<P> Of the most important factors in domestic violence is a belief that abuse, whether physical or verbal, is acceptable . Other factors include substance abuse, unemployment, mental health problems, lack of coping skills, isolation, and excessive dependence on the abuser . </P> <P> Lenore E. Walker presented the model of a cycle of abuse which consists of four phases . First, there is a buildup to abuse when tension rises until a domestic violence incident ensues . During the reconciliation stage, the abuser may be kind and loving and then there is a period of calm . When the situation is calm, the abused person may be hopeful that the situation will change . Then, tensions begin to build, and the cycle starts again . </P> <P> A common aspect among abusers is that they witnessed abuse in their childhood, in other words they were participants in a chain of intergenerational cycles of domestic violence . That does not mean, conversely, that if a child witnesses or is subject to violence that they will become abusers . Understanding and breaking the intergenerational abuse patterns may do more to reduce domestic violence than other remedies for managing the abuse . </P> <P> Responses that focus on children suggest that experiences throughout life influence an individual's propensity to engage in family violence (either as a victim or as a perpetrator). Researchers supporting this theory suggest it is useful to think of three sources of domestic violence: childhood socialization, previous experiences in couple relationships during adolescence, and levels of strain in a person's current life . People who observe their parents abusing each other, or who were themselves abused may incorporate abuse into their behaviour within relationships that they establish as adults . </P>

Give an overview of family violence in the united states