How much is stress a factor in domestic violence?

Once again, many people attribute domestic violence to the fact that the abuser may be under a lot of stress, but many men endure stress without relieving it by beating a wife or girlfriend.


Saying that Joe is under a lot of stress may well explain the circumstances of a particular episode of domestic violence -- the ingredients that exploded in a single violent episode. This cannot be used to excuse the behavior.


Once again, stress does not cause domestic violence. Domestic violence occurs because perpetrators of violence believe that they can get what they want through the use of force, without consequences.