Family Violence Research Articles

Community Cultural Wealth among a South Australian Muslim Population: A Reflective Evaluation of Strengthening Family Health and Wellbeing

Muslims living in non-Muslim countries may experience marginality, which has associations with exclusion, poor socio-emotional health, higher rates of family violence, and poor quality of life. Faith-based strategies have the potential to bridge the gaps and improve the outcomes for these communities. We undertook a reflective evaluation of the individual and group interventions of a Muslim start-up NGO, Community Development, Education and Social Support Inc. (CDESSA) (Adelaide, SA, Australia). Qualitative data were generated via dialogue, storytelling, and making connections with meaning based on observations of the lived experiences of the narrators. The analysis involved revisiting, reordering, refining, and redefining the dialogue, and conscious framing around a theoretical model of community cultural wealth. The results showed the growth of family and community engagement in CDESSA’s support and intervention activities, commencing with a small religious following in 2021 and growing to more than 300 Muslims regularly joining together for faith, health, welfare, and social wellbeing activities. Reflections on the dimensions of aspirational, navigational, social, familial, ethnoreligious, and resilient forms of community cultural wealth showed that the range of individual and group interventions, involving religious leaders, contributed to improving health and wellbeing, thereby growing community capital as a mechanism for strengthening families in this community.

Parity of participation: social justice and women’s experiential knowledge in contemporary family violence policy and service development

At a time when public participation in policy and service development is presented as progressive and innovative across many social policy areas, this article critically examines public participation and the inclusion of lived experience as potential sites for social justice. Using Nancy Fraser’s theory of social justice and parity of participation, the article explores the inclusion of lived experience within existing systems and structures of gender hierarchies. Focusing on the Australian family violence sector, the article argues that without a critical analysis of power and the systems that support inequality, the inclusion of lived experience can be tokenistic and disempowering, particularly for women who have experienced family violence. This analysis highlights the need to critically examine public participation measures and the inclusion of lived experience to ensure that there is transformational intent to disrupt power hierarchies, with implications extending beyond the family violence sector.

Two-Way Learning: A Model for Decolonising Feminist Leadership and Advocacy

“Two-way learning” has come to be conceptualised as a collaboration between Indigenous and Western knowledges, which redresses historical power imbalances to create a culture of meaningful collaboration. The Tangentyere Women’s Family Safety Group provides a case study in which the principle of two-learning drives Indigenist feminist leadership and work to prevent violence against women. The Tangentyere Women’s Family Safety Group consists of Aboriginal women working to end family violence and bring visibility to their experiences. The group works in Australia’s Northern Territory, which has some of the highest rates of violence against women in the world. These women have applied the concept of two-way learning to their primary prevention projects: “Girls Can Boys Can” and “Old Ways are Strong”. The “Girls Can Boys Can” project created gender-equitable and anti-racist messaging and resources for early years educators. “Old Ways are Strong” developed animations to challenge the pervasive idea that violence against women is a part of traditional Aboriginal cultures. Both projects aimed to increase strengths-based representations of Aboriginal people. Both projects were evaluated which indicated that they were having some success in shifting attitudes and beliefs which drive violence against women. In this article, we will present the work of the Tangentyere Women’s Family Safety Group to prevent violence against women and will argue that “two-way learning” is an important principle to strengthen feminist movements.

Dare to Ask! A Model for Teaching Nursing Students about Identifying and Responding to Violence against Women and Domestic Violence.

