The demand for domestic abuse shelters in Florida is up by about 40 percent since the recession started, according to a recent state report.
Cpl. Bruce Ferris, a Gainesville Police detective specializing in domestic violence, said that economic hard times result in more domestic violence because people are under financial pressure.
Ferris said that while domestic violence reports are more common among people of a lower socioeconomic status, the problem applies to all economic classes.
"There's domestic violence happening all over the city, but people with some resources don't always report to us," he said. "If your husband is well-known in the community, he's a big guy at the church, he's got a job in jeopardy, a lot's not being reported because you don't want to ruin his career."
Marala Scott, who co-authored a book with her husband called "In Our House" about her childhood experience with abuse, said potential abusers are like time bombs, and economic crisis can detonate them at any moment.
"My father had that same stress growing up, and he couldn't outwardly take out his frustrations at work. He would have lost his job," she said. "But when he came home, he took out those frustrations on us."
Scott said another factor is that often the abused is financially tethered to the abuser.
"That's why Mom stayed. She didn't think she had any alternative because she couldn't afford to take care of six children," she said.
Scott called abuse the silent killer, saying that victims of abuse - men, too, though less common than women - are often reliant on their abusers for economic and emotional stability and don't stand up for themselves.
"I am not one of those women. I would just not accept it," she said. "But I got that way by seeing my mother beaten until she was unconscious and her teeth were knocked out and her eyes were black."
Theresa Harrison, director of Peaceful Paths domestic abuse shelter, said in the past year the organization has seen a radical increase in the number of abuse victims looking for help, especially those who need financial assistance.
"(Abuse) tends to mirror what's going on in the greater societal picture," she said. "The reason we're seeing on a statewide level such a dramatic increase is that this recession has hit people harder than most of the external factors we've seen in the last 15 years."
Harrison said it's important to realize that stress is not an excuse.
"Ultimately, violent behavior is chosen behavior," she said. "Despite the millions of people who are being impacted by the recession every day, the majority of them aren't engaging in violent behavior as a tactic to deal with their stress."
