Domestic Violence and Abuse
Domestic violence and abuse is one of the largest challenges facing Scotland and the wider UK today, affecting an estimated 100 people every hour. While the effects of domestic violence can be obvious, the majority suffer unnoticed. Those who have experienced domestic violence are much more likely to suffer from mental and physical health challenges like anxiety, depression, intestinal upset, and even stunted development in young people. Even worse, domestic violence tends to get passed down between generations. The current generation of young people has already been impacted by domestic violence, but we have the potential to intervene and prevent future generations from experiencing the same maltreatment.
Researchers have been attempting to address the challenge of domestic violence for a long time, and the biggest barrier to impact we face is community engagement. Community interventions consist of “batterer intervention programs” and domestic violence shelters, but these programs work against each other due to misunderstandings of the research literature by both groups, as well as the wider public. Our ultimate goal is to reduce domestic violence and abuse. This goal will take decades to achieve, but the first step will be to engage in research-based myth-busting with the public. Through the training and resources offered by Scotland’s Biggest Challenges Competition, we aim to develop a specific impact plan to achieve this first step. With the guidance of the impact and innovation team, we believe this will be the start of a long-term program of research impact at St Andrews.