The role of nurses in identifying and responding to family violence and violence against women has long been established. However, nurses' readiness to fully assume this role remains low due to various barriers and the sensitive nature of the subject. As part of capacity building to address this problem, an additional national qualitative learning target, i.e., to "show knowledge about men's violence against women and violence in close relationships", was introduced into the Swedish Higher Education Ordinance for nursing and seven other educational programs between 2017 and 2018. The aim of this paper is to describe how the national qualitative learning target is incorporated into the undergraduate nursing curriculum at the Swedish Red Cross University College. An overview of relevant teaching and learning activities and how they are organized is first presented, followed by the presentation of a proposed didactic model: Dare to Ask and Act! The model details a step-by-step progression from facts and figures, including the role of gender norms, to recognizing signs of abuse in complex clinical situations, as well as developing skills that enhance the courage to ask and act. Due to the sensitive nature of violence victimization, the proposed model reflects the importance of making the subject a reoccurring theme in undergraduate nursing education in order to boost nursing students' interests and confidence to "Dare to Ask and Act!". The model also shows that making the subject a recurring theme can be achieved with minimal disruptions to and without overcrowding an existing curriculum.

Adverse Childhood Experiences and Adult Mental Health Outcomes

Exposure to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) has consistently been associated with multiple negative mental health outcomes extending into adulthood. However, given that ACEs and psychiatric disorders cluster within families, it remains to be comprehensively assessed to what extent familial confounding contributes to associations between ACEs and clinically confirmed adult psychiatric disorders. To investigate whether associations between ACEs and adult mental health outcomes remain after adjusting for familial (genetic and environmental) confounding. This Swedish twin cohort study used a discordant twin pair design based on monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twins. A total of 25 252 adult twins (aged 18-47 years) from the Swedish Twin Registry born between 1959 and 1998 were followed up from age 19 years until 2016, with a maximum follow-up time of 39 years. Data were analyzed from April 2022 to November 2023. A total of 7 ACEs, including family violence, emotional abuse or neglect, physical neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse, rape, and hate crime, were assessed with items from the Life Stressor Checklist-Revised in a web-based survey. Adult (ages >18 years) clinical diagnosis of psychiatric disorders (ie, depressive, anxiety, alcohol or drug misuse, or stress-related disorders) were obtained from the Swedish National Patient Register. Of 25 252 twins included in the study (15 038 female [59.6%]; mean [SD] age at ACE assessment, 29.9 [8.7] years), 9751 individuals (38.6%) reported exposure to at least 1 ACE. A greater number of ACEs was associated with increased odds of any psychiatric disorder in the full cohort (odds ratio [OR] per additional ACE, 1.52; 95% CI, 1.48-1.57). The association remained but ORs per additional ACE were attenuated in DZ (1.29; 95% CI, 1.14-1.47) and MZ (1.20; 95% CI, 1.02-1.40) twin pairs. Individuals who were exposed to sexual abuse compared with those who were not exposed had increased odds of any clinically confirmed psychiatric disorder in all comparisons: full cohort (OR, 3.09; 95% CI, 2.68-3.56), DZ twin pairs (OR, 2.10; 95% CI, 1.33-3.32), and MZ twin pairs (1.80; 95% CI, 1.04-3.11). This study found that associations between ACEs and adult mental health outcomes remained after controlling for shared genetic and environmental factors, which was particularly evident after multiple ACEs or sexual abuse. These findings suggest that targeted interventions may be associated with reduced risks of future psychopathology.

Characterization of suicidal behavior in Coquimbo, Chile, between 2018 and 2020.

Suicidal behavior is a public health problem worldwide. The World Health Organization estimated 700 000 deaths for the year 2021. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of suicidal behavior and describe its related factors in the Coquimbo Region, Chile, between 2018 and 2020. 2190 suicide attempt notifications from the regional epidemiological surveillance system were analyzed, corresponding to 1781 people, along with 217 reports from the Forensic Medical Service of people who died by suicide. The overall suicide rate for the region during that period was 9.79 deaths per 100 000 inhabitants. The 2018 rates were standardized according to available information, with direct methods for the regional rate (9.55 per 100 000 inhabitants) and indirect methods for the communes. Rural communes presented higher rates than urban ones. Women showed a higher risk of attempts (OR 1.28; 95% CI 1.23 to 1.33) and a lower risk of suicide compared to men (0.086; 0.06 to 0.13). Young people had a higher risk of suicide attempts and a lower risk of suicide compared to older people. The increased suicide rates in older people (70 to 79 years) during 2020 are noteworthy. Basic education level is a risk variable for suicide (2.21; from 1.15 to 4.23), compared to having higher education. Previous suicide attempts and psychiatric pathology are risk factors. Suicide prevalence and related factors are similar to those reported in other studies and national reports, highlighting rurality and higher risk in older male adults. In contrast to suicides, attempts are more frequent in women and young people. A history of mental health problems, previous attempts, and family violence are risk factors for both outcomes. Knowing the patterns of suicidal behavior in the population is fundamental for its prevention.

