Intimate Partner Violence In Relationships Research Articles

A Qualitative Study of Survival Strategies Used by Low-Income Black Women Who Experience Intimate Partner Violence.

Women who experience intimate partner violence (IPV) are often portrayed as helpless victims. Yet many women who experience IPV implement strategies to help them survive the abuse. This qualitative study sought to explore the survivor strategies used by low-income black women who experience IPV. Authors used a semistructured interview guide to survey 26 survivors who reported being in an IPV relationship in the past two years. Thematic analysis revealed three types of survivor strategies used by low-income black women: (1) internal (use of religion and becoming self-reliant), (2) interpersonal (leave the abuser or fight back), and (3) external (reliance on informal, formal, or both kinds of sources of support). This article informs social work practitioners of the strategies used by low-income black women in surviving IPV so that practitioners can develop interventions that support these strategies.

The Social and Individual Characteristics of Women Associated With Engagement With Multiple Intimate Violent Partners.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a serious public health problem with known negative physical and mental health outcomes for women exposed. Studies have shown that with increased violence exposure, there are increased risks of negative outcomes for women. Likewise, chronicity of IPV across multiple partners is linked to more profound psychological suffering than acute exposure. However, little is known about the social- and individual-level characteristics of women that are correlated with engagement with multiple abusive partners. The current study (N = 164) identifies the characteristics of women that are associated with the number of violent partners with which they have been involved, with 35% of the sample reporting multiple IPV relationships. Participants reported on the number of violent partners, demographic characteristics, trauma history, current trauma and depressive symptoms, and exposure to IPV, including physical, sexual, and psychological violence. Results of multiple regression analysis indicate that trauma history (childhood sexual abuse, being held hostage, and torture) and current psychological violence were associated with women's engagement with multiple violent partners. Additional findings reveal that identification as African American and White was associated with greater re-engagement compared with identification as Latina. Finally, current exposure to sexual violence was associated with fewer violent partners. The clinical implications of these findings for treatment for women at risk for engagement with multiple partners in IPV relationships are discussed.

Intimate Partner Violence Associated with Postpartum Depression, Regardless of Socioeconomic Status.

Objective This study examined whether socioeconomic status moderated the association between intimate partner violence (IPV) and postpartum depression among a community-based sample of women. Defining the role of poverty in the risk of postpartum depression for IPV victims enables prioritization of health promotion efforts to maximize the effectiveness of existing maternal-infant resources. Methods This cross-sectional telephone-survey study interviewed 301 postpartum women 2months after delivery, screening them for IPV and depression [using Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS)]. Socioeconomic status was defined by insurance (Medicaid-paid-delivery or not). This analysis controlled for the following covariates, collected through interview and medical-record review: demographics, obstetric history, prenatal health and additional psychosocial risk factors. After adjusting for significant covariates, multiple linear regression was conducted to test whether socioeconomic status confounded or moderated IPV's relationship with EPDS-score. Results Ten percent of participants screened positive for postpartum depression, 21.3% screened positive for current or previous adult emotional or physical abuse by a partner, and 32.2% met poverty criteria. IPV and poverty were positively associated with each other (χ(2) (1)=11.76, p<.001) and with EPDS score (IPV: beta 3.2 (CI 2.0, 4.5) p<.001, poverty: beta 1.3 (CI 0.2, 2.4) p=.017). In the multiple linear regression, IPV remained significantly associated, but poverty did not (IPV: adjusted beta 3.1 (CI 1.8, 4.3) p<.001, poverty: adjusted beta 0.8 (CI -0.3, 1.9) p=.141), and no statistically significant interaction between IPV and poverty was found. Conclusions Study findings illustrated that IPV was strongly associated with postpartum depression, outweighing the influence of socioeconomic status upon depression for postpartum women.

