Intimate Partner Violence Situations Research Articles

Intimate Partner Violence and Patterns of Safety Strategy Use Among Women Seeking Temporary Protective Orders: A Latent Class Analysis.

This study examined use of safety strategies, experience of violence, and perception of danger from intimate partner violence (IPV) among 197 women seeking temporary protective orders against their abusive partners/ex-partners. Latent class analysis was used to group women into classes based on their use of safety strategies. Five classes of strategy use were identified: two high-activity classes, two moderately active classes, and one low-activity class. More severe abuse, increased perception of danger, and unemployment were associated with being in the higher activity classes. More effective interventions and outreach tools are needed to help women in IPV situations.

Factors Associated With Women's Reporting of Intimate Partner Violence in Spain.

In Spain, in 2013, the 20% of women who were murdered by their partner had reported him previously. We analyze the 2011 Spanish-Macrosurvey on Gender Violence to identify and analyze the prevalence of and the principal factors associated with reporting a situation of intimate partner violence (IPV) and the main reasons women cite for not filing such reports, or for subsequently deciding to withdraw their complaint. Overall, 72.8% of women exposed to IPV did not report their aggressor. The most frequent reasons for not reporting were not giving importance to the situation (33.9%), and fear and lack of trust in the reporting process (21.3%). The main reasons for withdrawing the complaint were cessation of the violence (20.0%), and fear and threats (18.2%). The probability of reporting increased among women with young children who were abused, prevalence ratio (95% confidence interval [CI]): 2.14 [1.54, 2.98], and those whose mother was abused, prevalence ratio (95% CI): 2.25 [1.42, 3.57]. Always focusing on the need to protect women who report abuse, it is necessary to promote the availability of and access to legal resources especially among women who use them less: women who do not have children and women who do not have previous family exposure to violence.

EXCLUSIVE BREASTFEEDING AND MATERNAL SELF-EFFICACY AMONG WOMEN OF INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE SITUATIONS

ABSTRACT This study aims to evaluate the practice of breastfeeding among women in intimate partner violence situation during the current pregnancy for the duration of exclusive breastfeeding, the level of self-efficacy in breastfeeding, related factors from the beginning, the establishment of breastfeeding and early weaning. Cross-sectional study. 63 women in intimate partner violence situation in the current pregnancy participated, identified by survey in antenatal service. Data collection was performed in the prenatal and postpartum period. We used a questionnaire to identify the intimate partner violence, the Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale and medical record information. The average days of exclusive breastfeeding was 19.08. There was no statistically significant association between the duration of exclusive breastfeeding at 30 and 70 days postpartum and intimate partner violence and care practices with level of self-efficacy to breastfeed. We found association between the type of breastfeeding at 30 and 70 days postpartum and better conditions vital of newborns with level of self-efficacy to breastfeed.

Resilience, Violence, and Early Pregnancy

Giving birth at a young age and being a victim of intimate partner violence are adversities that affect the life course of women. However, some young mothers overcome these adversities and cope well, showing a dynamic resilience pathway. In this qualitative exploratory study, we examined a purposive sample of 10 resilient mothers who gave birth as adolescents in a situation of intimate partner violence. Their stories were gathered from individual in-depth interviews and on-site participatory observations. Data were collected and analyzed simultaneously, according to grounded theory. Inspired by Masten and Monn’s integrated framework of resilience, the resilience pathway of the participating mothers began with the occurrence of the adversities addressed in this study, namely, early pregnancy combined with intimate partner violence. To overcome these adversities, the participants deployed several protective processes: (a) establishing their maternal identity and the creation of a bond with the child as a turning point, (b) taking an active stance to respond to victimization, and (c) acting proactively and adjusting to motherhood. Promotive processes, positive adaptation indicators, and risks to positive adaptation complete the proposed resilience pathway. The results lead to the conclusion that increased recognition of the challenges that these young mothers face and greater emphasis on the importance of their social surroundings to support these protective processes would support them in their transition to motherhood and promote their well-being and that of their children.

