Domestic violence doesn’t pick a holiday

For most people, the holidays are a time for food, family and festive cheer. But in other homes, it may bring a time of darkness and fear.

From the financial stress of gift buying to an overall increase in alcohol consumption, to a flurry of emotions and sometimes stress that accompany a plethora of family togetherness time, there are many reasons why the chance of intimate partner violence can increase during the holidays.

Executive Director of the Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Center Teena McBride said there’s a misconception with domestic violence increasing during the holidays.

“That you will see more families or victims come through the doors. When the actuality is that a majority of these families are working very hard to try and stay together. It’s less likely to report a situation of domestic violence unless it’s a horrific situation,” McBride said.

Studies have found that domestic violence doesn’t necessarily rise during the peak holidays but instead after. Such things as the end of the year and tax season more so contribute to domestic violence increasing.

“After the first of the year when people have figured out that they don’t have enough money to pay for rent in January. Or couples over spend during the holidays, that’s when we start to see more victims and an escalation in incidents,” McBride said.

McBride advices couples not spend beyond their means.”You don’t have to break the bank for Christmas. You don’t have to have the latest and greatest items. So living within your means brings the stress down so you don’t have to stress about playing ketchup later.”

The National Domestic Violence Hotline reports a decrease in calls nearly 53 percent fewer on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. Whether survivors don’t want to disturb family cohesiveness on these days, or don’t want to separate children from their families during Christmas.

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