Women Survivors Research Articles

Web-Based Information Seeking Behaviors of Low-Literacy Hispanic Survivors of Breast Cancer: Observational Pilot Study.

BackgroundInternet searching is a useful tool for seeking health information and one that can benefit low-literacy populations. However, low-literacy Hispanic survivors of breast cancer do not normally search for health information on the web. For them, the process of searching can be frustrating, as frequent mistakes while typing can result in misleading search results lists. Searches using voice (dictation) are preferred by this population; however, even if an appropriate result list is displayed, low-literacy Hispanic women may be challenged in their ability to fully understand any individual article from that list because of the complexity of the writing.ObjectiveThis observational study aims to explore and describe web-based search behaviors of Hispanic survivors of breast cancer by themselves and with their caregivers, as well as to describe the challenges they face when processing health information on the web.MethodsWe recruited 7 Hispanic female survivors of breast cancer. They had the option to bring a caregiver. Of the 7 women, 3 (43%) did, totaling 10 women. We administered the Health LiTT health literacy test, a demographic survey, and a breast cancer knowledge assessment. Next, we trained the participants to search on the web with either a keyboard or via voice. Then, they had to find information about 3 guided queries and 1 free-form query related to breast cancer. Participants were allowed to search in English or in Spanish. We video and audio recorded the computer activity of all participants and analyzed it.ResultsWe found web articles to be written for a grade level of 11.33 in English and 7.15 in Spanish. We also found that most participants preferred searching using voice but struggled with this modality. Pausing while searching via voice resulted in incomplete search queries, as it confused the search engine. At other times, background noises were detected and included in the search. We also found that participants formulated overly general queries to broaden the results list hoping to find more specific information. In addition, several participants considered their queries satisfied based on information from the snippets on the result lists alone. Finally, participants who spent more time reviewing articles scored higher on the health literacy test.ConclusionsDespite the problems of searching using speech, we found a preference for this modality, which suggests a need to avoid potential errors that could appear in written queries. We also found the use of general questions to increase the chances of answers to more specific concerns. Understanding search behaviors and information evaluation strategies for low-literacy Hispanic women survivors of breast cancer is fundamental to designing useful search interfaces that yield relevant and reliable information on the web.

Posttraumatic Growth, Centrality of Event, Trauma Symptoms and Resilience: Profiles of Women Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence.

The current study used a person-oriented approach to investigate (a) potential distinctive groups of women survivors of IPV based on their posttraumatic growth (PTG), centrality of event, resilience, and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) patterns, and (b) examine the role of sociodemographic (age, education, work status) and violence related (physical and emotional violence, time since last violence episode, psychological help) factors in distinguishing these groups. The study sample consisted of 421 women survivors of IPV, and latent profile analysis revealed four profiles: “negative impact” (11% of the sample), “positive growth” (46%), “low impact” (18%), and “distressed growth” (25%). Women age, education, received psychological help, frequency of physical and emotional violence, and time since last violence incident significantly distinguished some of the indicated profiles from each other. Findings of this study contribute to the existing literature by identifying different responses to IPV and investigating some of the theoretical assumptions that had not been comprehensively analyzed in the IPV literature. Limitations of the study and implications for future research are discussed.

Psychological Reactions to Different Types of Gender-Based Violence in Women Survivors of Violence in the Context of a Developing Country.

Literature on the psychological effects on women survivors of violence (WSV) suggests there may be a relationship between the specific type of gender-based violence and patterns in the development of mental health consequences. Understanding these relationships would support early targeted (or early specialist) intervention. Since violence against women in families is a common social health problem in developing countries, the study attempted to explore the abuse specific reaction patterns within such a context. A total of 600 WSV (mean age = 26.86, SD = 7.47) were recruited from different social service organizations working for WSV in Bangladesh. To identify the type of gender-based violence (i.e., physical, sexual, emotional, psychological, and economic violence) experienced and psychiatric sequelae (i.e., post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, and substance abuse) in WSV, multiple reliable and valid measures were used. The results of the hierarchical multiple regression analysis showed that amongst the various different types of violence, only psychological, sexual, and economic violence have a significant independent predictive ability on PTSD, anxiety, and depression in the Bangladeshi WSV. Violence related factors such as witnessing violence in childhood among parents and history of childhood abuse had the unique predictive ability on suicidal ideation and substance abuse, respectively. Our result suggested that accepting physical and emotional abuse at any stage of life is very common for Bangladeshi women. This study suggested that non-physical forms of violence have the most significant independent predictive ability in the development of psychiatric symptoms. It is suggested that to develop appropriate support services for WSV within this socio-cultural context, further research is required which focuses on the psychological impact of non-physical forms of violence.

