Connecting the Dots: An Overview of the Links Among Multiple Forms of Violence - Promising Futures

Violence takes many forms, including intimate partner violence, sexual violence, child maltreatment, bullying, suicidal behavior, and elder abuse and neglect. These forms of violence are interconnected and often share the same root causes. They can also all take place under one roof, or in a given community or neighborhood and can happen at the same time or at different stages of life. Understanding the overlapping causes of violence and the things that can protect people and communities is important, and can help us better address violence in all its forms.

The purpose of this brief is to share research on the connections between different forms of violence and describe how these connections affect communities. It is our hope that this information, combined with your own practical experience, will help practitioners like you to think strategically and creatively about how you can:
1. Prevent all types of violence from occurring in the first place.
2. Coordinate and integrate responses to violence in a way that recognizes these connections and considers the individual in the context of their home environment, neighborhood, and larger community.