Survivors Of Intimate Partner Violence Research Articles

Intimate partner violence and its psychosocial correlates among male survivors: The socio-ecological implications

Previous research on the psychosocial correlates of intimate partner violence (IPV) among men has predominantly focused on clinical disorders such as depression and posttraumatic stress disorder. Little is known about the socio-ecological implications of IPV on male survivors. This article examines how nonclinical stressors, such as expectations to perform masculinity and shame of non-performance, intersect with clinical disorders to cause profound suffering in male survivors. Consequently, the article argues that socio-ecological interactions facilitate stressors, culminating in detrimental consequences of IPV for male survivors’ psychosocial well-being. By examining the qualitative experiences of 25 African male survivors of IPV and the perspectives of five key informants working with IPV victims in Johannesburg, this article emphasizes the importance of considering both clinical and nonclinical factors in understanding the psychosocial impacts of IPV on male survivors. The findings support the need for appropriate interventions that address pervasive societal ideologies that further facilitate stress on male survivors’ well-being.

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.

Procedural fairness and political attitudes: unpacking the experiences of victims of intimate partner violence with the police

What is the relationship between procedural fairness in encounters with the police and intimate partner violence (IPV) survivors’ attitudes? I argue that because of the emotional damage caused by victimization, survivors are especially attuned to the interpersonal treatment they receive when seeking help from specialized services (e. g., police). If this treatment is procedurally unfair, they might conclude that IPV laws are not effective and become less likely to report intentions to intervene by calling the police if they witness intimate partner violence. Relying on public opinion data from Brazil, I find that procedural fairness matters for survivors’ opinions about laws, but I found no relationship between procedural fairness and bystander intervention attitudes. I explore possible explanations for this non-finding with several additional analyses.

Factors Influencing Shared Decision-Making Between Healthcare Providers and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer People of Color About Intimate Partner Violence.

Within the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community, people of color (POC) disproportionately experience intimate partner violence (IPV). While shared decision-making (SDM)-a model of patient-provider communication-about IPV could benefit LGBTQ POC, its unique challenges merit consideration. This study identifies key factors affecting SDM between LGBTQ POC and healthcare providers surrounding IPV. LGBTQ POC participants (n = 217) in Chicago and San Francisco completed surveys about demographic information, healthcare utilization, and IPV history. Individual interviews and focus groups were then conducted with a Chicago-based subset of participants (n = 46) who identified as LGBTQ IPV survivors of color. Descriptive analyses were conducted of survey responses while focus group and interview transcripts were analyzed and thematically coded. Although 71% of survey participants experienced IPV, only 35% were asked about IPV in healthcare interactions within the previous year. Focus group and interview participants endorsed encounter-, patient-, and provider-centered factors affecting SDM around IPV. When IPV was discussed, patient-provider trust was essential while concordance of identities could either encourage or discourage IPV disclosure. Patients were hesitant to disclose IPV if they had never discussed their LGBTQ identity with their provider or thought providers would ignore their preferences for addressing IPV. Deterrents to SDM included providers denying the prevalence of IPV among LGBTQ individuals or lacking resources to support LGBTQ IPV survivors of color. This study highlights the identity-driven barriers that LGBTQ POC face in discussing IPV with providers. Utilizing SDM to discuss IPV with LGBTQ POC can better address the diverse health needs of this community. However, its success requires that providers acknowledge the diversity of experiences among this population, promote LGBTQ-inclusive practices, and identify resources welcome to LGBTQ POC.

