Experiences Of Intimate Partner Abuse Research Articles

Maternal Antibiotic Exposure and the Risk of Developing Antenatal or Postpartum Depressive Symptoms: The Maternal Experience Study Protocol.

Limited epidemiological evidence suggests a link between antibiotic use and developing depression. This study seeks to investigate this association in depth, using a cohort of pregnant individuals. The primary aim is to explore any association between the use of antibiotics during pregnancy and the development of antenatal depressive symptoms up to the third trimester, as well as the use of antibiotics during pregnancy and within 12 months postpartum and the development of postpartum depressive symptoms. A national prospective, observational, longitudinal cohort study has been designed to examine these relationships. A sample size of 1500 pregnant individuals has been sought for this study, assuming 10 potential predictor variables (including antibiotic use) in the final multiple logistic regression model and allowing for a 30% drop-out rate. The development of depressive symptoms is considered either a diagnosis by a medical doctor and/or a scoring 13 or higher on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. Data will be collected during the third trimester and at 6 weeks, 6 months, and 12 months postpartum. These surveys include variables previously identified as associated with antenatal and postpartum depression (e.g., level of social support, experience of intimate partner abuse, and obstetric complications), as well as antibiotic and probiotic use. This study will provide an update on the prevalence of the symptoms of depression during pregnancy and postpartum and its associated risk factors. It will also, for the first time, comprehensively explore the potential association between antibiotic use during pregnancy and up to 12 months postpartum and the development of depressive symptoms.

Intimate Partner Abuse Among Rohingya Women and Its Relationship With Their Abilities to Reject Husbands' Advances to Unwanted Sex.

Currently, around a million Rohingya refugees live in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. Displacement from homelands and restrictions on movement in the refugee camps may exacerbate intimate partner abuse (IPA) against refugee women and their abilities to reject husbands' advances to unwanted sex. This study examines Rohingya refugee women's attitudes toward and experience of intimate partner abuse (IPA) and their impact on the abilities to reject husbands' advances to unwanted sex. A survey was conducted among Rohingya refugee women in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. Women's attitudes toward IPA, and experience of IPA were the exposure variables. Women's abilities to say "no" to husbands' advances to unwanted sexual intercourse was the outcome variable. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to examine the relationships. Participants' median age was 22 years (range: 13-41). Most women perceived hitting/beatings by their husbands in certain situations as justifiable, 72% had experienced such abuse and 56.5% had to engage in unwanted sexual intercourse with their husbands. Women with increasing leniency towards hitting/beatings and those who had experienced such abuse were less likely to be able to say "no" to husbands' advances to unwanted sexual intercourse. Rohingya women's attitudes toward and experience of IPA are associated with their abilities to say "no" to husbands' advances to unwanted sex. Intervention is needed to denormalize the current practice of IPA, create awareness against IPA, and ensure formal education for girls.

Four Case Studies Examining Male Victims of Intimate Partner Abuse

ABSTRACT The limited research into male victims’ experiences of intimate partner abuse (IPA) does not clarify whether men’s experiences align with those of women who sustain intimate partner abuse. We conducted four case studies to explore how those men’s experiences align with patterns of male-to-female abuse, specifically abuse with a focus on gaining and maintaining control. Four men who identified as victims of IPA from female partners participated in semi-structured interviews, with collateral information obtained from friends and family members. These cases were selected because on first presentation they appeared to fit the definition of intimate terrorism. The men’s experiences were assessed in three domains that indicate a pattern of abuse used to control: power and control, psychological impact, and victim response. The data indicate that participants’ experiences are comparable to those of female victims, except for the fear response. While fearful of the perpetrator, these four men did not display the immobilizing fear and entrapment that many female victims display. Control as a motivation and effect of abuse is a useful starting point for describing and conceptualizing some male victims, until further research allows more precise conceptualizations.

Intimate partner abuse among couples during pregnancy and its predictors as reported by pregnant women visiting governmental health care centres in Tabriz, Iran.