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.

Unveiling Graduate Readiness to Respond to Domestic and Family Violence in Australian Social Work Programmes

Abstract Social workers trained initially through university education are essential in community responses that seek to address domestic and family violence (DFV). However, research has shown an international shift towards dominant models of thought that individualise or pathologise understandings of DFV in social work practice. This is problematic as it can cultivate a disconnect from the social justice mandates of the profession. Re-centring DFV within the social work curriculum has since become a focal point, but following, there is a dearth in research to measure what change, if any, this has cultured. This is further complicated in the Australian context, where to date the authors acknowledge, few studies have examined the extent of social workers’ exposure to DFV within university curriculum. This project sought to redress this issue, by quantitatively surveying understandings and perceptions about DFV among Australian university social work students and recent graduates. Specifically, the study examines their attitudes, beliefs, knowledge and perceived proficiency about recognising and responding to DFV. The findings suggest that notions of feminist praxis may be diluted in social work curriculum specific to DFV, and as such novel approaches to reinvigorate a structural examination of DFV in Australian university social work curriculum warrant further attention.

Violence in intimate relationships: Symptomatology and motivation for change.

This study aimed to analyze the experiences of victims of violence in intimate relationships (VIRs) who remain in, return to, or abandon the abusive relationship, as well as examine the type of violence suffered, the existing symptoms, and the motivation to change as explained by the Transtheoretical Model of Change. The participants were 38 victims, three males and 35 females, who completed an online questionnaire comprising a section on sociodemographic data, and three instruments, the Self-Reporting Questionnaire 20 (SRQ-20), Marital Violence Inventory (MVI), and the University of Rhode Island Change Assessment (URICA). Data analysis has shown that psychological violence was the type of violence most frequently experienced followed by physical and verbal violence, the house of the victims was the local where the violence mostly took place, the help-seeking behaviors were mostly directed to the family and attempts to leave from the abusive relationship is related to the experience of family violence in childhood. Participants were all in the action stage of the change, but aggressor's expectation/promise to change, the existence of children and maintaining the family or marriage, as well as economic difficulties are the main factors that contribute to both remaining in, or returning to, the abusive relationship. We will reflect on the social, clinical, and legal implications for the future of research with victims of VIR. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Everything That Rots Forms a Society: Ampuero Takes on Institutional Family Violence in Latin America

Everything That Rots Forms a Society: Ampuero Takes on Institutional Family Violence in Latin America

Parental Witnessing of Physical and Emotional Sibling Violence in Their Children: Associations with Parental Experiences of Physical and Emotional Sibling Violence and ACEs in Childhood

ABSTRACT Parents often face a considerable amount of stress around managing their children’s relationships. One source of stress can include instances of physical and emotional sibling violence (PESV). While this form of family violence has received minimal attention compared to other types of family violence, there is a need to better understand parental witnessing of PESV and how it is associated with parents’ childhood experiences of PESV as well as adverse childhood experiences. This research study examines the association of parents’ childhood experiences of PESV and adverse childhood experiences with witnessing PESV in their children while controlling for current family context variables and childhood family context variables. In a sample of 146 parents recruited from Qualtrics’ research panels, parental witnessing of PESV between their children was correlated with both parental experiences of PESV in childhood and adverse childhood experiences. In the regression models, only parental experiences of PESV in childhood, abusive adverse childhood events, and having less education than a bachelor’s degree were associated with parental witnessing of PESV between their children when controlling for other variables. The results of the research indicate a potential intergenerational transmission of PESV. Implications of the research support the need for practitioners and those working with parents and families to assess for PESV and educate on this form of family violence to help parents intervene when physical and emotional sibling violence occurs.