"There's room to do more": a mixed-methods study of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) diversion program and intimate partner violence in Georgia.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a risk factor for homicides and suicides. As poverty is both a predictor and a consequence of IPV, interventions that alleviate poverty-related stressors could mitigate IPV-related harms. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), a monthly cash assistance program, is one such potential intervention. In the state of Georgia, the TANF diversion program, which provides a non-recurrent lump-sum payment to deter individuals from monthly TANF benefits, is an understudied component of TANF that may influence the effectiveness of state TANF programs in supporting IPV survivors. This study quantifies and qualifies the role of Georgia's TANF diversion program in shaping IPV-related mortality. This study relies on a mixed-methods sequential explanatory design. Using data from the Georgia Violent Death Reporting System (GA-VDRS), an interrupted time series analysis was conducted to estimate the effect of TANF diversion on IPV-related homicides and suicides. Semi-structured interviews were then administered with TANF policy experts and advocates, welfare caseworkers, and benefit recipients (n = 20) to contextualize the quantitative findings. The interrupted time series analysis revealed three fewer IPV-related deaths per month after implementing TANF diversion, compared to pre-diversion forecasts (coefficient = -3.003, 95%CI [-5.474, -0.532]). However, the qualitative interviews illustrated three themes regarding TANF diversion: (1) it is a "band-aid" solution to the access barriers associated with TANF, (2) it provides short-term relief to recipients making hard choices, and (3) its limitations reveal avenues for policy change. While diversion has the potential to reduce deaths from IPV, it may be an insufficient means of mitigating the poverty-related contributors to IPV harms. Its limitations unveil the need for improved programs to better support IPV survivors.

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.

The association between psychological distress, abusive experiences, and help-seeking among people with intimate partner violence.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a serious public health problem associated with countless adverse physical and mental health outcomes. It places an enormous economic and public health burden on communities. The aim of this study was to examine the associations between psychological states (such as depression or hopeless) and help-seeking experiences of IPV survivors after experiencing IPV, based on the Allegheny County Health Survey (ACHS). Data from 2015 to 2016 Allegheny County Health Survey with N = 8,012 adults were analyzed. The 6-item version of the Kessler Psychological Stress Scale, located in Module 11 of the ACHS questionnaire, was used to measure psychological stress in participants. Module 12 of the ACHS questionnaire collected information on participants' experiences of intimate partner violence and help-seeking in the past 12 months. Descriptive statistical analysis, Pearson's chi-square or two sample independent t-tests statistical analysis, and multivariate binary logistic regression models were used to analyze the relationship between IPV experience and psychological distress. A total of 212 of the 8,012 participants had IPV experience, with age, marital status, education, income, and race significantly different from those without IPV experience. The psychological stress of participants feeling hopeless (OR = 2.02, 95% CI = 1.37-2.99), restless or fidgety (OR = 1.83, 95% CI = 1.27-2.65), perceiving everything was an effort (OR = 1.55, 95% CI = 1.08-2.22) and worthless (OR = 1.49, 95% CI = 1.01-2.20) was associated with the IPV experience. Help-seeking behaviors of IPV survivors were associated with psychological distress, such as hopelessness (OR = 6.71, 95% CI = 1.38-32.60). This study explored the association between IPV experience, help-seeking and psychological distress, and the need to expand community support. It is necessary to implement targeted interventions, enhance training of professionals, and promote the identification of early IPV cases as well as collaboration between healthcare and social support departments to reduce the occurrence of IPV or psychological distress following IPV.

Intimate Partner Sexual Violence: A Phenomenological Interpretative Analysis Among Female Survivors in France.

Despite its prevalence, intimate partner sexual violence (IPSV) remains a concealed and poorly understood form of violence against women. Although it is associated with numerous detrimental effects on mental health, very little is known about the subjective meaning of IPSV for survivors. This study addresses this gap by exploring IPSV from the perspective of female survivors within the context of their relationship with a male partner, using interpretative phenomenological analysis. This study seeks to provide a detailed examination of the personal experience of IPSV and to illuminate its meaning from a personal standpoint. We conducted in-depth interviews with seven IPSV survivors who were recruited after filing a complaint for intimate partner violence (IPV) in France. In total, five superordinate themes were identified: (a) "Setting the stage" describes how the complex dynamics preceding IPSV influence self-representation; (b) "Feeling like I'm nothing" describes the emotional experience of IPSV; (c) "Trying to get it, not getting it" describes how IPSV generates intense cognitive load; (d) "Looking back, developing a theory" describes how IPSV is interpreted retrospectively after breaking up with a violent partner; and (e) "Today: living with it" describes how IPSV affects the present. This study highlights how emotional distress and cognitive uncertainty are present on the way to IPSV, through IPSV, and even after filing charges and separating from the violent partner. Additionally, it shows that survivors attribute IPSV to a sense of individual vulnerability related to romantic love, hope, and traumatic childhood history. This study presents unique findings as it is the first one to explore the lived experience of IPSV among a sample of French IPV survivors.