‘Performing identity’

This study examined the issue of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) from the perspective of young adults. The focus was on how participants actively imparted meaning to themselves and others, and how they constructed and performed their identities through the situated interaction of the research interview. Students at the University of Cape Town (ages 18–25), were invited to participate in unstructured individual interviews and/or focus groups about IPV and intimate relationships. A total of 24 young adults volunteered to participate. The results revealed that young people are knowledgeable and concerned about IPV. Participants underscored the importance, intensity and timing of intimate relationships in their lives- and signaled its significance and consequence for their current identity projects. Female participants had specific investments in how their talk achieved selfpresentation goals: they used their narratives as a resource to account for their experiences, negotiate and present their preferred identities, and manage their reputations.

Timing of Intimate Partner Violence in Relationship to Military Service Among Women Veterans

Women U.S. military veterans report higher rates of lifetime intimate partner violence (IPV) compared with women who have never served in the military. However, we know little about the timing of IPV exposure relative to military service. To begin to understand the relationship between military service and IPV experience, we conducted surveys with 249 women military veterans seeking care at a Veterans Affairs medical center about experiences of physical, psychological, and sexual IPV before, during, and after military service. Additionally, we examined the association between deployment and IPV experience during and after military service. Findings indicated that women experienced IPV during each time period (before/during/after military service), with significant overlap of experiencing IPV during more than one time period and one-third (34.6%) experiencing IPV during all three time periods. Compared to those who were not deployed, women who had been deployed reported increased odds of experiencing psychological, but not physical or sexual, IPV during (but not after) military service. Implications of study findings for theory, research, and practice are discussed.

Preliminary evaluation of an analog procedure to assess acceptability of intimate partner violence against women: the Partner Violence Acceptability Movie Task.

Acceptability of partner violence against women is a risk factor linked to its perpetration, and to public, professionals’ and victims’ responses to this behavior. Research on the acceptability of violence in intimate partner relationships is, however, limited by reliance solely on self-reports that often provide distorted or socially desirable accounts that may misrepresent respondents’ attitudes. This study presents data on the development and initial validation of a new analog task assessing respondents’ acceptability of physical violence toward women in intimate relationships: the Partner Violence Acceptability Movie Task (PVAM). This new analog task is intended to provide a more implicit measure of the acceptability of partner violence against women. For this analog task, clips were extracted from commercially available films (90-s segments) portraying partner violence. Two independent samples were used to develop and evaluate the PVAM: a sample of 245 undergraduate students and a sample of 94 male intimate partner violence offenders. This new analog task demonstrated acceptable internal consistency. Results also indicated adequate construct validity. Both perpetrators and undergraduates scoring high in the PVAM also scored higher in self-reported justifications of partner abuse. Perpetrators of partner violence scored significantly higher in acceptability of partner violence than the undergraduate sample (both male and female students), and male students scored higher than females. These preliminary results suggest that the PVAM may be a promising tool to assess the acceptability of violence in intimate partner relationships, highlighting the need to consider alternatives to self-report to evaluate potential beliefs about partner violence.

Ambivalent Sexism, Alcohol Use, and Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration.

Research on risk factors for men's perpetration of intimate partner violence (IPV) has shown a high correlation with problem alcohol use. Additional studies, however, indicate that the alcohol-IPV link is neither simple nor necessarily direct and that a range of factors may moderate this relationship. Using a national, community-based sample of 255 men, the present study examined the moderating effects of ambivalent sexism (i.e., hostile and benevolent sexism) on the relationship between alcohol use and IPV perpetration. The findings show that both greater alcohol consumption and high hostile sexism are positively associated with IPV perpetration, and that hostile sexism moderates the alcohol-IPV relationship for perpetration of physical IPV, but not for psychological IPV. Moreover, high levels of alcohol consumption have a greater impact on physical IPV perpetration for men low in hostile sexism than for men high in hostile sexism, lending support to the multiple threshold model of the alcohol-IPV link. Implications of the findings for prevention, intervention, and future research are discussed.

