Use Of Violence In Relationships Research Articles

"Help Me Realize What I'm Becoming": Men's Views on Digital Interventions as a Way to Promote Early Help-Seeking for Use of Violence in Relationships.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a major global issue with huge impacts on individuals, families, and communities. It is also a gendered problem, with the vast majority of IPV perpetrated by men. To date, interventions have primarily focused on victim/survivors; however, it is increasingly recognized that men's use of violence must also be addressed. Despite this, there remain limited options for doing this in practice. In most high-income countries, men's behavior change programs (MBCPs) or their equivalent are the typical referral pathway, with men often mandated to attend by the criminal justice system. Yet, these programs have limited evidence for their effectiveness and recidivism and dropouts are major challenges. Moreover, an entire subset of men-those uninvolved with criminal justice settings-remain under-serviced. It is clear that a critical gap remains around early engagement with men using violence in relationships. This study explores the potential for digital interventions (websites or apps) to fill this gap through qualitative analysis of data from focus groups with 21 men attending MBCPs in Victoria, Australia. Overall, we interpreted men's perceptions of digital interventions as being able to facilitate connection with the "better man inside," with four sub-themes: (a) Don't jump down my throat straight away; (b) Help me realize what I'm becoming; (c) Seeing a change in my future; and (d) Make it simple and accessible. The findings of this study suggest that there is strong potential for digital interventions to engage early with men using IPV, but also some key challenges. Websites or apps can provide a safe, private space for men to reflect on their behavior and its consequences; however, the lack of interpersonal interaction can make it challenging to balance non-judgmental engagement with accountability. These issues should be considered when designing digital interventions for men using violence in relationships.

457 Sexuality and family education in violent and sexual offender

The aim of this research is to identify family, social and individual factors that influence psychological well-being of prisoners who commit violent and sexual crimes. The final objective is to identify possible factors useful to promote prevention, rehabilitation and relapse prevention programmes. The sample consist of 29 male subjects with an average age of 40,76 (SD=11,16) inmates in two prisons of Southern Lazio for violent and sexual crimes. Participants completed a socio- demographic questionnaire and specific questionnaires about sexuality: Compulsive Sexual Behavior Inventory (CSBI), Sexual Sensation Seeking Scale (SSSS), Health Protective Sexual Communication Scale (HPSCS). Most of the participants are recidivist (55,2%), did not receive a treatment or psychological support in prison (44,8%) and do not make activities or social works (79,3%). As regards the social and family background, most of offenders made use of substances (62,1%), received severe education (55,2%), had low communication in family about sexuality (86,2%) and had parents who had committed a crime (58,6%). Regarding sexuality, 75,9% of participants reported high score in compulsive use of control in sexual relationships and 69% of them reported high scores in the use of violence in sexual relationships and in the SSSS; furthermore, 75,9% showed high scores in the communication about safe sex with new sexual partners. Significant and positive correlations emerged between SSSS total score and CSBI total score (p<.01). Significant and positive correlations emerged also between the SSSS total score and the two subscales of CSBI, respectively the use of violence in relationships (p<.01) and the tendency to have control (p<.05). No correlation was found between the HPSCS score and both the CSBI and SSSS scores.

Challenging the Representation of Intimate Partner Violence in Mexico: Unidirectional, Mutual Violence and the Role of Male Control

Dyadic concordance types of intimate partner violence (IPV) in Mexico are examined separately for married/cohabiting women and separated/divorced women using the 2011 National Survey on Household Dynamics. In the context of couples’ anger or conflict, IPV is primarily male perpetrated; at least half of women involved in a violent relationship report male-only violence. The rates of mutual violence are 26.7% for married/cohabiting couples and 29.3% for separated/divorced couples; those of female-only violence are 23.5% among married/cohabiting couples and 8% for separated/divorced couples, most of it consisting of situational IPV. Control is associated with IPV but does not differentiate between male-only and mutually violent couples; however, it does differentiate between nonviolent and female-only couples. Women’s use of violence in relationships tends to be linked with ethnic/racial and age structures and with previous experiences of violence during their childhood and adolescence. The implications for awareness and prevention programs, public policy, and future research are discussed. Existing claims regarding the mutual nature of IPV need to be contextualized because the prevalence of dyadic concordance types of IPV might be contingent on countries’ different levels of gender inequality and different cultural scripts regarding relationships.

“It’s an Ethical, Moral and Professional Dilemma I Think”

This article investigates the experience and construction of women’s use of violence in relationships by domestic violence workers in Sydney, Australia. Most workers contextualized women’s violence within a critique of the structural powerlessness faced by women in violent relationships. However, the issue of violent women’s agency remains an unresolved dilemma for workers. This article recommends the use of a psychosocial approach to understand the social, biographical, and psychodynamic dimensions of women’s violence.

