Domestic Violence Research Articles

A Survivor-Centered Framework for Domestic Violence Brief Crisis Intervention: A Stakeholder-Informed Approach

Program evaluation and assessment are critical for understanding the impact of domestic violence services and interventions and for making necessary refinements and revisions to programs. Demonstrating the impact of domestic violence programs (e.g., hotlines and shelters) poses challenges due to the complexities associated with abuse experiences. The use of an assessment framework will help categorize users’ multiple needs, clarify specific components of intervention approaches, and ensure that services meet clients’ needs. This article provides a comprehensive overview of a theoretical and stakeholder-informed approach used to develop an assessment framework for the National Domestic Violence Hotline (The Hotline). The research resulted in a framework which underscores the importance of survivor empowerment and support as key survivor outcomes. This article presents detailed information about the SAF-T project including methods and processes used to develop the survivor-centered framework and provides guidance for those interested in developing similar theoretical and stakeholder-informed frameworks for program planning, measuring performance, and evaluation efforts.

Effect of Gender-Sensitive Training on Police Response to Domestic Violence in Colombia

Purpose: The aim of the study was to analyze the effect of gender-sensitive training on police response to domestic violence in Colombia. Methodology: This study adopted a desk methodology. A desk study research design is commonly known as secondary data collection. This is basically collecting data from existing resources preferably because of its low cost advantage as compared to a field research. Our current study looked into already published studies and reports as the data was easily accessed through online journals and libraries. Findings: The study on the effect of gender-sensitive training on police response to domestic violence in Colombia found that such training significantly improved police officers' attitudes and responses towards domestic violence cases. Officers who underwent gender-sensitive training demonstrated enhanced empathy, understanding, and commitment to addressing domestic violence more effectively. The training led to a marked increase in the quality of police interventions, including better handling of sensitive situations and more appropriate legal actions. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: Feminist theory, social learning theory & organizational change theory may be used to anchor future studies on effect of gender-sensitive training on police response to domestic violence in Colombia. Implement regular refresher courses to reinforce the principles of gender-sensitive training. Make gender-sensitive training a mandatory component of police education and professional development. Policies should ensure that all police officers, regardless of their rank or role, receive this essential training to create a uniform standard of response to domestic violence.

The effect of materialism on unethical behaviour: The mediating role of self‐control

AbstractSelf‐enhancement values (power, achievement, and hedonism) have been found to be important predictors of ethical behaviour; however, the link between materialism (also a kind of self‐enhancement value) and unethical behaviour and its underlying mechanisms have received limited attention from researchers. The present research examines the effect of materialism on unethical behaviour and the mediating role of self‐control across five multi‐method studies with Chinese samples. Using Chinese data from the Sixth World Values Survey, we confirmed that materialism was positively related to a variety of unethical behaviours such as fare evasion, theft, tax evasion, bribery, domestic violence, and violence against others (Study 1). In follow‐up experiments, priming materialism increased unethical behaviour (Studies 2 and 3). Moreover, through a questionnaire survey, we found that self‐control played a mediating role between materialism and unethical behaviour in specific social contexts (Study 4). Finally, the manipulation of high materialists' self‐control reduced their unethical behaviour, further verifying the mediating role of self‐control (Study 5). Our findings indicate that materialists tend to have lower levels of self‐control, thus they are more likely to engage in unethical behaviours. This research supports the hot/cool system model of self‐control and deepens our understanding of how materialism might lead to unethical behaviour.

Child Maltreatment, Mental Health Disorders, and Health Risk Behaviors in People With Diverse Gender Identities.

