The focus of this paper is to examine the social networks of survivors of domestic violence (DV) and intimate partner violence (IPV). The differences between their informal and formal social networks will be defined and closely examined, as well as how each network impacts the lives of the survivors. The uses of both their formal and informal networks, and the reasons for which the networks are used will be examined. The topic of isolation by the partner of the survivor will be explored. Finally, the topic of measures that could be changed within communities that could possibly assist survivors and their respective networks overcome obstacles will be explored. Clearly, domestic violence and intimate partner violence, that is physical, psychological, …show more content…
It is critically important to the survivor’s safety, psychological, and mental welfare that she have a informal social network in which to turn for support (Goodman et al., 2016). Many times, the informal ties are used as "response network" in the aftermath of domestic violence (Hydén, 2015). The literature has shown that two out of the three women interviewed by Hydén was associated with partners who drank heavily, which seemed to always end in abusive situation. One woman blamed her problematic upbringing on her issues with low self-worth and relationships with abusive partners. All three of the women yearned for control over her situation, but felt there was none. They relied on their informal social network of family, mostly. They were afraid to involve the police, because they feared prosecution (Hydén, …show more content…
When I began my search for article for this research, I limited the search to articles specifically to the areas of “survivors of domestic violence and their social networks,” “survivors of intimate partner violence and their social networks,” and a compilation of all of the above. There was a large number of literature available for review. I read the abstracts of the articles and eliminated all but eleven articles. I specifically wanted articles that contained the following