Little is known about intimate partner abuse (IPA) among couples during pregnancy in Iran. This study aimed to compare the rates of IPA by pregnant women towards their husbands (perpetration), and women's experience of IPA from their husbands (victimization) and determine the predictors of the two behaviours. The cross-sectional study was conducted on 525 pregnant women at 24-30 weeks of gestation visiting governmental health care centres/posts in Tabriz, Iran, in 2014. The study sample was selected using random cluster sampling. The Revised Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS2) was used to assess IPA perpetration and victimization. The McNemar test was employed to compare the prevalences of IPA perpetration and victimization, and adjusted logistic regression was utilized to determine the socio-demographic predictors of overall IPA perpetration and victimization. The overall rates of women's reported abuse of their husbands (perpetration) and women's experience of abuse from their husbands (victimization) were 70% and 67%, respectively, but the difference was not statistically significant (p=0.086). The prevalence of psychological aggression perpetrated by women towards their husbands was significantly higher than that experienced by the women from their husbands (65% vs 58%, p<0.001). The prevalences of sexual coercion (15% vs 30%) and injury (8% vs 16%) perpetrated by women on their husbands were significantly lower those they experienced by the women from their husbands (p<0.001). There was no statistically significant difference between the prevalence of perpetration of physical violence towards husbands by women (19%) and that experienced by women from their husbands (22%) (p=0.072). Women's and husbands' satisfaction with their own occupations were predictors of both perpetration and victimization of IPA. The observed high rates of IPA perpetration by, women and victimization of, women during pregnancy, and the significantly higher rate of violence towards women compared with that perpetrated by women, especially for sexual coercion and injury, require health policymakers and care providers to make serious efforts to identify such violence, and take appropriate measures to reduce it, during pregnancy in women in Iran.

Advocacy Interventions to Reduce or Eliminate Violence and Promote the Physical and Psychosocial Well‐Being of Women who Experience Intimate Partner Abuse: A Systematic Review

Advocacy Interventions to Reduce or Eliminate Violence and Promote the Physical and Psychosocial Well‐Being of Women who Experience Intimate Partner Abuse: A Systematic Review

Advocacy interventions to reduce or eliminate violence and promote the physical and psychosocial well-being of women who experience intimate partner abuse.

Intimate partner abuse is common in all societies and damages the health of survivors and their children in the short and long term. Advocacy may decrease the impact of this abuse on women's health.To assess the effects of advocacy interventions conducted within or outside of health care settings on women who have experienced intimate partner abuse.We searched: CENTRAL and DARE (Cochrane Library Issue 3, 2008), MEDLINE (1966 to 31/7/08), EMBASE (1980 to 2008 week 30), and 11 other databases, to end July 2008. We also searched relevant websites, reference lists and forward citation tracking of included studies, and handsearched six key journals. We contacted principal investigators and experts in the field.Randomised controlled trials comparing advocacy interventions for women with experience of intimate partner abuse against usual care.Two reviewers independently assessed trial quality and undertook data extraction. For binary outcomes we calculated a standardised estimation of the odds ratio (OR) and for continuous data we calculated either a standardised mean difference (SMD) or a weighted mean difference (WMD), both with a 95% confidence interval.We included ten trials involving 1527 participants. The studies were heterogeneous in respect of: intensity of advocacy, outcome measures and duration of follow-up (immediately post-intervention to three years), permitting meta-analysis for only a minority of outcomes. Intensive advocacy (12 hours or more duration) may help terminate physical abuse in women leaving domestic violence shelters or refuges at 12-24 months follow-up (OR 0.43, 95% CI 0.23 to 0.80), but not at up to 12 months follow-up. The evidence indicates that intensive advocacy may improve quality of life at up to 12 months follow-up, but the confidence intervals included zero (WMD 0.23, 95% CI 0.00 to 0.46). Depression did not improve following intensive advocacy at up to 12 months follow-up (WMD -0.05, 95% CI -0.19 to 0.09), nor did psychological distress (SMD -0.16, 95% CI -0.39 to 0.06). Only two meta-analyses of brief advocacy interventions (less than 12 hours duration) were possible; an increased use of safety behaviours was consistent with the receipt of brief advocacy both at up to 12 months (WMD 0.60, 95% CI 0.14 to 1.06) and at 12-24 months (WMD 0.48, 95% CI 0.04 to 0.92) follow up.Based on the evidence reviewed, it is possible that intensive advocacy for women recruited in domestic violence shelters or refuges reduces physical abuse one to two years after the intervention but we do not know if it has a beneficial effect on their quality of life and mental health. Similarly, there is insufficient evidence to show if less intensive interventions in healthcare settings for women who still live with the perpetrators of violence are effective.