This study examined rates of mental health disorders and health risk behaviors in people with diverse gender identities and associations with five types of child maltreatment. We used data from the Australian Child Maltreatment Study (ACMS), a nationally representative survey of Australian residents aged 16 years and more, which was designed to understand the experience of child maltreatment (physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, neglect, exposure to domestic violence). Mental disorders-major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), alcohol use disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and health risk behaviors-smoking, binge drinking, cannabis dependence, self-harm, and suicide attempt in the past 12 months were assessed. People with diverse gender identities who experienced child maltreatment were significantly more likely to have GAD (43.3%; 95% CI [30.3, 56.2]) than those who had experienced child maltreatment who were either cisgender men (13.8%; [12.0, 15.5]) or cisgender women (17.4%; [15.7, 19.2]). Similarly, higher prevalence was found for PTSD (21.3%; [11.1, 31.5]), self-harm (27.8%; [17.1, 38.5]) and suicide attempt (7.2%; [3.1, 11.3]) for people with diverse gender identities. Trauma-informed approaches, attuned to the high likelihood of any child maltreatment, and the co-occurrence of different kinds may benefit people with diverse gender identities experiencing GAD, PTSD, self-harm, suicidal behaviors, or other health risk behaviors.

Impacts of Peer Support on Coping and Cortisol Levels for Women Affected by Domestic Violence and Coercive Control.

Gendered domestic violence and coercive control are prevalent public heath concerns in Canada with dire consequences for survivors. Peer support groups may address and reduce negative impacts of domestic violence and coercive control on women's stress, coping, safety, and alliances with social support network members, the focus of this study. A one-group, pre-test/post-test quasi-experimental study was undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of Growth Circle, a 14-week peer support program offered at an agency serving women affected by domestic violence in a major western Canadian city. Through convenience sampling, women 18 years and older who experienced domestic violence were recruited and provided data on stress, coping, safety-related empowerment, and social support/alliances. Thirty-five participants provided all pre-test and post-test data, with a subsample of 14 providing repeated hair samples. Hair was employed to determine stress hormone (cortisol) levels. A significant reduction in self-reported levels of perceived stress and stress hormone levels following completion of the Growth Circle program was revealed. Participants also reported a significant increase in safety-related empowerment, and supportive alliances with group members. The Growth Circle peer support program was demonstrated to be effective. Further implementation and research into the Growth Circle program across Canada is recommended.

Supplemental Material for Understanding the Role of Experiential Avoidance in Intimate Partner Abuse

Supplemental Material for Understanding the Role of Experiential Avoidance in Intimate Partner Abuse

Family mediation: problems of negotiability and domestic violence in the focus of professional discourse (on the materials of sociological research)

Family mediation: problems of negotiability and domestic violence in the focus of professional discourse (on the materials of sociological research)

Kriminogén rizikófaktorok az önmérgező serdülők szuicid szándékának alakulásában – Hipotézisek felvetése pszichiátriai konzíliumi munka alapján

Aim: Adolescents frequently encounter normative crises that are neither deviant nor pathologically rooted, yet professionals and daily caregivers may sometimes perceive them as such. Deliberate self-poisoning, a prevalent form of suicidal behaviour in adolescents, often coexists with indicators of deviant developmental patterns and family backgrounds suggestive of potential future criminal lifestyles. This study aims to scrutinise the validity of this assumption. Methodology: Employing document analysis, they examined handwritten consultation records and subjected the extracted data to statistical chi-square tests. Findings: The study encompassed 109 cases (88 girls, 21 boys). While criminogenic risk factors were identified in the adolescents’ lives, the majority showed no direct association with suicidal intent or ideation. Exceptions included school drop-out, domestic violence, and bullying, associating with suicidal intent, and bullying alone linked to suicidal ideation. Both intent and ideation were more prevalent among girls. Value: They findings indicate that deliberate self-harm and criminogenic risk factors are largely disconnected. Thus, they emphasise that attributing deviant family backgrounds and future career prospects to adolescents’ self-poisoning is misleading. Professionals within a child’s environment must refrain from such labelling in their daily communication.

Safety Is Just the First Step: Implementing a Holistic, Survivor-Centered Program Model for Rural Partner Abuse Survivors

