Intimate Partner Violence Services Research Articles

The Implementation of the Advocacy Intervention for Midlife and Older Women Who Have Experienced Intimate Partner Violence: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Midlife and older women who experience intimate partner violence (IPV) often have less access to supports and services than younger women. There is far less focus on research and supports for midlife and older women compared to younger women experiencing IPV, and often, neither elder abuse nor IPV services meet their needs. Few interventions are available to meet the needs of midlife and older women. The goal of this randomized controlled trial is to test the effectiveness of an advocacy intervention for midlife and older women who experience IPV and to learn from the experiences of those who implement and participate in the program. This trial is a 2-arm, unblinded, parallel, pragmatic randomized controlled trial with a qualitative component. Eligible participants will be women who live in the Maritime provinces of Canada (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island), who are in midlife and older (aged approximately ≥50 years), and who are currently in a relationship with an abusive partner or have recently left an abusive partner. Facilitators will be trained to deliver the intervention. The intervention will be entirely virtual and will consist of 2 components: (1) an empowerment component, which will involve sharing resources and information with the women; and (2) a social support component, which will include providing support and encouragement to women for 12 weeks. Quantitative effectiveness data will be collected from all trial participants at baseline, 3 months after the intervention, and 9 months after the intervention about the incidence and severity of IPV, physical and mental health, and safety behaviors and strategies. Qualitative interviews will be conducted with the facilitators and intervention group participants. Control group participants will receive a static, nontailored version of the advocacy intervention for midlife and older women (AIM) intervention materials after baseline data collection. A total of 12 facilitators have been trained to deliver the AIM intervention to trial participants. Participant recruitment and data collection will be completed in January 2025. Data analysis will continue throughout the data collection period, and the results will be disseminated by December 2025. This research will result in the adaptation and testing of a program to support and empower midlife and older women in the Maritime provinces of Canada who experience IPV. International Standard Randomized Controlled Trial Registry ISRCTN30646991; https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN30646991. DERR1-10.2196/57886.

“Trying to find a rabbit hole to fall down”: A phenomenological case study of a queer youth parent seeking services for homelessness and intimate partner violence

Queer youth are vulnerable to experience intimate partner violence (IPV), which is compounded for those who also experience homelessness and are parents. Among these, transgender and gender non-conforming (TGNC) youth are especially vulnerable. Accordingly, it is important to have queer-affirming services related to both homelessness and IPV that consider parents’ needs. This phenomenological case study centers the voice of one queer youth parent who experienced IPV in a context of homelessness and their experiences of accessing services. The survivor’s data were supplemented with data from two social workers at the organization where the survivor received services. Findings suggest that experiences of homelessness and the need to access related services took precedence over IPV-related aid. Cis-heteronormativity in services made help-seeking difficult and being a parenting limited access to queer-affirmative, youth-focused supports as those supports were not designed to accommodate parents.

Help-Seeking Behaviors and Associated Factors Among Chinese Immigrant Women Experiencing Intimate Partner Violence

ABSTRACT Chinese immigrants are underrepresented in research on intimate partner violence (IPV). There is a lack of quantitative research on help-seeking behaviors and patterns among Chinese immigrant women experiencing IPV. In this study, using a cross-sectional design, we examine patterns of help-seeking behaviors among Chinese immigrant survivors of IPV, as well as associated factors. Participants were recruited through the WeChat and Prolific platforms to complete an online survey. A total of 139 women who reported IPV while residing in the U.S. participated. The survey’s questions addressed five forms of informal help and eight forms of formal help, as well as reasons for not seeking help. The survey also included measures of social isolation, loneliness, preferences for the ethnicity of people at social gatherings, depression, anxiety, sociodemographic characteristics, and immigration-related factors. Latent class analysis revealed two distinct help-seeking patterns. The majority either refrained from seeking help or solely relied on family and friends, while a smaller group sought support from a wider range of sources, but still primarily relied on family and friends. Factors associated with Chinese immigrant women’s use of broad sources for support included older age; being single, separated, divorced, or widowed; U.S. citizenship or permanent residency; attending social gatherings primarily with Americans; depression symptoms; and lower loneliness levels. The study’s findings underscore the importance of interventions to promote help-seeking behaviors among Chinese immigrant survivors by expanding social networks, fostering collaborations between mainstream IPV services and Chinese community organizations to implement community outreach, offering interventions that are empowerment-based, and training bilingual and bicultural service providers.

