day victims are silenced, dehumanized and, in the most extreme cases, murdered by their abusers. Over half of all female homicides in the U.S. involves an intimate partner – compared with about 5% of male homicides – and an abuser’s controlling behavior toward the victim is among the strongest risk factors for intimate partner femicide.

Meanwhile, IPV remains a significant problem for men, yet many men are left without the same resources as women and face unique stigma when seeking help.

The Conversation

Kellie Lynch does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

ShareTweetSharePin
Previous Post

Cancer groundshot: Access to proven treatments must parallel development of new therapies

Next Post

Scientists at Work: How pharmacists and community health workers build trust with Cambodian genocide survivors

Next Post
Scientists at Work: How pharmacists and community health workers build trust with Cambodian genocide survivors

Scientists at Work: How pharmacists and community health workers build trust with Cambodian genocide survivors

Most Read

What causes stuttering? A speech pathology researcher explains the science and the misconceptions around this speech disorder

What causes stuttering? A speech pathology researcher explains the science and the misconceptions around this speech disorder

December 15, 2022
morning back pain

Morning Again Ache Trigger Is Not the Mattress

October 11, 2021
lower back pain relief exercises

5 decrease again ache aid workouts

October 11, 2021
3 years after legalization, we have shockingly little information about how it changed cannabis use and health harms

3 years after legalization, we have shockingly little information about how it changed cannabis use and health harms

October 15, 2021
Nasal vaccines promise to stop the COVID-19 virus before it gets to the lungs – an immunologist explains how they work

Nasal vaccines promise to stop the COVID-19 virus before it gets to the lungs – an immunologist explains how they work

December 14, 2022
bleeding in gum

When The Bleeding in gum Is Severe ?

October 11, 2021
Good Night Sleep

6 Causes of Good Evening Sleep

October 11, 2021

COVID vaccines: how one can pace up rollout in poorer international locations

October 5, 2021
Ten small changes you can make today to prevent weight gain

Ten small changes you can make today to prevent weight gain

October 12, 2021
Support and collaboration with health-care providers can help people make health decisions

Support and collaboration with health-care providers can help people make health decisions

December 16, 2021
Greece to make COVID vaccines mandatory for over-60s, but do vaccine mandates work?

Greece to make COVID vaccines mandatory for over-60s, but do vaccine mandates work?

December 1, 2021

Multiple sclerosis: the link with earlier infection just got stronger – new study

October 12, 2021
News of war can impact your mental health — here’s how to cope

Binge-eating disorder is more common than many realise, yet it’s rarely discussed – here’s what you need to know

December 2, 2022
Nurses’ attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccination for their children are highly influenced by partisanship, a new study finds

Nurses’ attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccination for their children are highly influenced by partisanship, a new study finds

December 2, 2022
Kick up your heels – ballroom dancing offers benefits to the aging brain and could help stave off dementia

Kick up your heels – ballroom dancing offers benefits to the aging brain and could help stave off dementia

January 3, 2023
How hot is too hot for the human body? Our lab found heat + humidity gets dangerous faster than many people realize

How hot is too hot for the human body? Our lab found heat + humidity gets dangerous faster than many people realize

July 6, 2022
The promise of repairing bones and tendons with human-made materials

The promise of repairing bones and tendons with human-made materials

January 4, 2022
As viral infections skyrocket, masks are still a tried-and-true way to help keep yourself and others safe

As viral infections skyrocket, masks are still a tried-and-true way to help keep yourself and others safe

December 14, 2022
How regulatory agencies, not the courts, are imposing COVID-19 vaccine mandates

How regulatory agencies, not the courts, are imposing COVID-19 vaccine mandates

October 24, 2021
Heart disease risk from saturated fats may depend on what foods they come from – new research

Heart disease risk from saturated fats may depend on what foods they come from – new research

November 29, 2021
Late night eating may cause greater weight gain – new research points to why

Late night eating may cause greater weight gain – new research points to why

October 12, 2022

10 Things I Learned During My Body Transformation

October 12, 2021

7 Health Benefits of Sweet Potatoes

October 12, 2021
Nobel prize: how chilli peppers helped researchers uncover how humans feel pain

Nobel prize: how chilli peppers helped researchers uncover how humans feel pain

October 12, 2021
How air filters can make COVID wards safer for patients and staff

How air filters can make COVID wards safer for patients and staff

December 1, 2021
GPs don’t give useful weight-loss advice – new study

GPs don’t give useful weight-loss advice – new study

December 16, 2022
Four ways to avoid gaining weight over the festive period – but also why you shouldn’t fret about it too much

Four ways to avoid gaining weight over the festive period – but also why you shouldn’t fret about it too much

December 22, 2022
Five ways to avoid pain and injury when starting a new exercise regime

Five ways to avoid pain and injury when starting a new exercise regime

December 30, 2022
Why suicide prevention support is crucial for people with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder

Why suicide prevention support is crucial for people with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder

September 28, 2022
Too hot to handle: Climate considerations for youth sport during the hottest years on record

Too hot to handle: Climate considerations for youth sport during the hottest years on record

July 19, 2022
  • Home
  • Health & Wellness
  • Disclaimer

© 2020 DAILY HEALTH NEWS

  • Home
  • Health & Wellness
  • Disclaimer
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • DMCA Notice

© 2020 DAILY HEALTH NEWS