When domestic violence first became recognized as a social problem, services (e.g., hotlines, medical accompaniment, and emergency shelters) focused largely on meeting victims’ needs during crisis. Research documenting the process survivors go through to end abusive relationships and to establish a new, safe life shows that the challenges they face go well beyond the initial crisis. In contrast to standard practices, the Chesapeake Crisis to Self-Sufficiency Model (CCSSM) provides a continuum of holistic, survivor-centered services to support the transition from crisis to self-sufficiency. Staff interviews reveal that the CCSSM grew out of recognizing clients’ needs postcrisis. Establishing service continuums in critical areas such as housing, legal assistance, and economic empowerment creates customizable pathways for clients to follow. Administrative data for 464 survivors receiving services under the traditional model and 607 served under the CCSSM show that the CCSSM cohort worked with the agency for significantly more months and received a broader array of services. These data suggest that the comprehensive service model provides survivors with much needed services beyond the initial crisis and may ultimately increase their chances of leaving an abusive relationship. Future research should explore if the CCSSM leads to increased survivor safety and movement toward self-sufficiency and if the model decreases the odds that survivors will return to an abusive partner.

Legal Protection for Wives as Victims of Domestic Violence in Terms of Obtaining Custody Rights for Minors

This research article is entitled Legal Protection of Wives as Victims of Domestic Violence in Terms of Obtaining Custody Rights for Minors. The type of research used in this study is normative, namely based on the applicable laws and regulations (positive law) using a legal and conceptual regulatory approach. Where in all the legal materials that have been collected will be processed and analyzed systematically which are presented in the form of descriptions based on theory and legal principles so as to obtain clear conclusions and descriptions in discussing the problem. Based on the research method as mentioned above, the following discussion can be produced: A wife has rights as a victim of domestic violence. These rights are regulated in articles of Law No. 23 of 2004 concerning the Elimination of Domestic Violence.

Power to choose? Examining the link between contraceptive use decision and domestic violence

Contraception is a crucial tool that empowers women to control their bodily autonomy. Concurrently, domestic violence remains a pressing public health issue, depleting women’s autonomy. We establish a causal link between a woman’s contraceptive use decision and the occurrence of intimate partner violence. We use an instrumental variable approach to estimate our causal effects by utilizing nationally representative data for India. Using exogenous variation in the neighbourhood average of women’s exposure to family planning messages via radio, we find that if a woman independently makes the decision to use contraceptives, she is at a significantly higher risk of physical, sexual and emotional domestic violence. We estimate the bounds of our effects by assuming the IV to be plausibly exogenous, where we relax the exogeneity condition. Our findings underscore the importance of reproductive health in initiatives that reduce domestic violence and targeted policies that provide support to younger and employed women and those from backward caste and rural areas.

Politik Representasi Identitas Perempuan dalam Media: Wacana Kritis Pemberitaan KDRT di suara.com

Domestic violence (DV) is a complex problem with significant implications for the lives of women and children. Women's identities are often portrayed negatively and stereotypically as housewives, caregivers, weak, helpless, and submissive. Men's views tend to see women as sexual objects, sex symbols, objects that reinforce patriarchal patterns, and vulnerable to harassment and violence. This study aims to uncover the politics of women's representation in reporting domestic violence on suara.com. The politics of representation in this context refers to the way the media presents and constructs narratives about violence against women. The focus of this study is to understand how the media depicts cases of domestic violence, especially in the context of women's representation. The research method used is qualitative research with Sara Mills' critical discourse approach. Data were obtained through reading, understanding, recording, and identification using this approach. The results of the analysis show that the media still often depict women in a stereotypical framework that shows them as weak, causing problems, and emotional, for the benefit of the media company itself.

The technification of domestic abuse: Methods, tools and criminal justice responses

Methods of domestic abuse are progressively incorporating computer misuse and other related online offences and digital tools, escalating opportunities for perpetrators to monitor, threaten and humiliate their victims. Drawing on empirical research involving media case study analysis, a technology review and interviews undertaken with 21 professionals and service providers supporting domestic abuse victims, this article outlines the context in England and Wales regarding the methods, tools and criminal justice responses involved in what we conceptualise as the technification of domestic abuse. As technology continues to deeply intertwine with our daily lives, it is undeniable that its involvement within domestic abuse encompasses harmful behaviours that pose an increasing risk of harm, and unless effective criminal justice interventions are implemented, this risk will inevitably grow even further.