Intervention of Nursing in the Family Functionality of Women Victims of Family Violence in an Area of Lima

Violence against women is any public health problem since it takes many forms in which the couple exercises power and control over it in a violent way, so the research objective is to determine the intervention of nursing in the family functionality of women victims of family violence in an area of Lima. It is a quantitative-descriptive, cross-sectional study, with a total population of 794 women, who answered a questionnaire on sociodemographic aspects and the Faces IV instrument. In the results, 729 (82 %) women have somewhat connected family functionality and 65(8 %) a connected family functionality. In conclusion, home visits by health professionals should be taken into account for the early detection of risk factors that resemble violence against women in the home

Parenting in a post-conflict region: Associations between observed maternal parenting practices and maternal, child, and contextual factors in northern Uganda.

Studies show that war leads to an increase in harsh parenting and a decrease in parental warmth, which in turn has a devastating impact on children's development. However, there is insufficient research on the factors that affect parenting in post-conflict regions. In addition, most previous studies on the role of parenting in the context of war rely on self-reports, which are subject to a number of limitations. To complement existing research, the present cross-sectional study used behavioral observations of 101 mothers and their 6-12 year old children to assess parenting in post-conflict northern Uganda. The aim of the current study was to explore associations between observed maternal warmth and coercion and self-reported socioeconomic status (e.g., mother's educational level) as well as maternal (e.g., posttraumatic stress disorder), child (e.g., externalizing problems), and social contextual factors (e.g., family violence). Results show a link between observed parenting, child characteristics, and family violence. Higher levels of children's externalizing problems were associated with more severe maternal coercion. In addition, a negative association was found between family violence and maternal warmth. Findings are discussed in terms of their implications for prevention and intervention programs and the use of behavioral observations in post-conflict environments.

ANALYSIS OF COMPLAINTS OF VICTIMS DUE TO DOMESTIC VIOLENCE THROUGHOUT 2018-2023, ACCORDING TO THE ARCHIVED DATA OF THE REGIONAL BUREAU OF FORENSIC MEDICAL EXAMINATION OF THE ZHYTOMYR REGIONAL COUNCIL

The results of a statistical analysis of the appeals of victims of domestic violence during 2018-2023 according to archival data of the of the regional bureau of forensic medical examination of the Zhytomyr Regional Council are presented.
 Aim of the work. To analyze the appeals of victims of domestic violence during the years 2018-2023 based on archival data of the regional bureau of forensic medical examination of the Zhytomyr Regional Council.
 Materials and methods. The work used archival material of the regional bureau of forensic medical examination of the Zhytomyr Regional Council, which related to the appeals of victims of domestic violence during 2018 – the first quarter of 2023. The obtained quantitative data were processed by methods of variational statistics.
 Results. Statistical processing of archival material of the regional bureau of forensic medical examination of the Zhytomyr Regional Council for the years 2018-2023 revealed 1,328 appeals by women regarding bodily injuries caused in the family and 10 cases of appeals regarding adult molestation of children. It should be noted that during the acute respiratory disease of COVID-19 in 2020-2022 the trend of the number of appeals by women – remained constant and even increased somewhat, and during the Russian military aggression during 2022 and the first quarter of 2023 – the number of appeals almost halved. During 2018-2022 there were manifestations of family violence in the form of child molestation by adults, and in all cases it was the father of the victims.
 Conclusions. Analysis of appeals by victims of domestic violence during 2018-2023 according to archival data of the regional bureau of forensic medical examination of the Zhytomyr Regional Council revealed that: 1) by age, the most appeals were made by women aged 25-44; 2) in terms of the degree of severity of physical injuries, mild and mild injuries with a short-term health disorder, the physical manifestations of which were cuts, bruises, were dominant.