"He Stole My Meds to Get High:" The Mental Health and Well-Being of Women Abused by Intimate Partners and Their Disability Status.

While population-based research confirms that women with disabilities abused by their intimate partners experience significant mental health issues, few studies compare this in intimate partner violence (IPV)-specific samples of women with or without disabilities and none analyze possible impacts based on disability type. This secondary mixed methods analysis examined 660 Canadian women (50.6% Indigenous, 43.1% White, and 6.1% visible minority) with respect to whether they reported having a disability that impacted their employability or daily living (291 or 44% yes; 369 or 56% said no). In the 291 women with disabilities, about one-third (30.7%) had a physical disability-only, one-quarter had a mental health disability-only, and 44.1% reported both physical and mental health disabilities. Women with mental health and both physical and mental health disabilities reported significantly more Severe Combined IPV on the Composite Abuse Scale, depression (CES-D-10; Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression), psychological distress (Symptom Checklist Shortform-10; SCL-10; in the clinical range), PTSD symptoms (PTSD Checklist), and lower quality of life (Quality of Life Questionnaire or QoL-9) than women without disabilities. Education about disabilities is needed for IPV advocates and disability practitioners need education about IPV. Developing services specific to survivors of IPV with disabilities is recommended.

Working Within and Outside the System: Why and When Survivors Seek Help After Experiencing Intimate Partner Violence

This paper explores the experiences of survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) who seek help or avoid help from both within and outside the criminal legal system (CLS). Data derived from 22 interviews reveal four types of help-seeking experiences: (1) addressing harm (2) increasing harm (3) mandating participation and (4) avoiding participation. These types reflect the interactions between the CLS and vulnerable populations who frequently mistrust the CLS but are compelled to interact with it. This typology uncovers the complex realities of survivors’ contact with the CLS and suggests less harmful alternatives as desired by the participants in our sample.

Iranian Women’s Experience of Intimate Partner Violence During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic increased the rate of intimate partner violence (IPV) all over the world, including Iran. This study used a qualitative phenomenological method to identify and analyze 10 Iranian women’s experiences of IPV during the pandemic. Using purposive sampling, semistructured in-depth interviews were conducted, and the data were analyzed using Colaizzi’s (1978) data analysis method. Data analysis revealed that during the pandemic, IPV was exacerbated by financial stress, children’s online education, conflict over health protocols, and social isolation. Participants reported trying many ways to cope with IPV, including focusing on religion and spirituality, seeking new hobbies, seeking help from their families, and seeking professional counselors. This research emphasized the importance of understanding cultural factors when offering services to IPV victims or survivors and demonstrated that IPV survivors, even in collectivist countries, need legal and mental health support.

Theory-Guided Care of Intimate Partner Violence Trauma Patients in the Acute Care Setting Using the Vulnerable Populations Conceptual Model.

Background and Purpose: Vulnerable populations are social groups at increased risk for poor health outcomes. According to the vulnerable populations conceptual model (VPCM) nursing theory, vulnerable groups such as survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) are at risk for disease, morbidity, and mortality due to limited resources. The purpose of this article is to propose the VPCM as an organizing theoretical framework in the acute care setting of trauma patients suffering from IPV by outlining the factors affecting the care of this vulnerable population. Results: This synthesis of the literature outlines the decreased resource availability and increased relative risk encountered by IPV survivors, which results in poor health, which supports the application of the VPCM as a guiding theory. The VPCM provides a structure for understanding IPV patients and equips nursing with a framework for taking action through engagement, assessment, intervention, and evaluation of practice when caring for this vulnerable trauma population in the acute care setting. Implications for Practice: Using a theory-based model provides a framework for clinical practice interventions. Further research in the application of the VPCM as a theoretical basis for caring for trauma patients who are survivors of IPV is needed.