How Do Intimate Partner Violence, Outness, and Community Connection Relate to Minority Stressors for Men Who Have Sex with Men?

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a pervasive issue among men who have sex with men (MSM). However, IPV has long been conceptualized as abuse between a male perpetrator and a female victim, leaving gaps in the literature on the unique impacts IPV victimization has for both male victims and victims in same-sex relationships. This study examines relationships between IPV and negative minority stress experiences specific to LGBTQ individuals: overt experiences of homophobia, sexual orientation microaggressions, and internalized homophobia. Participants (N = 168) were recruited through three popular MSM networking applications (i.e., Grindr, Jack'd, and Scruff. Most were recruited from one state in the southeastern United States. Ordinary Least Squares regressions were used to examine IPV as a predictive factor in three separate models, all of which controlled for age, race, outness, and gay community connection (GCC). IPV victimization is associated with increased levels of experiences of overt homophobia, homophobic microaggressions, and internalized homophobia for MSM. Outness, or being open with the people in one's life about one's MSM identity, is associated with lower levels of both sexual orientation microaggressions and internalized homophobia. GCC is also associated with lower levels of internalized homophobia. Results from this study show that IPV victimization is related to minority stressors for MSM. These findings support the existence of unique elements of IPV for LGBTQ victims, specifically MSM. Implications for IPV researchers and service providers are discussed, including the importance of the protective role of outness and GCC against some minority stressors.

Challenges Encountered by Latinx Bilingual Service Providers Working With Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence

The purpose of this study was to identify the challenges encountered by bilingual service providers working with survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV). Latinx experience IPV at a high rate, and their ability to seek services is affected by multiple factors, including their immigration status, English language proficiency, and lack of familiarity with the U.S. healthcare system. Bilingual service providers working in shelters often treat Latinx in Spanish. While some research exists on the stressors associated with providing IPV services in shelters, nothing is known about how being bilingual affects service providers. This qualitative study was designed to fill this gap. The findings yielded two themes: difficult workload and service provider exhaustion. The disproportionate rate of IPV services requiring services in Spanish and the available staff equipped to serve them often results in high caseloads and additional responsibilities for bilingual service providers. The lack of training in both service provision in Spanish and serving monolingual Spanish-speaking IPV survivors increases the strain of providing quality client care. Emotional and mental exhaustion is a common experience when serving trauma clients; however, it can be compounded for bilingual service providers, who must also use a second language. Agencies must consider the work demands of bilingual service providers to ensure that the expectations are balanced and reasonable. More Spanish-speaking providers are needed to meet the need, and evidence-based training must be developed and widely disseminated.

Using Simulation to Train Service Providers in Responding to Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) and Trauma

This study used simulation-based research (SBR) to gain a better understanding of how intimate partner violence (IPV) service providers engage in trauma-informed practice in a simulated session with a standardized patient. Our qualitative study recruited 18 IPV service providers from Canada and the United States. Each participant engaged in a virtual 30-minute case-based simulated session with an actor portraying a survivor of IPV experiencing vulnerabilities related to violence and immigration status. Following each simulation, IPV service providers participated in a 30- to 45-minute reflective dialogue. The data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Identified themes included: (a) simulation builds trauma-informed responses that recognize intersecting identities (e.g., race, immigration status, culture) and (b) simulation helps train service providers in responding to IPV. Implications for social work research and practice, including the benefits of using simulation for training IPV service providers, will be discussed.