IPV Stigma and its Social Management: The Roles of Relationship-Type, Abuse-Type, and Victims’ Sex

Victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) often encounter negative societal reactions to their abuse. A quantitative self-report study examined the existence of these potential identity-threats to former IPV victims (N = 345, n = 106 males, n = 239 females). Biological sex, abuse type (i.e., psychological, physical) and severity, and IPV relationship type (i.e., situational couple violence, intimate terrorism) were each modeled as predictors of IPV stigma and its social management strategies. Results indicated differences in how IPV stigma was experienced and communicatively managed by diverse victims. Findings, interpreted through an applied lens for IPV practitioners and victims, also add nuance to existing theories of IPV, interpersonal communication, and social stigma.

Preferences for Intervention Among Peruvian Women in Intimate Partner Violence Relationships

We sought to identify what abused Peruvian women want or need as intervention strategies. We conducted five focus groups with 30 women with prior or current experience with intimate partner violence. Participants noted that abused women need compassionate support, professional counseling, and informational and practical (e.g., work skills training, employment, shelter, financial support) interventions. We propose a 2-tiered intervention strategy that includes community support groups and individual professional counseling. This strategy is intended to offer broad coverage, meeting the needs of large groups of women who experience abuse, whereas providing specialized counseling for those requiring intensive support. Respect for each woman's autonomy in the decision-making process is a priority. Interventions targeted toward women and men should address structural factors that contribute to violence against women.

Survivors' coping with intimate partner violence: Insights and limitations.

Comments on the article, "Coping with intimate partner violence: Qualitative findings from the study of dynamics of husband to wife abuse," by Foster et al., (see record 2015-24688-001). However, most intimate partner violence relationships do not escalate to these levels, and the partnerships continue over time. Questions remain regarding how we can understand the dynamics of these continuing relationships while also effectively enhancing the safety of these women and offering them support. Fortunately, the research of Foster and colleagues reported in this issue begins to answer some of these questions. The authors of this study describe how women living with violent partners report various coping approaches that help them maintain their circumstances and survive each day. The results of this study describe the useful boundaries of the COPE Inventory in these settings, add insight to our understanding of IPV family dynamics, and provide information to support clinicians who serve these women.

Intimate partner violence and its association with maternal depressive symptoms 6–8 months after childbirth in rural Bangladesh

BackgroundThe prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV), a gross violation of human rights, ranges widely across the world with higher prevalence reported in low- and middle-income countries. Evidence related mainly to physical health shows that IPV has both direct and indirect impacts on women's health. Little is known about the impact of IPV on the mental health of women, particularly after childbirth.ObjectiveTo describe the prevalence of IPV experienced by women 6–8 months after childbirth in rural Bangladesh and the factors associated with physical IPV. The study also aims to investigate the association between IPV and maternal depressive symptoms after childbirth.DesignThe study used cross-sectional data at 6–8 months postpartum. The sample included 660 mothers of newborn children. IPV was assessed by physical, emotional, and sexual violence. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale assessed maternal depressive symptoms.ResultsPrevalence of physical IPV was 52%, sexual 65%, and emotional 84%. The husband's education (OR: 0.41, CI: 0.23–0.73), a poor relationship with the husband (OR: 2.64, CI: 1.07–6.54), and emotional violence by spouse (OR: 1.58, CI: 1.35–1.83) were significantly associated with physical IPV experienced by women. The perception of a fussy and difficult child (OR: 1.05, CI: 1.02–1.08), a poor relationship with the husband (OR: 4.95, CI: 2.55–9.62), and the experience of physical IPV (OR: 2.83, CI: 1.72–4.64) were found to be significant predictors of maternal depressive symptoms among women 6–8 months after childbirth. Neither forced sex nor emotional violence by an intimate partner was found to be significantly associated with maternal depressive symptoms 6–8 months postpartum.ConclusionsIt is important to screen for both IPV and depressive symptoms during pregnancy and postpartum. Since IPV and spousal relationships are the most important predictors of maternal depressive symptoms in this study, couple-focused interventions at the community level are suggested.

