The following National Spousal Abuse FAQs are provided by the Legal Studies Program.

Funded by the Department of Justice Canada.

Warning: 

The contents of these FAQs are intended as general legal information only. If you have
a personal problem, please consult a lawyer.



How might someone tell if abuse is going on in a family?

Abuse almost always occurs in private so that it is hard to detect. There are some signs that 
might indicate abuse is going on such as:

a track record of violence in the past
a history of  family abuse from when spouses were children
impulsiveness demonstrated by temper tantrums, possessiveness, excessive 
dependence on spouse, emotional immaturity
rigid views of men and women and their roles in society
problems with children such as aggressive behaviour, school problems, night time 
problems, physical complaints, crying hopelessly or very little. 
history of suicidal thoughts or attempts
substance abuse