Intimate partner abuse before and during pregnancy as risk factors for postpartum mental health problems.

BackgroundAlthough research has established the profound effects that intimate partner abuse can have on postpartum mental health, little is known regarding how this association may change as a function of the timing and type of abuse. This study examined associations of psychological, physical and sexual abuse experienced as adults before and during pregnancy with symptoms of postpartum mental health problems in a non-clinical sample of women.MethodsEnglish-speaking mothers aged 18 years and older in the metropolitan area of a large, Western Canadian city were recruited to participate in a study of women’s health after pregnancy. The study was advertised in hospitals, local newspapers, community venues, and relevant websites. One-hundred women completed standardized, self-report questionnaires during semi-structured interviews conducted by female research assistants at approximately 2 months postpartum. In addition to questions about their general health and well-being, participants answered questions about their experiences of intimate partner abuse and about their mental health during the postpartum period.ResultsAlmost two-thirds (61.0%) of women reported postpartum mental health symptoms above normal levels, with 47.0% reporting symptoms at moderate or higher levels. The majority reported some form of intimate partner abuse before pregnancy (84.0%) and more than two-thirds (70.0%), during pregnancy; however, the abuse was typically minor in nature. Multivariate models revealed that women who experienced intimate partner abuse—whether before or during pregnancy—reported higher levels of postpartum mental health problems; however, associations differed as a function of the timing and type of abuse, as well as specific mental health symptoms. Multivariate models also showed that as the number of types of intimate partner abuse experienced increased, so did the negative effects on postpartum mental health.ConclusionsResults of this study provide further evidence that intimate partner abuse is a risk factor for postpartum mental health problems. They also underscore the complex risks and needs associated with intimate partner abuse among postpartum women and support the use of integrated approaches to treating postpartum mental health problems. Future efforts should focus on the extent to which strategies designed to reduce intimate partner abuse also improve postpartum mental health and vice versus.

Why do they Keep Going Back? Exploring Women's Discursive Experiences of Intimate Partner Abuse

Abstract: This paper explores how different discourses of intimate partner abuse (IPA) may impact women's decisions to stay or leave their partners. More specifically, we ask: 1) what narratives are available to and used by heterosexual and non-heterosexual female survivors of IPA to make sense of their experiences? 2) How might these narratives impact women's ability, or lack thereof, to disengage from their abusive partners? Prior literature suggests that there are four possible discourses on which women may draw including psychological (victim and offender), gendered political, and the narrative of romantic love. Analysis of discussion forums from online social networking sites revealed that while each of these discourses are utilised by women, scripts of romantic love may provide the strongest motivation for accepting and maintaining an abusive relationship. In contrast, understanding the psychological motivations of their abusers may empower female survivors to extricate themselves from the violence.

Partner abuse or violence, parenting and neighborhood influences on children's behavioral problems