Development, feasibility, acceptability and preliminary evaluation of the internet and mobile phone-based BSHAPE intervention for Immigrant survivors of cumulative trauma

BackgroundCumulative trauma exposures can have a profound effect on women's health and well-being. Black immigrant women are disproportionately affected by cumulative trauma experiences that place them at risk for multiple health issues such as reproductive sexual health problems and HIV, or mental health problems such as PTSD. The trauma-informed internet and mobile phone-based Being Safe, Healthy, and Positively Empowered (BSHAPE) intervention was designed to comprehensively assess for cumulative traumatic experiences, for current safety, and to address women's co-occurring healthcare needs through educational, psychoeducational, and mindfulness-based stress-reduction components. PurposeThis paper describes the development, feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary evaluation of the computer and phone delivered BSHAPE intervention among adult Black immigrant women survivors of cumulative trauma. MethodSeventy women participated in the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary evaluation of BSHAPE, with outcomes assessed at post-intervention. The feasibility and acceptability outcomes assessed were enrollment, adherence, and perceptions of the intervention. Preliminary evaluation outcomes included perceived stress, stress management, trauma coping self-efficacy, mindfulness, mental health (MH), HIV/STI risk, general empowerment, and empowerment related to safety. ConclusionsFindings suggest that a BSHAPE intervention is feasible and acceptable. Overall, women reported satisfaction with BSHAPE and provided suggestions for improvement. Women showed significant reduction in perceptions of stress, improved stress-management, enhanced self-efficacy, reduced HIV/STI risk, and improved MH, overall empowerment, as well as empowerment related to safety. The findings of this study will be useful in further refining BSHAPE and testing it in a full-scale randomized controlled trial.Trial Registration:NCT03664362

Institutional betrayal and help-seeking among women survivors of military sexual trauma.

The current study examined if IB was associated with women veterans' willingness to seek VHA and non-VHA mental health and medical care, prior use of VHA care, past year use of VHA care, and use of VHA and non-VHA MST-related care. Participants were 242 women veterans who screened positive for MST and completed self-report measures of IB and willingness to seek VHA and non-VHA mental health and medical care. Use of VHA care was assessed through VA Corporate Data Warehouse data. IB was associated with lower willingness to use VHA medical care and higher willingness to use non-VHA mental health care. Although IB was not significantly associated with prior use of VHA care, participants who reported more IB were more likely to have used VHA care in the past year and to have used both VHA and non-VHA MST-related care. These findings illuminate the relationship between the institutional response to MST with women's help-seeking willingness and use. Addressing IB may be important for increasing women MST survivors' willingness to use VHA medical care. Additionally, as IB was associated with greater willingness to use non-VHA mental health care, non-VHA institutions and providers should be prepared to serve women veterans who have experienced MST-related IB. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

\u201cI\u2019m not alone, my story matters\u201d: Incarcerated women\u2019s perspectives on the impact and acceptability of group psychotherapy involving imaginal exposure to sexual assault memories

BackgroundAlthough it is clear that incarcerated women need access to effective therapies for trauma sequelae, some have argued that one of the most effective treatments – exposure therapy – should not be provided in carceral settings due to the presumed lack of safety and stability making such an intervention inappropriate. Group therapy, the typical mode of intervention in prisons, has also been presumed to be unacceptable for exposure-based processing due to assumptions that hearing others’ trauma narratives would be traumatizing and unhelpful to listeners. However, there is a lack of data to support either of the aforementioned assumptions. This study examined the acceptability of an exposure-based group therapy for women survivors of sexual violence who were currently incarcerated (N = 61) by asking women themselves about their experiences completing an exposure-based group therapy protocol (SHARE; SurvivorsHealing fromAbuse:Recovery throughExposure) while incarcerated. We assessed women’s reasons for enrolling in the group, satisfaction with various therapy components (e.g., exposure, skill-building) and the treatment overall, and experiences of both sharing and listening to trauma narratives using a feedback survey that included a mix of multiple-choice and open-ended questions. Treatment dropout was examined as an additional index of acceptability.ResultsTreatment completion was very high (88.8%). Nearly all women who completed the group reported that they would recommend it to other incarcerated women (96.7%, with the remaining 3.3% reporting “it depends”). Qualitative results revealed overwhelmingly positive feedback about the effect of the group and indicated that sharing and listening to trauma narratives in a group setting serve discrete but dually important functions. Specifically, women almost universally experienced listening to others’ trauma narratives (i.e., exposures) in the SHARE group context as helpful—making them feel less alone and normalizing their experiences. Sharing one’s own story primarily provided an emotional release and/or transformation (i.e., an intrapersonal rather than interpersonal function).ConclusionsOur findings challenge common concerns about the appropriateness of 1) prison as a context for trauma-focused treatments, including exposure and 2) sharing trauma narratives in a group setting. Unless empirical evidence demonstrating harm is uncovered, best practices for PTSD and other trauma-related sequelae—those recommended in reputable treatment guidelines and interventions like SHARE that incorporate components shown to be effective (e.g., cognitive challenging, exposure)—should be offered to incarcerated women as part of standard of care.