Psychosocial interventions for migrants with experiences of sexual violence and intimate partner violence (CINAHL).

Abstract Psychosocial interventions for sexual violence and intimate partner violence are defined as interpersonal or informational activities, techniques, or strategies be offered to survivors of sexual violence and intimate partner violence with the aim of improving mental health and well-being.

The Neurobehavioral Symptom Inventory: Psychometric Properties and Symptom Comparisons in Women With and Without Brain Injuries Due to Intimate Partner Violence.

This study psychometrically evaluated the Neurobehavioral Symptom Inventory (NSI) among women survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) and compared symptoms between women with no brain injury history (n = 93) and women with IPV-related brain injury history (n = 112). Women completed the NSI and questionnaires on traumatic brain injury (TBI), hypoxic-ischemic brain injury (HI-BI), and lifetime IPV history. A four-factor NSI model, including affective, somatosensory, cognitive, and vestibular factors, had the best fit (comparative fit index = 0.970, root mean square error of approximation = 0.064), with strong reliability for the total score (ω = .93) and subscale scores (ω range = .72-.89). In group comparisons, women with IPV-related brain injuries reported greater total, affective, and cognitive symptom severity after adjusting for age and education; however, no group differences were observed after adjusting for IPV severity. When examining lifetime number of brain injuries, HI-BI count was independently predictive of total, cognitive, and vestibular symptom severity after adjusting for age, education, and IPV severity; whereas TBI count did not independently predict any NSI scores after adjusting for these covariates. The NSI had acceptable psychometric properties for measuring neurobehavioral symptoms among women survivors of IPV. The association between HI-BI count and cognitive and vestibular symptoms may indicate the importance of studying repetitive nonfatal strangulation as an injury mechanism in this population.

Intimate Partner Sexual Violence: An Exploratory Study on Sexual Victimization Profiles Among Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence in France.

Intimate partner sexual violence (IPSV) is a common form of intimate partner violence (IPV). This study aimed to (a) identify a typology of intimate partner sexual victimization among French women victims of IPV on the basis of the frequency of various forms of sexual violence and (b) evaluate whether these profiles differ in several clinical characteristics. A total of 93 women consulting a specialized hospital service were recruited. Cluster analyses suggested four profiles: highly frequent rapes (5.4%), predominant sexual coercion (20.4%), medium frequency of all forms (20.4%), and low frequency of all forms (19.4%). Further person-centered research focusing on IPSV is warranted.

Psychosocial interventions for migrants with experiences of sexual violence and intimate partner violence (PubMed).

Abstract Psychosocial interventions for sexual violence and intimate partner violence are defined as interpersonal or informational activities, techniques, or strategies be offered to survivors of sexual violence and intimate partner violence with the aim of improving mental health and well-being.

A Social Network Analysis of a Multi-sector Service System for Intimate Partner Violence in a Large US City

About one in four women in the US report having experienced some form of intimate partner violence (IPV) during their lifetime and an estimated 15.5 million children live in families in which IPV occurred in the past year. Families of young children with IPV experiences often face complex needs and require well-coordinated efforts among service providers across social and health sectors. One promising partnership aims to support pregnant and parenting IPV survivors through coordination between IPV agencies and community-based maternal and early childhood home visiting programs. This study used social network analysis (SNA) to understand the interconnectedness of the system of IPV prevention and intervention for families with young children in a large US city. The SNA included 43 agencies serving this population across various service domains spanning IPV, legal, maternal and child health, and public benefit programs. An SNA survey collected data on four forms of collaboration between agencies, including formal administrative relationship, referral reciprocity, case consultation, and shared activities in community committees/organizing bodies. Density and centrality were the primary outcomes of interest. A community detection analysis was performed as a secondary analysis. The overall level of interconnectedness between the 43 responding agencies was low. Making referrals to each other was the most common form of collaboration, with a network density of 30%. IPV agencies had the highest average number of connections in the networks. There was a high level of variation in external collaborations among home visiting agencies, with several home visiting agencies having very few connections in the community but one home visiting program endorsing collaborative relationships with upwards of 38 partner agencies in the network. In serving families at risk for IPV, home visiting agencies were most likely to have referral relationships with mental health provider agencies and substance use disorder service agencies. A community detection analysis identified distinct communities within the network and demonstrated that certain agency types were more connected to one another while others were typically siloed within the network. Notably, the IPV and home visiting communities infrequently overlapped. Sensitivity analyses showed that survey participants’ knowledge of their agencies’ external collaborations varied by their work roles and agencies overall had low levels of consensus about their connectedness to one another. We identified a heterogeneous service system available to families of young children at-risk for or experiencing IPV. Overall inter-agency connectedness was low, with many siloed agencies and a lack of shared knowledge of community resources. Understanding current collaborations, silos, and centrality of agencies is an effective public health tool for allocating scarce resources across diverse service sectors to efficiently improve the system serving families experiencing IPV.

