– Spending more time together implies an alteration in couple roles
– Increased consumption of alcohol and drugs and the growth of travel expenses can trigger violence if conflict already exists
Violent events are associated with situations of intrafamily conflict, which increase in summer.
According to the gender violence report in Spain, data and statistics reflect that 20-25% of women in the European Union have suffered some type of physical violence throughout their lives. More than 10% have suffered sexual assault. If we include harassment, the figure rises to 45%.
The consequences of these data, it is known, go beyond the consequence of isolated or specific physical aggression. These are physical health problems and psychological repercussions that can affect them throughout their lives, without forgetting the impact on minors living in homes where violence is exercised, learning to live with it and assuming identity roles.
If we analyze the annual pattern of homicides that occurred from 2000 to 2006, based on the months, these provide data of great interest.
In summer, and particularly during vacation periods, peculiar characteristics regarding daily habits are presented that can signify a combination of variables or potentially stressful factors, and therefore, triggers of conflictual situations between the couple or in broader family situations.
Firstly, it should be noted that one of the fundamental changes in families is the increase in time that family members spend and share with both their children and their partner. During work periods, children usually stay at school until the afternoon, and it is during vacations when they live with their parents throughout the day and for consecutive days, thus increasing the level of stress and tension when conflict is present.
Regarding the couple, the mechanism would be similar. Generally, we are not accustomed to “consecutive cohabitation” with our partner. On many occasions, the work world, differentiated from that of our spouse, signifies a very personal, unique, and differentiated space that ceases to exist during vacation periods, causing an alteration of roles by changing activities, interpersonal relationships, and our obligations.
Family economy is another factor that we should not forget, if we analyze the factors that can be potentially stressful, especially in times of crisis. Depending on the purchasing power, the extra expense, higher than expected, that vacations can entail, can translate into a source of stress and, consequently, an increase in tension.
On the other hand, during vacation periods, the consumption of alcohol and drugs increases, this being known as a facilitating or triggering factor for violent acts when conflict exists.
It should be noted that these factors act as facilitators when there are deficits or shortcomings in both the couple and the individual. From a personal point of view, low tolerance to frustration, lack of control strategies, and difficulty in problem-solving can generate aggressive and violent behavior in conflictive situations. Thus, during summer vacation periods, the average number of murdered women increases.
Guadalupe Traserra
Professor of the Master’s in Forensic Psychology at ISEP and a graduate in Forensic Psychology and Criminology.