Aggression, Disempowerment, and Feminism in the “Scum Men” Discourse on Chinese Social Media

ABSTRACT This study presents an analysis of the Chinese Internet slang “渣男” (scum men) by examining Weibo posts containing this term from 2011 to 2022. It is found that “scum men” is only on the surface an aggressive expression to condemn male infidelity, especially during outbreaks of celebrity scandals. This main usage manifests not only women’s resignation and evasion due to a lack of social mechanisms to address male infidelity, but also tendencies including women’s self-discipline and self-sluttification by introducing scum women into the scum-men discourse and associating “scum” with physical attraction. Further behind the rise of such usage is an underlying acceptance of a gendered trade-off where men’s wealth is exchanged for women’s physical attraction, with fidelity added to material wealth to form the ideal manhood. On the side, the “scum men” discourse has also begun to touch on feminist themes such as domestic violence, sexual harassment, and gaslighting since the late 2010s.

Cigarette Smoking in Women Victims of Police-Reported Intimate Partner Violence: The Role of Childhood Maltreatment, Type of Partner Abuse, and Psychological Distress Symptoms

ABSTRACT Existing research on the relationship between intimate partner violence (IPV) and cigarette smoking primarily involves low-risk, physical IVP-focused studies on community women. As a result, the risks associated with cigarette smoking in women victims of severe IPV have not been fully explored. This study examined the association between exposure to different forms of childhood maltreatment, exposure to physical, psychological, and sexual IPV, and current psychological distress symptoms with cigarette smoking in a high-risk sample of women victims of police-reported severe IPV. Participants included 162 women victims of police-reported severe IPV recruited in shelters for domestic violence and Child Protective Services in Portugal. Participants provided self-reports on childhood maltreatment physical, psychological, and sexual violence), physical, psychological, and sexual IPV, psychological distress symptoms (anxiety, depressive, somatic, and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms), and daily cigarette consumption. Results revealed significant associations between daily cigarette consumption and exposure to IPV, physical abuse during childhood, psychological IPV, and anxiety symptoms in women experiencing police-reported severe IPV. Childhood maltreatment may increase vulnerability for emotion dysregulation, promoting addictive behaviors to regulate distress. Smoking can be an unhealthy regulating strategy to reduce the distress related to chronic exposure to psychological IPV. Future effective health promotion interventions in women facing severe forms of IPV may target emotional regulation and incorporate a trauma-focused approach.

“She Punched, Punched, and Scratched Me While I Was Holding My Children After We Broke Up”: Men’s Experience of Postseparation Domestic Abuse

There is a paucity of literature relating to male victims of intimate partner violence and their experiences postseparation. This study explored men’s experiences of abuse after the end of a relationship using an anonymous online survey distributed via social media. The survey included questions of a demographic nature followed by a series of open-ended questions. A hundred and thirty men aged between 18 and 68 years participated. All participants were reporting on their experiences within opposite sex relationships. A thematic analysis identified four master themes (preseparation abuse, postseparation abuse, abuse impact, and help-seeking). The analysis revealed significant experiences of abuse occurring preseparation, followed by accounts of postseparation abuse and the challenges men faced in terms of help-seeking. The collection of preseparation data helped to situate the postseparation experiences in the wider context of an existing abusive relationship and illustrated the impact of this across a range of experiential domains. We conclude that men’s experiences of physical abuse as well as coercive and controlling behavior that exist preseparation often continue postseparation, albeit changing and escalating through different mechanisms. Suggestions for future research and recommendations for practice have been identified.

Stop leaving people with disability behind: Reviewing comprehensive sexuality education for people with disability