Supporting Employment and Mental Health for Women Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence & Traumatic Brain Injury: A Community-Based Participatory Research Study

<h3>Research Objectives</h3> Explore employment and mental health related barriers and facilitators, service needs, and priorities for women survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and develop stakeholder informed knowledge translation (KT) materials and implement them through the Abused & Brain Injured Toolkit. <h3>Design</h3> Two sequential projects: one exploring knowledge and service gaps, and the second to develop KT materials to address those gaps. Data were collected via focus groups and semi-structured interviews. Reporting shall follow the consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research. <h3>Setting</h3> Community-based, participatory research model with data collection taking place online via phone or videoconference interviews, online surveys, and email. <h3>Participants</h3> A convenience sample of key stakeholders including frontline workers, executive directors/program managers in the IPV sector, women survivors of IPV, health care professionals, and employers. 24 stakeholders participated in interviews or focus groups to inform development of the KT materials and were invited to provide feedback mid-design. <h3>Interventions</h3> N/A. <h3>Main Outcome Measures</h3> We engaged in member checking to seek feedback on the prototype KT materials. <h3>Results</h3> Based on identified gaps and stakeholder input, two KT modules, one for employment and one for mental health, were developed for our existing online educational toolkit (Abused and Brain Injured Toolkit, abitoolkit.ca). Survivors' employment needs fell into two main categories, maintaining employment and obtaining employment. Mental health related challenges centred on difficulties parsing impacts of brain injury from mental health. <h3>Conclusions</h3> TBI knowledge among IPV service providers is increasing. As it does, additional education and resources will be needed to support survivors in various aspects of their lives. The development of KT modules directly addresses this, broadening available educational material in this area. <h3>Author(s) Disclosures</h3> The authors have no disclosures to report.

The Effect of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder on Women After The Earthquake in Central Sulawesi

Background: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychological disorder caused by uncommon occurrences such as threats or catastrophic events. Women are particularly susceptible to developing PTSD, as they have a range of threat perceptions. Purpose: The aim of this study was to examine the effect of PTSD on women survivor of the earthquake in the Sigi Biromaru sub-district of Central Sulawesi. Methods: This was a descriptive study conducted using a cross-sectional design. The population for this study were housewives who have been displaced by the earthquake and are currently residing in temporary shelters (Huntara) in a village located in the Sigi Biromaru sub-district. The instrument used in this study was the PTSD measurement questionnaire sheet. It was conducted from March to April 2020 and included a total of 115 participants. Univariate analysis was used to determine the respondents’ characteristics, including their age, education, occupation, income, and a description of the PTSD condition. Results: The results show that the majority of respondents experienced severe PTSD (70.43%). Most of the respondents (35.65%) were between the ages of 37 and 46, were senior high school graduates (40%), were unemployed (74%), and had earnings of &lt; 2,500,000 (85.22%). Three variables that affect PTSD are education with a p-value of 0.03 &lt; 0.05, job/occupation with a p-value of 0.02 &lt; 0.05, and income with a p-value of 0.03 &lt; 0.05. Conclusion: Women who are elderly, have a low level of education, are unemployed, and have low income are more vulnerable to experiencing PTSD.

Relationship between Heart Rate Variability and Functional Fitness in Breast Cancer Survivors: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Breast cancer is the most common malignancy among women worldwide. The treatments may also cause neuromuscular and skeletal disorders; therefore, the aim of this study was to verify the existence of a relationship between heart rate variability and different functional fitness parameters in women survivors of breast cancer. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 25 women survivors of breast cancer, with a mean ± SD age, height, and body mass of 50.8 ± 8.8 years, 1.6 ± 0.7 m, and 67.1 ± 12.3 kg, respectively. Patients underwent measurements of heart rate variability with time and frequency domain analyses, as well as a “30 s chair-stand test”, “6 min walking test”, “timed up and go test”, and “ball throwing test”. Results: A multiple linear regression analysis showed that from the heart rate variability frequency domain, high frequency explained 21% (R2 = 0.21) of the “30 s chair-stand test” performance. Conclusion: The findings of this study highlight high frequency as a predictor of “30 s chair-stand test” performance, regardless of age and time after diagnosis, suggesting its usefulness as a clinical indicator of functionality in breast cancer survivors. This study presents a straightforward and non-invasive methodology predicting functional fitness in women breast cancer survivors potentially applicable to clinical practice.