Identifying Predictors for Children Witnessing Intimate Partner Violence

Research has shown that intimate partner violence (IPV) prevalence and severity is higher and IPV duration is longer among couples that have children. Women frequently report that their children are the reason why they stay, leave, or return to an IPV relationship. Our study used results from a two-wave telephone survey to determine what IPV-associated factors were significant predictors of respondents’ children witnessing IPV, as well as estimating prevalence of children’s exposure to violence. We found that an increase in respondents’ age was significantly associated with increased odds of a child being exposed to violence. We also found that children witnessing violence were almost twice as likely to have mothers who reported leaving abusers. We hypothesize that increasing age corresponds to improved confidence in help-seeking behaviors. Our findings represent an important first step for future research on understanding how children influence IPV victims’ decision-making in seeking out service providers for help.

Factors associated with increased risk for lethal violence in intimate partner relationships among ethnically diverse black women.

The purpose of this study was to identify factors associated with increased risk for lethal violence among ethnically diverse Black women in Baltimore, Maryland (MD), and the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI). Women with abuse experiences (N = 456) were recruited from primary care, prenatal, or family planning clinics in Baltimore, MD, and St. Thomas and St. Croix. Logistic regression was used to examine factors associated with the risk for lethal violence among abused women. Factors independently related to increased risk of lethal violence included fear of abusive partners, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), symptoms, and use of legal resources. These factors must be considered in assessing safety needs of Black women in abusive relationships.

Relationship of Intimate Partner Violence to Health Status, Chronic Disease, and Screening Behaviors

While victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) have increased risk of chronic disease, little is known about their preventive screening behaviors. The objective of this study was to relate IPV to health status, chronic disease, and preventive screening behaviors. We hypothesized that women who reported poorer health statuses, higher rates of HIV, no primary care, and less-frequent HIV testing, breast exams, and Pap smears would be more likely to experience IPV. Adult females who presented to three Emergency Departments (EDs) on weekdays from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. over a 14-month period were asked to participate in a computerized survey. Women were excluded if they were critically ill, did not speak English, intoxicated, or psychotic. Validated measures were used, including the Universal Violence Prevention Screen and the Short Form-12. Patients were asked about their health statuses, HIV statuses, and testing, if they had a regular doctor, and how often they had received pap smears and breast exams. Logistic regression modeling was used to test associations between IPV and the predictor variables, adjusting for age, employment, and education. Out of 3,381 approached, 1,474 women (43.6%) agreed to be surveyed. Age averaged 39 years ± 12.3 (range = 18-65), and most participants were Black (n = 722, 86.8%). One hundred and fifty-three out of 832 women (18.4%) who had been in a relationship the previous year had experienced IPV. Compared with HIV-negative women, those with HIV were 5 times more likely to suffer IPV (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 5.113, p = .001), and women who were not sure of their HIV status were 9 times more likely to experience IPV (AOR = 8.818, p < .001). Women who performed monthly self-breast exams were 53% less likely to experience IPV as those who rarely examined themselves (AOR = 0.470, p = .010). Women who have HIV or are unsure of their status and those who rarely perform self-breast exams are at increased risk of IPV.

Mental health, partner violence and HIV risk among women with protective orders against violent partners in Vhembe district, South Africa

The aim of this study was to assess mental health, substance use and intimate partner violence in relation to Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) risk in South Africa. In all 268 women (18 years and older) consecutively receiving a protection order in the Vhembe district in South Africa were assessed by an external interviewer. Results indicate that 69.8% of the women had never used a condom with their abusive partner and 16.4% had been diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the past three months. A high proportion (51.9%) had Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and depression (66.4%). In multivariate analysis, being married or cohabiting, lower psychological abuse, higher physical violence and lower sexual violence, and having a PTSD was associated with never using a condom in the past 3 months; higher psychological abuse and higher physical and sexual violence were associated with a history of an STI in the past 3 months. Severity of physical and sexual intimate partner violence and suffering from PTSD increased HIV risk calling for multimodal interventions.