We examined the relationship between neighborhood characteristics, parenting behaviors, experiences of intimate partner abuse or violence (IPV) and children's behavioral problems in a socioeconomically diverse sample of 383 families residing in an urban environment. Data were collected in the Fall/Winter of 2002. The census block group of residence was used as our measure of neighborhood. Census block groups typically contain 1500 residents on average. IPV was measured using a modified version of the HITS (physically Hurt, Insult, Threaten, and Screamed at) scale, a short four item tool assessing emotional and physical violence to which we added an item capturing domination or emotional control. IPV in the last year was reported by 50% of the sample with rates varying by socioeconomic position; families with the lowest and highest income reported the most IPV. Patterns of association between parenting, neighborhood and the children's behavioral problems differed for families who reported IPV in the last year compared to families who reported no IPV. While positive neighborhood characteristics such as high levels of Community Involvement with Children - based upon four scales capturing neighborhood levels of social interaction and collective socialization of children - were protective for high levels of behavioral problems among families not reporting IPV, this protective effect was not seen among families who did report IPV. Hypothesized interactions between negative neighborhood characteristics and IPV-namely that behavioral problems would be worse among families experiencing IPV in highly economically deprived or areas with negative social climates-were not supported by our data. These interactions between neighborhood factors and IPV were not explained by parental factors.

A Marked Man: Female-Perpetrated Intimate Partner Abuse

Concepts of intimate partner abuse and violence are shifting, complex, situational and multifaceted. Whilst women's narratives of abuse have provided much needed insights into the subjective experience of intimate partner abuse, men's accounts of female perpetrated abuse have been slower to emerge, generating much controversy and hostility. This paper seeks to add to a small, but developing qualitative literature on male victims' accounts of intimate abuse and violence. Drawing on case study data, the article charts some of the salient themes emerging from a series of in-depth interviews and the personal diary of an abused heterosexual male victim. It explores the congruence with elements of other accounts of intimate abuse and violence. The paper concludes with a discussion of the ways in which male victims of intimate abuse might be understood within contemporary frameworks of masculinity.

Advocacy interventions to reduce or eliminate violence and promote the physical and psychosocial well‐being of women who experience intimate partner abuse

Advocacy interventions to reduce or eliminate violence and promote the physical and psychosocial well‐being of women who experience intimate partner abuse

Integrating Multiple Intersecting Identities: A Multicultural Conceptualization of the Power and Control Wheel

For the past three decades intimate partner abuse has received growing attention as a major social problem with its roots in socially structured systemic inequalities. However, much of the intimate partner abuse literature lacks adequate attention to issues of diversity, and more specifically fails to address how structural underpinnings beyond gender shape women's experiences of intimate partner abuse. The primary purpose of this paper is to highlight the importance of considering how various systems of oppression (e.g., heterosexism, agism, ableism, racism, spirituality/religion, classism, and sexism) shape the experiences of victims of intimate partner abuse. In particular, we address how these personal, cultural, and structural identities may individually or in combination influence women's experiences of intimate partner abuse. The literature on diverse identities and intimate partner abuse is reviewed, and a revised version of the commonly used Power and Control Wheel is presented, called the Multicultural Power and Control Wheel. Directions for future research and implications for practice are proposed with the hopes of initiating a dialogue among researchers and clinicians as to the most effective ways to serve victims of IPA.

Midwives' conceptions of childbearing women's experience of intimate partner abuse

Midwives' conceptions of childbearing women's experience of intimate partner abuse

Abused Pregnant Women’s Interactions With Health Care Providers During the Childbearing Year

To explore how intimate partner abuse during pregnancy influences women's decisions about seeking care and disclosing abuse and their preferences for health care professionals' responses. A qualitative, grounded theory approach using dimensional analysis. Data were collected via 21 interviews. Participants were interviewed in their homes, at their prenatal clinic, at a hospital, and at the investigator's office. A convenience sample of 12 English-speaking women abused during pregnancy. Five participants were recruited from two prenatal clinics in the Pacific Northwest; 7 were recruited via snowball sampling. The grounded theory "living two lives: women's experiences of intimate partner abuse during pregnancy" emerged from the investigation. Abused pregnant women engaged in a process of guarding and revealing their public and private lives. This process affects how women seek and attend prenatal care, their perceptions of health care providers' interventions, and abuse disclosure. Intimate partner abuse profoundly affects women's pregnancies and pregnancy-related decisions. Embarrassment, shame, and fear are common emotions. Pregnant, abused women want health care providers to treat them respectfully and empathetically, to recognize the conflict between their public and private lives, to support their decisions, and to be available to help them. They do not expect or want health care providers to fix their situation.