Miedo, conformidad y silencio. La violencia en las relaciones de pareja en áreas rurales de Ecuador

The situation of intimate partner violence in Latin America is a complex problem that has serious consequences for thousands of women. In this study the factors and dynamics involved in such violence in a context of small rural communities are analyzed. To do this from an ecological framework of analysis, we have developed a qualitative study in rural communities of the province of Imbabura, in Ecuador. Seven focus groups involving a total of 63 people were held. The results show: (i)the importance of community environment and interactions of victim and perpetrator to the family, neighborhood and police intervention; (ii)the way that the territory structure and state action affect the handling of situations of intimate partner violence, and (iii)the effects of the pressure exerted by the various members of the community can have on the victim and their ability to report the situation. Finally, the possibility that the identified factors can be explanatory and illuminating elements of the dynamics of violence in similar contexts to the case study is targeted.

Effects of a culturally informed intervention on abused, suicidal African American women.

This study examined (a) the relative efficacy of a culturally sensitive empowerment group intervention (Nia) aimed at increasing 3 protective factors-self-esteem, hopefulness, and effectiveness of obtaining resources-versus treatment as usual (TAU) for low-income, abused African American women who recently had attempted suicide and (b) the impact of participants' readiness to change with regard to their abusive relationship and suicidal behavior on their levels of each protective factor in the 2 conditions. The sample included 89 African American women who reported intimate partner violence (IPV) exposure and a recent suicide attempt. Multivariate general linear modeling revealed that those in Nia showed greater improvements in self-esteem, but not in hopefulness or effectiveness of obtaining resources. However, significant interactions emerged in which participants who were "less ready to change" (i.e., earlier in the stages of change process) their IPV situation and suicidal behavior endorsed greater levels of hopefulness and perceived effectiveness of obtaining resources, respectively, following Nia. Findings suggest that abused, suicidal African American women who are more reluctant initially to changing their abusive situation and suicidal behavior may benefit from even a brief, culturally informed intervention.

Alcohol Intoxicated Witnesses: Perception of Aggression and Guilt in Intimate Partner Violence

Many witnesses to violent crimes are alcohol intoxicated, but research is lacking regarding how alcohol affects their perception of aggression and guilt. This study investigated to what extent alcohol intoxicated eyewitnesses differed from sober witnesses regarding how aggressive and guilty they perceived the involved parts in an intimate partner violence (IPV) situation. Eighty-seven healthy men ( n = 44) and women ( n = 43) were randomized to an alcohol group (0.7 g/kg) or a non-alcohol group. In a laboratory setting, alcoholic/non-alcoholic drinks were consumed before viewing a film depicting IPV between a man and a woman. Ten min after viewing, in an interview, the participants rated how aggressive and guilty they perceived the involved parts to be. Alcohol intoxicated participants perceived both parts' physically aggressive behavior as comparatively less severe, but their neutral behavior as more hostile. Sober witnesses perceived the man to be the most guilty part, whereas intoxicated witnesses distributed guilt more evenly. Alcohol had a strong but complex impact on the perception of aggression in IPV (i.e., heightened during the neutral interaction and lowered during physical aggression). These results may be explained by the cognitive consequences of alcohol's anxiety-dampening effects. Regarding the asymmetric difference in perceived guilt, stereotypical expectations of gender-appropriate behavior in an IPV situation may need to be considered.

Procesamiento emocional en maltratadores de género mediante el Test de Expresiones Faciales de Ekman y la Tarea Stroop Emocional

Current research in the field of intimate partner violence has been scarce as regards the role of emotional processing in abusers. Nevertheless, no study has investigated the ability to recognize emotions and the influence of emotions on attention-related aspects among the same sample. The aim of this study is to investigate the ability to recognize emotions in standardized photographs, and to analyze the interference that words with emotional content exert on an attention task in a sample of abusers. The sample consisted of 90 men convicted of intimate partner violence and 77 men convicted of other crimes. Demographic characteristics associated to the sample were evaluated, as were emotional processing of facial expressions with the Ekman Test and the Emotional Stroop task, specifically designed to assess emotional processing in situations of intimate partner violence. The results showed better emotional recognition among abusers in the recognition of facial emotions of anger and surprise. As for the processing of words with emotional content, differences were not statistically significant.