A commentary on a trauma-informed, community-based, and holistic intimate partner violence program: “A micro approach to a macro problem: One agency’s approach to domestic violence” by DiBella et al. (2023)

This commentary on “A Micro Approach to A Macro Problem: One Agency’s Approach to Domestic Violence” by DiBella et al. (2023) highlights exemplary aspects of programming for survivors of intimate partner violence, as well as notes additional areas for consideration and improvement for other agencies. Specifically, DiBella et al. (2023) describes the historical development of the Cherokee Family Violence Center (CFVC), as well as the evolution of the program, which adapted to best suit its clients’ needs over more than 30 years. The CFVC’s trauma-informed, community-based, and holistic approach are worthy of consideration. Additional areas of improvement that are encouraged in this commentary include increased gender inclusivity, language and cultural diversity, peer-led programming, therapeutic considerations for mental health treatment, and program evaluation.

Analyzing the relationship between the experience of intimate partner violence and female internet use in Nigeria

Female internet use is abysmally low (17.48%) in Nigeria, and it has become an issue of serious concern due to its negative impact on their health and economic well-being. While most of the scholarly debates centers on the influence of individual socio-economic characteristics and geographical factors to understand and improve female internet use, this study contributes to the literature by interrogating the role of women's experience of intimate partner violence (IPV) and other socio-economic and geographical factors based on the social theory of internet use. We conduct spatial and logistic regression analyses using the 2018 cross-sectional Demographic and Health Survey of 41,821 women aged 15–49. The spatial analysis shows a significant concentration of female internet non-use in the Northern region relative to the South, while the binary logistic regression analysis indicates that the experience of IPV, age, wealth status, education, being married, urban location, and residing in Northern Nigeria are significant predictors of female internet use. The study recommends tailoring support systems and interventions that acknowledge the unique challenges faced by survivors of IPV and the improvement of the socio-economic conditions of women to achieve greater internet use.

The protective effect of employment policies on intimate partner violence

Since the late 1990s, states have adopted policies to protect intimate partner violence (IPV) survivors in the workplace. State policymakers and some employers have acknowledged that IPV impacts work, but formal responses vary widely. The current study focuses on examining two state-level policies and their effect on reducing violence outcomes. We utilized two samples of mothers who experienced IPV; one that was employed (N = 1,893) and one mixed sample of employed/unemployed (N = 1,961) in the Future of Families and Wellbeing Study. About 300 survivors in the current study lived in a state with one of the selected protective workplace policies for IPV. Flexible workplace leave or the ability for survivors to take time off of work to address IPV (e.g. attend court hearings, access services, safety plan, etc.) did not have a significant effect on abuse. However, confidentiality, or the right of survivors to privacy upon disclosure of abuse, coupled with leave policies was associated with a significant reduction in IPV. Survivors may benefit especially from confidentiality as it reduces workplace gossip and give survivors the peace-of-mind that employers value their safety. Implications for state policymakers and future research are discussed. Findings indicate supportive workplace policies are effective in reducing violence, but future study of additional policies is needed.