Collaboration in providing intimate-partner violence services to women with disabilities

BackgroundThere is a consensus among scholars, policymakers, and implementers that addressing the complex nature of intimate partner violence (IPV) requires a collaborative response. However, there is limited literature on how various professionals work collaboratively to address the needs of women with disabilities who experience IPV. This study combines the perspectives of women with disabilities and those of professionals to understand collaboration in providing IPV services to women with disabilities.MethodsTwenty-nine in-depth interviews were conducted with 18 IPV service providers and 11 women with disabilities. The data were analyzed using reflective thematic analysis.ResultsThe findings are presented under three themes: the first shows a consensus among different IPV service providers and disabled women on the importance of collaboration when supporting victims of IPV with disabilities; the second depicts the common ways in which collaboration occurs when supporting women with disabilities; and the third illuminates the critical elements that boost effective collaboration.ConclusionSupporting IPV victims with disabilities requires active collaboration at both an internal and external level. Strengthening collaboration among different actors requires trust, specified roles, and the allocation of adequate resources.

Comparing in Person to Telehealth Delivery of a Family Violence Intervention.

There is increasing evidence that therapy and intervention services delivered by telehealth are effective at reducing a variety of mental health symptoms. Limited studies have indicated online services can reduce intimate partner violence (IPV), but none have tested in-person compared to telehealth-delivered interventions for men who have used IPV. Clinical outcome data from 311 parents (192 fathers and 119 linked coparent mothers) engaged in the Fathers for Change (F4C) intervention following referral by child protective services for IPV were examined to determine if in-person delivery of the intervention differed in terms of client treatment engagement and retention or outcomes. Parents who enrolled during a 1-year period prior to the COVID pandemic received their F4C therapy in person, while those who enrolled during the pandemic received their intake and most of their sessions via telehealth delivery. Parents reported significantly greater symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress prior to treatment if they enrolled prior to COVID than if they enrolled during the pandemic. There were few differences in completion rates or outcomes based on in-person compared to telehealth delivery. Fathers were slightly more likely to complete treatment and attended a significantly higher percentage of their sessions when it was delivered by telehealth during COVID. Fathers reported significantly lower stress scores posttreatment when they received COVID telehealth delivery compared to prior to COVID in-person delivery of F4C. These findings suggest that telehealth may be an appropriate and viable option for the delivery of IPV interventions for families.

“We Grow Together.” Perspectives of Latina Survivors and Providers on the Benefits of Incorporating Culturally Specific Factors into Intimate Partner Violence Services

ABSTRACT Intimate Partner violence (IPV) is prevalent psychosocial phenomenon with disproportionate consequences among Latina survivors. We incorporate the perspectives of Latina survivors, service providers, and community partners to explore congruence between survivors’ needs and the implementation of culturally specific IPV services, as well as their benefits for Latina survivors. Three main themes were identified: Establishing Psychological Safety and Trust; Exploring and Managing the Impact of IPV; Enhancing Connections. Our findings support prior research demonstrating the benefits of culturally specific IPV services, and the importance of congruence between culturally specific IPV service provision and the expressed needs and desires of Latina survivors.

Identifying barriers and interagency solutions to meeting the needs of families experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV): Home visiting and IPV agency perspectives