Intimate Partner Violence and Safety Strategy Use: Frequency of Use and Perceived Effectiveness

BackgroundThere is a need for effective interventions that enable women in current or past violent relationships to reduce their risk of revictimization. One approach that can be taken is safety planning, where advocates and women talk about strategies that theoretically increase the women's safety. Although this process is common, there is little empirical research focusing on the effectiveness of the safety strategies. MethodsThis systematic review examines the frequency with which women report using safety strategies and their effectiveness at reducing risk of revictimization. ResultsNine studies reviewed confirm prior research, namely, that women in intimate partner violence situations are using a variety of safety strategies at varying frequencies to protect themselves. Results from two studies looking at whether use of safety strategies reduces a woman's risk of future violence provide modest support for a greater risk of revictimization among women who used resistance strategies. Seven studies examined the perceived helpfulness of the strategies. Women who involved other individuals reported that interaction as helpful. There are several limitations to this review, including the focus on perceived helpfulness. What is reported here is not an objective assessment of safety strategy effectiveness. We were also not able to determine whether strategies women reported using were actually discussed during safety planning. ConclusionThere is a dearth of literature focusing on the effectiveness of safety strategies. Women and advocates talk about safety strategies we know very little about. Additional research examining the consequences of using safety strategies is needed because what is known now is preliminary and limited.

An Interactional Perspective on Coping with Intimate Partner Violence: Counterattack, Call for Help, or Give in and Obey Him?

This research reports on an investigation of if and how help-seeking women perceived that they had coped in intimate partner violence situations. Within a cross-sectional design, a representative sample of 157 help-seeking women in Norway was interviewed. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted. Results indicated that exposure to psychological, physical, and sexual intimate partner violence, respectively, did elicit different coping strategies in one and the same woman. There were also significant differences between women who perceived they had effective coping strategies and those who did not. This research suggests that a multivariate design within an interactional perspective could inform and enhance our understanding of coping strategies in intimate partner violence situations as complex, heterogeneous, and dynamic phenomena.

Testing the Extent of the Gender Trap: College Students’ Perceptions of and Reactions to Intimate Partner Violence

Prior research has explored perceptions of intimate partner violence (IPV), and how these perceptions differ based on gender of the participant, victim, and perpetrator. In the current study, 178 undergraduate students (n = 88 males; n = 90 females) attending a university in the Southwestern United States read a hypothetical IPV scenario, experimentally crossed by victim gender and perpetrator gender, and completed measures exploring gender (i.e., participant gender, victim gender, and perpetrator gender) and situational perceptions on participants’ intended responses to an IPV scenario. Results indicated that perceptions of the IPV situation and responses varied by genders of the participant, victim, and perpetrator. Specifically, males were more likely than females to hold the victim responsible for the violence, and ignore the situation; females were more likely than males to encourage the victim to seek professional help and seek help from another person regarding the IPV scenario as presented in the vignette. When the victim was a male, participants viewed the situation as less serious, the victim as more responsible, and were more likely to ignore the situation, than when the victim was female. Overall, results indicated that gender factors (especially participant gender) had a stronger and more consistent influence on responses to the IPV scenario than perceptions of the situation. The findings of the current study are discussed in light of implications for future research to expand an understanding of the role of gender and perceptions influencing anticipated helping behavior for victims of IPV, which will inform intervention.

Who will Help in Situations of Intimate Partner Violence: Exploring Personal Attitudes and Bystander Behaviours

Intimate partner violence (IPV) continues to be a problem within society, with many studies focusing on general attitudes toward violence against women as a gauge of positive societal change in this area. To investigate whether individual personal attitudes toward violence against women were predictive of prosocial bystander behaviours in situations of IPV, 157 Australian community members completed an online survey. This survey investigated the factors of bystander intention, bystander self-efficacy, general and privacy attitudes toward violence against women, fear of intervening and the effects/impact of psychological abuse as predictors of willingness to intervene in IPV situations. Bystander intention, self-efficacy and gender were significantly associated with willingness to intervene, whilst respondent’s attitudes toward violence against women was not. The implications of these findings for promoting social control and bystander intervention in situations of IPV are discussed.

