Commentary on Loke AY, Wan MLE and Hayter M (2012) The lived experiences of women victims of intimate partner violence. Journal of Clinical Nursing 21, 2336-2346

Abstract

Loke et al. (2012) in their recent study report lived experience of female victims of intimate partner violence (IPV). Data for the study were collected through face-to-face interviews with female victims of IPV presenting in an emergency department in Hong Kong. The study was conducted to explore women’s experiences and feelings in violent relationships, their decisions to disclose or stay in the abusive relationship and their help-seeking experiences and needs. This study makes a useful contribution in discussing a very important public health and social issue affecting people across the globe. The study describes very important cultural issue that affect behaviour of IPV victims not only in China but in other South Asian countries like Pakistan, India, Bangladesh to name a few. These regions particularly are where domestic violence is considered a private matter, as it occurs in the family, and therefore not an appropriate focus for assessment or intervention (Ali & Gavino 2008). Women in such contexts generally tend to prefer to stay in an abusive relationship due to real or imagined fear of harm by their husbands and in-laws, lack of financial support, concern for their children’s safety and future, stigmatisation, emotional dependence, lack of support from family and friends and, finally, false hopes that their husband will change his behaviour (Niaz 2004, Andersson et al. 2010). The research methodology is described very clearly and succinctly in this study; however, as the title of the article was ‘The lived experiences of women victims of intimate partner violence’ I was expecting it to be a phenomenological study. I also think it would have been more helpful for the reader to provide translated version of quotations from individual patients rather than collective statements. Although the authors have described effects of IPV on women, they have failed to describe the context in which these women lived (family structure), the context in which IPV occurred, the precursors of the situation. It appears that leaving home or divorce was not an acceptable option for the participants in the study, and they only sought help when they perceived a threat to their or their children’s safety. Therefore, it becomes even more important to understand the context and the situations giving rise to IPV, so that appropriate interventions can be planned. It is also important to remember that the data were collected from women attending emergency department after experiencing a physical assault from their partner, and therefore, I believe they may not have a chance to reflect on the situation, and their views may be influenced by anger, frustration and other negative emotions and as such, it may have been useful to share the transcript of the interview with the participant to ascertain if their views are not changed. Nevertheless, the study makes an important contribution to our understanding of IPV not only in China but other cultures and countries in the region.