Abstract
Domestic violence has been occurring for centuries. Although we have policies and laws that prohibit this type of violence, it continues to occur at an alarming rate (Ahrens, 2006). The purpose of this systematic literature review is to identify common factors that contribute to the acceptance of domestic violence within the broader society. The studies included in this systematic literature review included empirically based, qualitative, and quantitative studies.
The search terms for this systematic literature review included the following, which had to all appear either in the title, article, abstract or key word index for each article: "domestic violence" or "domestic abuse" or "domestic assault" or "intimate partner violence" AND "social acceptance" or "silence" or "approval" or "secrecy". After an extensive and exhaustive review of the research, it was determined that the most important factors contributing to the social acceptance of domestic violence included: Religious Beliefs (Fitness, 2012), Patriarchal Beliefs (Shehan & Cody, 2007), Past Exposure to Abuse (Walsh et al., 2007), and Media Portrayal (Lidnsay-Brisbin et al., 2014). Future research can provide important information to professionals, policy makers and law enforcement in how they work with people affected by domestic violence and determine methods to educate communities about the realities of domestic violence.