Interventions for women exposed to acute intimate partner violence: emergency professionals’ perspective

Aims and objectives. To examine interventions and practices carried out by the emergency department professionals. Background. Developing the related practices provides an opportunity for early intervention in women exposed to intimate partner violence who visit the emergency department. Design. The descriptive, cross-sectional multi-centre designed study with a convenience sample was used to acquire more information to illustrate the situation of intervening in intimate partner violence at Finnish emergency departments. Participants. A total of 24-hour emergency departments from all over Finland participated in the study. Methods. Research materials were collected by questionnaires given to emergency department professionals (n = 950) and 51% were returned. Data analysis. The data were analysed using quantitative methods. Chi-square test was used to test the statistical significance of the data. A p-value of <0·05 was considered to indicate statistical significance of each analysis. Results. The findings of this study reveal that the emergency department professionals who had common practices and written procedures for handling intimate partner violence reported having helped both women and perpetrators more often than those without. Good cooperation with different help providers, opportunities to consult them and training received facilitated intervention methods. Conclusions. There is a need for more effective change of information and cooperation with different help providers concerning how to act with women and their family members in intimate partner violence situations. Emergency department professionals do not know enough about the legislation concerning intimate partner violence and their professional duty, e.g. if a child's health and well-being are in danger. Relevance to clinical practice. This information can be utilised in research, professional education, further training and practical work and when planning the prevention of intimate partner violence.

Nursing student's perceptions and understanding of intimate partner violence

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant health issue in the Australian population and nurses have a role in assessment, intervention and support of families. World Health Organization Statistics indicate that as many as 61% of women, under the age of 50 have been physically abused by their partners. As nurses are in a unique position to identify, assist and support women living with IPV a greater understanding of student nurse's knowledge and attitudes may assist undergraduate programs to ensure better preparation of nurses for this role. A nurse's readiness to manage IPV may be influenced by their knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and behaviors, largely related to their self-efficacy in identifying these women (i.e. via screening procedures) and providing effective interventions. Students from all levels of the undergraduate program of an Australian regional university were invited to participate in focus groups and a subsequent survey that explored their perceptions, attitudes and knowledge of IPV. The results showed students had limited and stereotypical beliefs regarding what constitutes IPV and who perpetrates it. They indicated that they were under prepared to deal with IPV situations in clinical practice but did identify communication as a core skill required. Nursing students may not understand the significance of the issues of IPV nor fully understand the social, economic and health impacts at an individual and societal level. This may result in further under detection of the problem. The results of this study indicate a number of important implications for undergraduate nursing education curricula.

Overcoming Barriers in Intimate Partner Violence Education and Training of Graduate Social Work Students

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a highly prevalent problem detected frequently in the social work field, and also extends to the personal lives of social workers and students, with compelling evidence that professionals and students are often victims of IPV. However, students continue to lack substantive knowledge of IPV. This article addresses the need for increased IPV education and training for social work students and professionals by measuring IPV education, knowledge, and attitudes among students, while also examining the incidence of student personal experience with IPV and exploring the role this experience plays in identifying and safely intervening in IPV situations.

Intimate Partner Violence within the LGBT community: What is the UK situation?

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is known to occur within lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) relationships. The aim of this paper is to examine and consolidate the literature and empirical base in order to provide information about the current LGBT IPV situation in the UK. This review initially draws on the international literature to provide a theoretical explanation of IPV, and then focuses on the material, research projects and developments conducted within the UK. This paper aims to inform clinical practice and service development for LGBT groups, and identifies the perceived gaps in knowledge.

An investigation on the epidemic situation of intimate partner violence in 2,575 college students