Intimate partner violence among African American and African Caribbean women: prevalence, risk factors, and the influence of cultural attitudes

Background Women of African descent are disproportionately affected by intimate partner abuse; yet, limited data exist on whether the prevalence varies for women of African descent in the United States and those in the US territories. Objective In this multisite study, we estimated lifetime and 2-year prevalence of physical, sexual, and psychological intimate partner abuse (IPA) among 1,545 women of African descent in the United States and US Virgin Islands (USVI). We also examined how cultural tolerance of physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence (IPV) influences abuse. Design Between 2009 and 2011, we recruited African American and African Caribbean women aged 18–55 from health clinics in Baltimore, MD, and St. Thomas and St. Croix, USVI, into a comparative case-control study. Screened and enrolled women completed an audio computer-assisted self-interview. Screening-based prevalence of IPA and IPV were stratified by study site and associations between tolerance of IPV and abuse experiences were examined by multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results Most of the 1,545 screened women were young, of low-income, and in a current intimate relationship. Lifetime prevalence of IPA was 45% in St. Thomas, 38% in St. Croix, and 37% in Baltimore. Lifetime prevalence of IPV was 38% in St. Thomas, 28% in St. Croix, and 30% in Baltimore. Past 2-year prevalence of IPV was 32% in St. Thomas, 22% in St. Croix, and 26% in Baltimore. Risk and protective factors for IPV varied by site. Community and personal acceptance of IPV were independently associated with lifetime IPA in Baltimore and St. Thomas. Conclusions Variance across sites for risk and protective factors emphasizes cultural considerations in sub-populations of women of African descent when addressing IPA and IPV in given settings. Individual-based interventions should be coupled with community/societal interventions to shape attitudes about use of violence in relationships and to promote healthy relationships.

Malestar psicológico determinado socialmente y abuso expresivo en varones

El objetivo de este artículo es conocer y describir la experiencia subjetiva de hombres que asisten a un programa reeducativo para detener su violencia familiar, en torno al malestar psicológico determinado socialmente y su expresión por medio de actos violentos. El acercamiento metodológico de esta investigación es de tipo cualitativo y se trata de un estudio crítico con enfoque interpretativo. Participaron cinco hombres que se reúnen en un centro gubernamental especializado para la atención de la violencia familiar ubicado en una Delegación política del sur en el Distrito Federal. El malestar psicológico de la vida cotidiana se abordó a partir de instrumentos clínicos y del análisis de entrevistas grupales que exploran variables sociales. Además, se presentan los significados de los abusos realizados por los hombres con el fin de expresar el malestar. Se describió una lógica de acumulación de malestar con origen social expresado en un acto de abuso, y mediado por una razón o conflicto que justifica el ataque físico y/o verbal. La expresión de malestar, en ocasiones, se acompaña por sentimientos de culpa posteriores a los eventos violentos. Los elementos que permiten los abusos expresivos contra la pareja y otros familiares son las creencias sobre la superioridad del hombre, la inferioridad física de las mujeres e hijos, la propiedad de la persona por ser esposa, la obligación de la duración de una relación “para toda la vida” y las creencias sobre el uso de la violencia en las relaciones. En términos de intervención con esta población, se destaca la importancia de considerar el papel que juegan las determinantes sociales del malestar psicológico provenientes del nivel macro para los programas sociales e intervenciones comunitarias.

‘It is better to beat her’: male youth in rural KwaZulu-Natal speak on violence in relationships

abstract Various forms of gender-based violence exist among South African youth. While boys and girls may be victims of violence, male perpetrated violence against females is reported to be significantly higher. In arguing for the inclusion of males in addressing gender inequalities, this article explores male perspectives on gender roles and violence in relationships. Findings of research conducted in Ugu North, a rural area in southern KwaZulu-Natal on youth attitudes with regard to love, sexual activity, power and control, and the use of violence in relationships are presented and discussed. Using focus group interviews, data were collected from groups of male students attending secondary schools. The interviews were conducted in Zulu and were audio-taped, translated and transcribed. The themes that emerged from the transcripts form the basis for discussion. Based on the findings, the article concludes with ideas and challenges regarding interventions to address gender inequalities and to promote healthier relationships.

Partner Violence and Street Violence among Urban Adolescents: Do the Same Family Factors Relate?

Few studies have evaluated how participation in violence that occurs on the streets as part of criminal or delinquent behavior relates to violence that occurs as part of dating or marital relationships (partner violence). Using longitudinal data from 141 African American and Latino male youth (15–19 years old), the relation between family characteristics and participation in one or both types of violent behavior was evaluated. The youth in this study were more likely to report use of violence in relationships if they were also participating in violence as part of other criminal behavior. However, there were distinct groups of offenders. Among those males reporting involvement in a dating or romantic relationship, four groups were identified: (1) those who had not participated in either type of violence, 57%; (2) those who had participated in partner violence only, 14%; (3) those who had participated in street violence only, 12%; and (4) those who had participated in both, 17%. Discriminate function analyses significantly differentiated the group who had participated in both types of violence from the nonviolent group, with the former group having poorer functioning families. These two groups were also differentiated from the partner violence‐only and street violence‐only groups. No differences were found between the partner violence‐only and the street violence‐only groups. Implications for intervention and prevention are discussed.