BackgroundAddressing intimate partner violence (IPV) among expectant families and caregivers with young children requires that multi-professional systems work collaboratively towards a common goal. IPV services and maternal and infant home visiting programs are two important perspectives to consider in designing interagency strategies. The purpose of this study was to identify shared priorities among home visiting and IPV professionals on IPV-related challenges and interagency solutions to support families with young children. MethodsHome visiting and IPV service providers (n=22) separately completed a structured brainstorming activity during four virtual focus groups using nominal group technique (NGT) to generate, rank, and reach consensus on prioritized barriers and solutions for the service population. The multi-professional study team (including home visiting and IPV partners) grouped and organized the top three prioritized barriers and solutions identified across groups using a pile sort activity. As a reliance measure, NGT discussion transcripts were coded to the final pile sort categories to ensure our presentation of the data was contextualized and supported by original participant responses. ResultsTwenty-four items were sorted into seven piles (three barriers and four solutions). The need to address families’ concrete needs was consistently prioritized across groups and matched with solutions that provide families with immediate financial support. Participants prioritized barriers resulting from client involvement in multiple, complex systems and named interagency process solutions (e.g., cross-systems training, enhanced referral processes) as the corresponding solution. The impact of individual and collective trauma was discussed as a barrier and matched with community-facing development (e.g., healthy relationship education). Policy, advocacy, and funding-oriented solutions were discussed as cross-cutting across all barriers. ConclusionEffective cross-system efforts are warranted to meet the interrelated needs of families impacted by IPV. The study highlights a shared view on prioritized challenges and actionable solutions to inform interagency collaboration among IPV agencies and early childhood home visiting programs. Our findings shed light on the importance of an organized public health approach to target IPV prevention and response.

Impacts of COVID-19 on Intimate Partner Violence Service Provision.

COVID-19 policies like stay-at-home orders impacted intimate partner violence (IPV) service provision in Alberta. Using intersectionality and qualitative semi-structured interviews, this article situates IPV and access to services and supports within multiple overlapping factors such as race, gender, class, and ethnic minority status. Two main themes were identified. First, the challenges within IPV service provision reflect the sectors' traditional and binary understanding and response to violence. Second, the move to virtual services brought challenges related to access to telecommunication facilities and zoom fatigue. Thematic analysis also shows the impact of the pandemic in a sector with existing structural/institutional challenges. We conclude by recommending a multi-level intersectional approach to IPV service provision in Alberta.

Intimate partner violence, depression, hazardous alcohol use, and social support among people with HIV initiating HIV care in Cameroon.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) has been associated with poor mental health among people with HIV (PWH) globally. Social support may be a strategy to foster mental health among PWH. Little is known about whether the relationship between IPV and mental health differs by IPV type or level of social support. Interviews were conducted with 426 PWH initiating HIV care in Cameroon. Log binomial regression analyses were used to estimate the association between four types of IPV (controlling behavior and emotional, physical, and sexual IPV) and symptoms of depression or hazardous alcohol use, separately by IPV type and level of social support. Over half (54.8%) of respondents experienced moderate/high levels of controlling behavior, 42.0% experienced emotional IPV, 28.2% experienced physical IPV and 23.7% experienced sexual IPV. Controlling behavior was associated with greater prevalence of depressive symptoms. This relationship did not vary meaningfully by level of social support (low: aPR 2.4 [95% CI 1.2, 4.9]; high: 1.7 [95% CI 1.0, 2.7]). Emotional and physical IPV were associated with greater prevalence of depressive symptoms among those with low social support (emotional IPV: aPR 1.9 [95% CI 1.0, 3.4]; physical IPV: aPR 1.8 [95% CI 1.2, 2.8]), but not among those with high social support (emotional IPV: aPR 1.0 [95% CI 0.7, 1.6]; physical IPV: aPR 1.0 [95% CI 0.6, 1.6]). Controlling behavior, emotional IPV, and physical IPV were associated with a greater prevalence of hazardous alcohol use, with moderately larger effect estimates among those with high compared to low social support. Sexual IPV was not associated with depressive symptoms or hazardous alcohol use. Services to screen and care for people experiencing IPV are urgently needed among PWH in Cameroon. Future research to identify barriers, feasibility, acceptability, and organizational readiness to integrate IPV and mental health services into HIV care settings is needed.

