Empirical evidence shows that physical and psychological abuse negatively affects victims' health outcomes (Mechanic et al., 2008). Domestic violence that is motivated by power and control is often multidimensional. Still, before the victims can be identified and helped (either through self-identification such as seeking help, or with the help of relevant specialists such as healthcare providers), it is important that victims themselves, and people in their social environment recognize the different dimensions of violence to provide support to the victims. Perceptions of what constitutes abuse and violence may differ between cultures and socio-economic groups (Flood and Pease, 2009). How people, in general, conceptualize domestic abuse and in particular violence against women may have a detrimental impact on the level of domestic violence in society, health, and social outcomes for victims of violence (Tran et al., 2016).