To investigate the prevalence of love affairs and intimate partner violence, and to explore the relationship between intimate partner violence and other mental health and risk behavior in college students. Three universities were selected using cluster sampling method in Hefei and Wuhu. Totally, 2575 college students completed an anonymous questionnaire. Intimate partner violence, depression, satisfaction of school life, self-esteem, suicidal psychology and behavior were evaluated to estimate the relationship between intimate partner violence and mental health/risk behavior. There were 46.9% students reported that they had intimate partner currently or in the past. The rate of having intimate partner in male students was higher than that in female students (χ(2) = 44.13, P < 0.001). And the rates were higher in sophomores and juniors than in freshmen (χ(2) = 161.84, P < 0.05). There were 21.1% students had sexual behavior with their intimate partners. But only 21.8% (34/156) intimate partners reported that they used condom every time. There were 11.5% (18/156) intimate partners reported that they never took any contraception. There were 18.6% (29/156) students reported that they were pregnant or led to their girlfriend becoming pregnant, but only less than 50.0% adolescents induced abortion in a legal hospitals. The rates of being the victim of physical assault, emotional abuse, sexual coercion, the total intimate partner violence were 18.0%, 33.6%, 5.1%, 37.1%. The rates of being the victim of physical assault, emotional abuse, total intimate partner violence in male adolescents were higher than those in female adolescents, but the rate of sexual coercion was on the contrary (χ(2) = 70.21, 13.25, 14.04, 5.77, P < 0.05). Among the intimate partners who had suffered from intimate partner, 74.2% (345/446) students had underwent more than 3 times, and 47.1% had underwent more than 2 types of intimate partner violence. The score of depression was highest in the victims of intimate partner violence, but the scores of self-esteem and school life satisfaction were on the contrary (F = 4.00, 16.39, 8.76, P < 0.05). The rates of suicidal ideation, suicidal plan, suicidal preparative and attempted suicide were highest in the victims of intimate partner violence (χ(2) = 13.80, 9.72, 8.52, 11.96, P < 0.05). The rate of having sexual behavior with their intimate partners was high in college students, but their self-protection awareness was insufficient. In the present study, a high prevalence of intimate partner violence among university students was observed, and highlighted a need for attention to the other mental health and risk behavior in adolescents with intimate partner violence.

Experiences of emergency care by the women exposed to acute physical intimate partner violence from the Finnish perspective

In the acute trauma caused by intimate partner violence (IPV), the emergency department (ED) and its staff are often the first contact for women. The failure to intervene in IPV situations may contribute to further injury and health problems for women, as well as to frequent visits to the ED. The aims of this study is to describe the history of IPV with its health consequences for women when seeking care for their acute injuries and what kinds of care experiences had the women had when visiting EDs. Data were collected via questionnaires from 35 women and after that seven semi-structured interviews were conducted. The data were analyzed using quantitative and qualitative methods. Among the women the lifetime prevalence of physical IPV was 94%. Ninety-seven percent of past and 56% of acute cases of physical violence were accompanied by psychological violence. The surveyed women highlighted individual needs for care, including appropriate medical care of injuries, and psychological and tangible support. The women worried about their children and partners and regarded supporting the whole family as important. There is a need for ED professionals to develop family-oriented services, and a need for further training and research on how to deal with women exposed to IPV.

Identifying sociodemographic differences in Intimate Partner Violence among immigrant and native women in Spain: A cross-sectional study

Objectives To analyze whether sociodemographics and social support have a different or similar effect on the likelihood of Intimate Partner Violence in immigrants and natives, and to estimate prevalences and associations between different types of IPV depending on women's birthplace. Methods Cross-sectional study of 10,048 women (18–70 years) attending primary healthcare in Spain (2006–2007). Outcome: Current Intimate Partner Violence (psychological, physical and both). Sociodemographics and social support were considered first as explicative and later as control variables. Results Similar Intimate Partner Violence sociodemographic and social support factors were observed among immigrants and natives. However, these associations were stronger among immigrants, except in the case of poor social support (adjusted odds ratio natives 4.36 and adjusted odds ratio immigrants 4.09). When these two groups were compared, immigrants showed a higher likelihood of IPV than natives (adjusted odds ratios 1.58). Conclusion Immigrant women are in a disadvantaged Intimate Partner Violence situation. It is necessary that interventions take these inequalities into account.

Understanding Turning Points in Intimate Partner Violence: Factors and Circumstances Leading Women Victims Toward Change

When counseling women experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV), healthcare providers can benefit from understanding the factors contributing to a women's motivation to change her situation. We wished to examine the various factors and situations associated with turning points and change seeking in the IPV situation. We performed qualitative analysis on data from 7 focus groups and 20 individual interviews with women (61 participants) with past and/or current histories of IPV. The turning points women identified fell into 5 major themes: (1) protecting others from the abuse/abuser; (2) increased severity/humiliation with abuse; (3) increased awareness of options/access to support and resources; (4) fatigue/recognition that the abuser was not going to change; and (5) partner betrayal/infidelity. Women experiencing IPV can identify specific factors and events constituting turning points or catalyst to change in their IPV situation. These turning points are dramatic shifts in beliefs and perceptions of themselves, their partners, and/or their situation that alter the women's willingness to tolerate the situation and motivate them to consider change. When counseling women experiencing IPV, health providers can incorporate understanding of turning points to motivate women to move forward in their process of changing their IPV situation.