Examining Latina IPV Survivors’ Help-Seeking Experiences: Unmet Needs and Lack of Culturally Competent Services

The current study examines the help-seeking experience of Latina intimate partner violence (IPV) survivors. By relying on data from a statewide IPV service needs assessment, this study answers the following research questions: (RQ1) What is the experience of seeking help from an IPV service agency like for Latina survivors? (RQ2) What are the most prevalent unmet needs among Latina survivors seeking help from an IPV service agency? Based on various rounds of thematic analysis, findings reveal there is a lack of culturally competent services and that housing, language barriers, and legal status are all interrelated factors that serve as a triple disadvantage for Latina IPV survivors.

“There Are Not Enough Lawyers, and There Are Not Enough Financial Resources”: Canadian and American Intimate Partner Violence Service Providers’ Perspectives for Better Supporting Immigrant Women Survivors

Immigrant women are at a high risk of intimate partner violence (IPV) and experience many challenges to help-seeking. Currently, little is known about IPV service providers’ perspectives for better supporting immigrant women within their agencies. Drawing on an intersectional framework, constructivist grounded theory (CGT) with a modified written vignette technique was employed. Online surveys were used to gather service providers’ perspectives on the vignette, which described an immigrant woman experiencing IPV. Responses from over 50 IPV service providers in the U.S. and Canada indicated the need for enhanced training to aid immigrant survivors. Further, several respondents recommended changes to the immigration/legal systems, as well as more resources for community outreach and language, legal, and housing support.

Data Stewardship in Clinical Computer Security: Balancing Benefit and Burden in Participatory Systems

The mass collection and reuse of social data requires a reimagining of privacy and consent, with particular attention to the (in)equitable distribution of benefits and burdens between researchers and subjects. Instrumenting frontline clinical services to collect and steward data might mitigate the exploitation inherent to data collection---with attention to how subjects can meaningfully participate in stewardship. We explore participatory data stewardship in the context of clinical computer security for survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV). Via semi-structured interviews with IPV support workers, we explore how data are produced within the IPV care ecosystem at the Clinic to End Tech Abuse (CETA). We then conduct design provocations with clients of IPV services and their support workers, exploring possibilities for participatory data mechanisms like open records and dynamic consent. We find participation in data stewardship may benefit clients through improved agency, self-reflection, and control of self-narrative, and that incurred burdens may be alleviated by enlisting trusted stewards. We close with future work for CSCW interrogating how knowledge of digital-safety harms can and should be produced from clinical encounters, towards more equitable ways of knowing.

Perspectives of Male Service Providers on Responding to Intimate Partner Violence in Rural Zimbabwe: Findings From Qualitative Interviews

Despite efforts made in Zimbabwe to address intimate partner violence (IPV), critical gaps still exist regarding the efficacy of IPV service provision in rural areas. This study examines male service providers’ perceptions of IPV in Chimanimani Rural District in Zimbabwe to provide guidance for policy and practice on IPV intervention in rural areas. A qualitative study was conducted with six male service providers using in-depth interviews and thematic analysis. Our findings revealed how the intersection of social norms and the geographical location of rural areas influence service providers’ perceptions of IPV and service provision. Most of the service providers interviewed had a general understanding of IPV and regarded it as unacceptable social behavior. However, constraints to service delivery typical in rural areas negatively impacted their IPV intervention, including having limited intervention resources, limited male participation, and conflicting identities (professional versus cultural identity). We conclude that service provision in rural areas is essential to respond to and prevent the occurrence of IPV, yet how service providers perceive IPV affects the quality of services rendered to victims.

Accessibility of intimate partner violence-related services for young women in Spain. Qualitative study on professionals' perspectives.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is common among young people, but the use of IPV resources among young adult women and teenagers is limited. This study aims to analyze professionals' perceptions about the main barriers and facilitators encountered by young women (16-29 years old) exposed to intimate partner violence (IPV) when accessing formal services in Spain. Qualitative study based on 17 in depth interviews carried out in 2019 with professionals who manage resources for IPV care in Madrid (Spain) from different sectors (social services, health care, security forces, women or youth issues offices, associations). A qualitative content analysis was conducted. The professionals interviewed perceive the following barriers: 1) Time it takes for young women to recognize IPV because the social construction of sexual-affective relationships is permeated by gender inequality; 2) The process of leaving a situation of abuse; 3) Barriers inherent to IPV services. The key aspects to improve access to these resources are related to care services, professional practice, and the young women themselves. There are both psychosocial barriers, derived from the process of leaving a situation of violence, as well as structural barriers for young women to access and properly use the recognized services specifically aimed at them or comprehensive IPV care. Services need to be tailored to the needs of young women so they can be truly effective in order to escape IPV.