Deaths among adults under supervision of the England and Wales’ probation services: variation in individual and criminal justice-related factors by cause of death

BackgroundThe mortality rate among people under probation supervision in the community is greater than that among incarcerated people and that among the general population. However, there is limited research on the distinct vulnerabilities and risks underlying the causes of death in this population. In this retrospective cohort study, we examined the individual and criminal justice-related factors associated with different causes of death. Factors were assessed in relation to the type of supervision, distinguishing between those under post-custodial release and those serving a community sentence.ResultsThe study utilised the official data held by His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service in England and Wales on the deaths of men and women under probation supervision between 01 April 2019 and 31 March 2021 where the cause of death had been definitively recorded (n = 1770). The high risk of deaths primarily caused by external factors (i.e., suspected suicide (10%), homicide (5%), and drug-related death (26%)) in this population was confirmed. A Gaussian Graphical Model (GGM) demonstrated unique relationships with suspected suicide and drug-related deaths for known suicide risk, history of drug use and recent (< 28 days of death) enforcement action due to a breach of probation conditions. Our findings suggest that that familial violence and abuse may be relevant in suicide and drug-related deaths and that minority groups may experience disproportional risk to certain types of death.ConclusionsThis study identified unique risk indicators and modifiable factors for deaths primarily caused by external factors in this population within the health and justice spheres. It emphasised the importance of addressing health inequalities in this population and improved joint-working across health and justice. This involves ensuring that research, policies, training, and services are responsive to the complex needs of those under probation supervision, including those serving community sentences. Only then can we hope to see lower rates of death within this population.

The Impact of Socio-Economic Status on Domestic Violence against Women in Eastern India

Background: In the era of women’s empowerment, domestic violence against women really becomes an issue having significant impacts on the well-being of Indian communities. The linkage between domestic violence and income of the family has an important significance in family planning. The present study investigated the relationship between the socio-economic status of the family and domestic violence in West Bengal, India.&#x0D; Methods: The study also finds the patten of domestic violence change during the period of 2005-06 to 2020-21. A cross-sectional survey consisted of 160 women from both rural and urban area based on non-probability purposive sampling. was used to collect data from (How many respondents) and (how many) completed the survey instrument. Data were analysed for the survey using and for the qualitative interviews using…For reliability and validity …&#x0D; Results: Results of the logit model show a statistically significant negative association between the family’s income and both domestic physical and psychological violence experienced. The intensity of physical domestic violence increases by 3.028 when the income decreases by one thousand rupees. Similarly, the intensity of psychological violence increases by 1.386 when the income decreases by one thousand rupees. Results also indicated that the pattern of domestic violence change during the period of 2005-06 to 2020-21.&#x0D; Conclusion: These findings bear important implications for how to reduce the violence against women through promoting income-generating activities and socio-economic status in the study area. Policies that enhance family income and reduce income inequality would help in reducing the intensity of violence against women.

Dogs in the picture: restoring the queer history of the Irish family

ABSTRACT Taking the Irish pianist and music teacher Dorothy Stokes as a case study, this article explores alternative formulations of kinship in independent Ireland. It analyzes Stokes’s family life from two perspectives. The first is through her articulation of dogs as family within her abundant archive of photograph albums. The second is through her uneasy relationship to marriage as revealed in her correspondence with her lovers. The article argues that Stokes used the language and visual economy of marriage and family to claim her own ability to be a partner and a parent, despite her legal status as an umarried. In a legal and social context that emphasized marriage as the sole legitimate basis for family life, Stokes’ alternative kinships are all the more striking and significant. They indicate the need to think differently, and more queerly, about the history of the twentieth-century Irish family. While recognizing the extraordinarily rigid and violent family norm promulgated by the state, the churches, and society in Ireland, this article seeks to explore how to write histories of the Irish family that are not tethered to that norm, recognizing instead the diversity of ways that Irish people practiced kinship in real life. The alternative visions of kinship that Stokes created never mapped neatly or consistently on to the normative categories they echoed – wife, husband, mother – and, in their potential to escape the logics of those norms, they could be understood as what Harlan Weaver has called ‘queer affiliations.’ They were never utopian or antinormative escapes from the family, but instead direct our attention to the messy abundance of family as it was lived in twentieth-century Ireland.