Violencia de noviazgo y cultura (Dating Violence and Culture)

This paper examines dating violence from an anthropological point of view. We use Mary Douglas cultural theory as conceptual framework. Narratives of four young women who suffered dating violence are analyzed. They represent the four thought styles of cultural theory: individualistic, fatalistic, hierarchical and egalitarian. The aim of this paper is to show how the way these women understand social relations (cultural bias) affects the form they organize their relationships (behavioral strategy) and their interpretation of their experiences as battered women (narrative identity). Information has been collected through in-depth personal interviews. Narrative analysis shows how cultural preferences are related to the approval or disapproval of using violence in intimate partner relationships, to the aggressions suffered during romance, and to the way of understanding and interpreting them. Individualistic and hierarchical people accept to employ instrumental violence in intimate partner relationships. On the contrary, egalitarians are entirely against of it. Isolated persons generally try to avoid it, although they do not consider its use discordant with their style of thought. Conclusions in this study point to the necessity of taking into account cultural preferences of women who suffer aggressions by their intimate partners, when it comes to design interventions or primary prevention programs with adolescents and young people.

The Self Assessment of Future Events Scale (SAFE): assessing perceptions of risk for future violence in intimate partner relationships.

The purpose of this study was to develop a survey measure, appropriate for use in clinical or research settings, to assess respondent's perceptions that their partner will engage in future physical violence, verbal/psychological violence, or controlling behaviors. Data were collected from adults in intimate relationships. Exploratory factor analysis was used to refine the measure and confirmatory factor analysis provided evidence for the fit of the final version of the measure. Scores on the measure indicated less safety for participants in distressed relationships and for participants meeting the study criteria for PTSD. Scores on the measure also indicated significantly decreased safety for participants that reported being the victims of physical violence and participants reporting both victimization and perpetration in their current intimate relationships.

Informing Intimate Partner Violence Prevention Efforts: Dyadic, Developmental, and Contextual Considerations

Informing Intimate Partner Violence Prevention Efforts: Dyadic, Developmental, and Contextual Considerations

Sexual assault and other types of violence in intimate partner relationships

To investigate whether sexual assaults are more likely to co-occur with some types of abuse rather than others in violent intimate relationships. Cross-sectional study. A self-administered questionnaire was sent to all Norwegian women's shelters. Women seeking refuge at Norwegian women's shelters in 2002 and 2003. Sexual assault and experiences of intimate partner violence were measured using the Severity of Violence against Women Scale (SVAWS) and psychological violence was measured using the Psychological Maltreatment of Women Inventory (PMWI). Student's t-test analyses were performed between the mean values of the different acts of reported violence, and linear regression analyses were used to examine the association between sexual violence and the other forms of violence reported. Sexual violence correlated significantly with the other eight categories in SVAWS, and with violence directed at the pregnant woman's abdomen and psychological violence in PMWI. When we adjusted all categories for each other by linear regression analysis, sexual intimate partner violence was significantly associated with hair pulling, arm twisting, spanking or biting, dominance and isolation abuse and violence directed at the pregnant woman's abdomen. Sexual assaults are more likely to co-occur with some types of physical and psychological violence than with others. This knowledge may be important for improving our understanding of sexual violence in intimate partner relationships and in the efforts to detect intimate partner violence. Bruises, loss of hair and bite marks may suggest that sexual acts were committed against the victim's will.

Patterns of Intimate Partner Violence in Young Adult Couples: Nonviolent, Unilaterally Violent, and Mutually Violent Couples

This study examined nonviolent (NV), unilaterally violent (UV), and mutually violent (MV) patterns of perpetrated intimate partner violence in relation to dyadic relationship quality and partner injury. The respondents were 1,294 young adult, Add Health partners (AHP) and their non-Add Health partners (NAHP), in dating, engaged, or in marital relationships, who were participants in Wave III of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health). Using both partner reports of perpetration to classify intimate partner violence (IPV) patterns resulted in 25% of couples with a MV pattern, and 75% of couples with a UV pattern; among those couples (41%) reporting any perpetrated IPV. Results also showed poorer relationship quality and higher partner sensation-seeking scores among MV and UV couples when contrasted with NV couples. Those couples with MV patterns were more likely to contain partner injury than those with UV patterns.