Intimate Partner Violence and Human Trafficking Screening and Services in Primary Care Across Underserved Communities in the United States-Initial Examination of Trends, 2020-2021.

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) began collecting data on intimate partner violence (IPV) and human trafficking (HT) in the 2020 Uniform Data System (UDS). We examined patients affected by IPV and HT served by HRSA-funded health centers in medically underserved US communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. We established a baseline and measured trends in patient care by analyzing data from the 2020 (N = 28 590 897) and 2021 (N = 30 193 278) UDS. We conducted longitudinal ordinal logistic regression analyses to assess the association of care trends and organization-level and patient characteristics using proportional odds ratios (PORs) and 95% CIs. The number of clinical visits for patients affected by IPV and HT decreased by 29.4% and 88.3%, respectively, from 2020 to 2021. Health centers serving a higher (vs lower) percentage of pediatric patients were more likely to continuously serve patients affected by IPV (POR = 2.58; 95% CI, 1.01-6.61) and HT (POR = 6.14; 95% CI, 2.06-18.29). Health centers serving (vs not serving) patients affected by IPV were associated with a higher percentage of patients who had limited English proficiency (POR = 1.77; 95% CI, 1.02-3.05) and Medicaid beneficiaries (POR = 2.88; 95% CI, 1.48-5.62), whereas health centers serving (vs not serving) patients affected by HT were associated with a higher percentage of female patients of reproductive age (POR = 15.89; 95% CI, 1.61-157.38) and urban settings (POR = 1.74; 95% CI, 1.26-2.37). The number of clinical visits for patients affected by IPV and HT during the COVID-19 pandemic declined. Delayed care will pose challenges for future health care needs of these populations.

Heteronormative discourse: Therapist social constructions of intimate partner violence in queer relationships

Researchers have suggested the victim/perpetrator paradigm for understanding intimate partner violence (IPV) is limited when considering queer relationships. Instead, some propose a poststructural feminist approach as better suited for understanding the complexities involved. However, in the UK, this approach is rarely adopted. We therefore put a poststructural feminist approach to research into practice. Despite IPV occurring in queer relationships at similar or higher levels compared to heterosexual relationships, queer individuals rarely use mainstream IPV services, owing to real and perceived barriers, and access local therapy services instead. However, outside of queer-specific services in city-centre areas, there is little knowledge of the approaches used or the outcomes achieved by these therapeutic services. Our research contributes to addressing this knowledge gap. We investigate how therapists make sense of IPV in queer relationships, conducting five semistructured interviews with therapists working in small-town/rural settings in Southwest England. Despite claims of inclusivity and liberal humanist values, our Foucauldian discourse analysis highlights the dominance of a heteronormative discourse in the therapists’ accounts, and shows how heterosexual privilege is embedded in a range of discourses deployed. In light of these findings, we explore implications for practice and areas for future research in this underresearched area.

Technology-Based Intimate Partner Violence Intervention Services for Generation Z Victims of Violence

The current article reviews the extant literature on technology’s role in service provision and advocacy for young adults who are victims of intimate partner violence (IPV). The article looks at preferences and patterns of access and utilization of digitally mediated communication among young adults to explore optimal IPV services and mitigation strategies for providing crisis counseling to this demographic and offering support over time. An understanding of technology’s role in support provision can help to design best practices and offer recommendations that can best serve the needs of Generation Z victims of violence.