Background: The pathologisation of people with disability1 has long affected the educational quality of the sexuality education they receive. Whilst concern for people with disability has been growing in some comprehensive sexuality education settings, the quality of education in these spaces is variable and typically accommodations for people with disability are not made. The lack of accessibility fosters few opportunities to learn about and practise skills related to establishing and maintaining social relationships, including platonic, romantic and sexual relationships, thereby limiting informed decision-making. Moreover, the lack of good quality sexuality education significantly increases the risk of sexual abuse, assault, and family and domestic violence – impacting people with disability’s self-determination, autonomy and ultimately, ability to work, live independently, and maintain their mental and physical health. Objective: Few reviews of comprehensive sexuality education programmes for people with disability have been reported. Therefore, four current comprehensive sexuality education programmes for people with disability were reviewed, including their content and the topics included; the feasibility of implementation including costs; different accessibility considerations for varied learners and disabilities; and methods of delivery. This allowed an assessment of their strengths and opportunities for people with disability. Results: The review highlighted strong positive changes occurring within the field, as well as challenges due to funding limitations, and the extensive number of topics under comprehensive sexuality education that need to be addressed in teaching and delivering quality comprehensive sexuality education to people with disability. Conclusion: Informed by the evidence in this review, we advocate for the inclusion of a more comprehensive range of topics, including gender and sexuality diversity within accessible comprehensive sexuality education for people with disability, and the establishment of appropriate forms of teacher education and training to increase confidence and comfort when delivering comprehensive sexuality education to people with disability.

Substance use among trans and gender diverse young people in Australia: Patterns, correlates and motivations.

There is a dire paucity of research into the burden, correlates and motives of substance use among trans young people in Australia. Using data from a national survey of Australian trans young people (N = 859, Mage = 19.4), we estimated prevalence of past 6-month substance use (tobacco, alcohol, cannabis, other drugs) and lifetime substance use disorder diagnoses. Covariate-adjusted multivariate logistic regression models tested associations between substance use types with 18 interpersonal factors. Open-ended responses regarding substance use motives (n = 489) were qualitatively analysed using thematic analysis with an interpretative phenomenological approach. Prevalence of lifetime substance use disorder diagnosis was 13.5% (95% confidence interval [CI] 11.1, 16.1). Alcohol use was most reported (72.4%; 95% CI 68.9, 75.6) followed by tobacco (31.1%; 95% CI 27.7, 34.6) and cannabis (30.6%; 95% CI 27.2, 34.2). Trans women reported highest rates of alcohol and cannabis use; use of other drugs was highest among trans men. Highest risk of substance use was observed among trans youth who experienced discrimination, intimate partner abuse, peer rejection and lack of family support (adjusted odds ratios ranging 1.5 to 3.0). Four multi-levelled themes of substance use motives were identified: circumstantial use, somatic use, feeling better about oneself and one's life, and harm reduction. While substance use among trans young is largely circumstantial, hedonistic and altruistic, facilitating self-exploration, friendship and community connectedness, substance use among trans young people is highly prevalent and may be used to cope with sleep difficulties, depression/anxiety and cisnormativity, including delays and waitlists for accessing gender-affirming care.

IN DUBIO PRO REO: Analysis of criminal liability in borderline personality disorder in domestic violence

This work aims to analyze volition and behavior in Criminal Law and its application in cases of domestic violence, identifying how forms of domestic violence can affect the characteristics of the person with borderline personality disorder along with volition, which can affect the assessment of criminal liability in cases of domestic violence in accordance with the principle of in dubio pro reo. A qualitative literary review was used in the databases Periódicos CAPES, Google Scholar, Scielo (dated from 2000 to 2023); in specialized literature and on the official Planalto website. The emotional instability of the person with BPD along with aspects of affective relationships can lead to aggressive situations within the domestic environment, such as psychological and physical violence that can be marked by impulsivity, as well as intentional, which lead to doubts regarding their judgment, of so that they must be evaluated in the concrete. Therefore, when in doubt about imputability, semi-imputability applies; doubt about semi-imputability, non-imputability applies. It is noted that psychological violence has the nature of semi-imputability, due to the intentional aspects of relational maintenance and physical violence may contain the assumption of non-imputability, linked to impulsiveness and intense anger.

The Role of Alcohol in Initial Help-Seeking Telephone Calls About Domestic Violence to the Police.

This article investigates how domestic violence and abuse (DVA), its underreporting and its links with alcohol consumption, manifest in and impact the outcome of help-seeking telephone calls to U.K.-based police services. Conversation analysis of call-takers' questions about alcohol found that they either (a) focused only on the perpetrator's drinking, and occurred after informing callers that help was being dispatched, or (b) targeted both victims' and perpetrators' drinking and complicated the decisions to dispatch police assistance. The article helps specify the communicative practices that may constitute victims' negative experiences of disclosing DVA to the police.