Awareness of nonphysical spectrum of domestic abuse builds real strength in readiness

Experts are urging service members, military leaders, and families to look beyond physical violence to the nonphysical "spectrum of abuse". As the military community observes Domestic Violence Prevention Month this October 2026, experts at Defense Health Agency-Public Health are urging service members, military leaders, and families to look beyond physical violence and recognize the broader, nonphysical "spectrum of abuse" that can undermine unit and family readiness. The campaign arrives alongside the release of the Department of War’s Report on Child Abuse and Neglect and Domestic Abuse in the Military for Fiscal Year 2024, which documented 8,076 domestic abuse incidents across the military branches that met official clinical criteria. Of those verified incidents, physical abuse accounted for 68.2% of cases, while emotional or psychological abuse made up 25.6%.

These statistics underscore the critical reality that domestic abuse often occurs without a single physical mark. "When I use the phrase 'spectrum of abuse,' I want service members to understand that abuse can go beyond a black eye or other physical form of abuse," said Army Maj. Michelle Worsley, licensed clinical social worker and deputy director of the Health Promotion and Wellness directorate at DHA-PH in Aberdeen, Maryland. "Domestic violence rarely exists by itself. While physical abuse may be the behavior most people recognize, abusive behaviors can occur before, alongside, or without physical