Prospective associations of maternal stressors with child psychosocial problems through the occurrence of child physical abuse and changes in family dynamics

Early childbearing is associated with high maternal stress and family violence. However, the long-term effects of rapid repeat pregnancy (RRP) in young motherhood on child outcomes remain largely unknown. This study examined the pathways between maternal RRP at young ages and child psychosocial problems and emergency room visits in later years. A total of 232 Chinese mother-child dyads provided baseline data in 2015 (Time 1; T1) and follow-up data 6 years later in 2021 (Time 2; T2). At T1, mothers completed questionnaires about child physical abuse frequency and family cohesion and reported their own stress levels. At T2, mothers were re-surveyed with the same questionnaires about child physical abuse frequency and family cohesion. Children’s psychosocial problems were assessed through parent proxy-reports and records of emergency room visits were retrieved from hospital databases. After adjusting for demographic information, maternal history of RRP was associated with child physical abuse at T1 (β = .15, p < .05) and in turn linked to child physical abuse recurrence (β = .22, p < .01) and emergency room visits at T2 (β = .22, p < .001). Improved family cohesion over time did not break the link between maternal RRP and child physical abuse recurrence. Poor family dynamics can lead to child physical abuse recurrence and worsen developmental outcomes in children, particularly when coupled with other risk factors such as maternal RRP at young ages. Early interventions to enhance support and reduce vulnerabilities are important for preventing child physical abuse in at-risk families.

‘No one believed us: no one came to help’: caregivers' experiences of violence and abuse involving children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder

AbstractChild and adolescent‐to‐parent violence and abuse (CAPVA) refers to abusive and violent behaviours by children towards their parents or primary caregivers. The abuse and harmful behaviours can include a full range of physical, emotional, verbal, financial, and material actions over prolonged periods of time, from childhood to young adulthood. Parents and caregivers of children with neuro‐developmental conditions are vulnerable to CAPVA, and little research has been undertaken exploring the experiences of caregivers of children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). In Aotearoa New Zealand, 56 caregivers were interviewed using semi‐structured interviews, and over half identified significant levels and impacts of CAPVA, including dealing with physical violence and frequent emotional abuse. Health and stress issues were present in all caregivers interviewed. Caregivers also identified how systemic ignorance and a lack of understanding from caring professionals led to parent blaming, a sense of shame and isolation. Yet, caregivers also showed resilience and implemented strategies of de‐escalation and distraction. More specialised practice is needed in this emerging field of family violence and in how to support families with children who have FASD.

Mental Health Conditions and Utilisation of Mental Health Services by Survivors of Physical Intimate Partner Violence in Portugal: Results from the WHO World Mental Health Survey

The aim of this article is to study mental health conditions among survivors of severe physical intimate partner violence (IPV) and their utilisation of mental health services. This study is an integrated part of the World Mental Health Survey Initiative-Portugal, for which data was collected from a nationally representative adult sample using well-validated scales. Logistic regression models were used in the analysis. The most common statistically significant mental health conditions among IPV survivors were suicide ideation, PTSD, major depressive episode, and generalised anxiety disorder. More than one in three survivors developed PTSD. Suicide ideation was likely to occur after first experiencing IPV. Almost a half of survivors received specialised mental health treatment; in most cases, delivered by a psychiatrist. Over 60% addressed their mental health issues consulting general physicians or other healthcare professionals. Those who experienced family violence in childhood had greater odds of also experiencing IPV; survivors of IPV with this experience were more likely to receive mental health treatment. The need to promote greater awareness and competencies of not only mental health professionals but also of general physicians and other healthcare professionals to provide support more effectively to survivors of any type of IPV deserves to be emphasised.