Tele-Case Work Consultation to Woman Survivor of Domestic Violence During COVID 19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 have resulted in social isolation, reduced social support system, and increased domestic violence (DV) cases against women and children. The governments and NGOs have taken several measures to prevent DV by starting helpline, WhatsApp numbers, and counseling services during the lockdown to safeguard the women. This paper describes a case scenario of how we offered tele-case work consultation during the lockdown period due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the procedure adopted, and preventive measures followed while providing a tailor-made psychosocial intervention to a DV survivor. It also discusses the strengths and challenges while offering tele-consultation and possible steps to overcome the technological barriers to mental health professionals.

Perceived trajectory of psychological and physical states after breast cancer: An optimistic perception

Background In cancer research, studying the quality of life trajectory helps us understand the complaints but also the cognitive, physical, and emotional aspects that can evolve positively. Examining both the suffering and the improvements expressed by the patients facilitates their care and their recovery knowing that an optimistic perception of the future is important for adaptative functioning after cancer. Through retrospective, present and prospective measures, we sought to characterize the subjective trajectory perceived by women with breast cancer about their cognitive, emotional and physical states, as it relates to quality of life. Methods Nine hundred ninety women survivors of breast cancer (after curative treatments) described, on the appropriate scales, their perceived cognitive, emotional and physical states over three periods of time: from past care (i.e., retrospective analysis) to the future (i.e., projective analysis), including the present period, as a function of their treatment (chemotherapy vs. no chemotherapy) and surgery (lumpectomy vs. mastectomy) using ANCOVA. Results The 732 women who had received chemotherapy perceived the most significant consequences, regardless of the type of surgery (η2 = .01). Moreover, all survivors expressed an optimistic perception of the change in their states in the anticipated future as a normative optimistic perception. Conclusions Results are discussed in terms of the benefits of specific and early interventions that enable patients to cope better with the disease and its treatments by taking into account their more or less optimistic perception of the future.

Personal Tools and Psychosocial Resources of Resilient Gender-Based Violence Women.

Gender-based violence is considered a serious social and public health problem. Overcoming this situation implies a process that results in the favorable biopsychosocial rehabilitation of the resilience of women. The objective of this study was to analyze the tools, resources and personal and psychosocial mechanisms used by women survivors of gender-based violence. The design was an interpretative phenomenology. It was carried out with 22 women who have overcome gender-based violence. Data were collected through personal interviews and narration. The results were grouped into four themes: “Process of violence”, “Social resources for coping and overcoming GBV”, “Personal tools for coping and overcoming GBV” and “Feelings identified, from the abuse stage to the survival stage”. Several studies concluded that overcoming abuse is influenced by the women’s social network, and it can be the action of these people determining their survival to gender violence. Despite the recognized usefulness of these available resources, it would be desirable to strengthen them in order to be able to drive more women toward survival, assuming a strengthening of coping and overcoming, without forgetting the importance of other support mechanisms, such as their family and group therapies.

"You Have to Be Strong and Struggle": Stigmas As Determinants of Inequality for Female Survivors of Sex Trafficking in Cambodia

Across the globe, human trafficking survivors have reported facing stigma and discrimination after reintegrating into communities. What makes stigma particularly dangerous is that it threatens what is “most at stake” in our lives, our close personal relationships and our personal life values. This paper explores longitudinal data from the Chab Dai Butterfly Longitudinal Research Project to document and describe forms of stigma and discrimination faced by survivors of sexual exploitation and trafficking living in Cambodian communities. Our research suggests stigmas associated with sex trafficking are a “fundamental determinant” of social inequality for many female survivors following reintegration. In this study, 56 women survivors discussed their encounters with stigma and discrimination interspersed with coping strategies and resilience attributes used to navigate life experiences. The majority (70%) spoke about contending with cultural stigma together with stigma from human trafficking experiences. Four main stigma causes dominated survivor narratives: gender, sex work, socioeconomic status, and marriageability. We use these causes, in combination with the voices of survivors, to develop a conceptual model of cohort experiences with stigma in Cambodia. Many survivors are conscious of negative stereotypes in their home communities before trafficking and discuss their struggles with self-stigmatizing thoughts and labels as they reintegrate back into their communities. Survivor discussions regarding stigmas associated with sex work show intense and persistent stigma layered over existing cultural stigmas and connected with a wide variety of societal discrimination and negative outcomes. This assessment identifies multiple disadvantaged outcomes for survivors in education, relationships, marital rights, and gender-based violence. We argue that these outcomes impact survivors' access/barriers to resources and life conditions related to job skills, employment opportunities, improving their socioeconomic status, mental and physical health, and other perceptions of family harmony, societal honor, and personal well-being.

Bioelectrical impedance vector applied to body composition evaluation of women survivors of breast cancer: A longitudinal study

Thus, the aim of this study was to assess the changes in the body composition of the women survivors of breast cancer and its association with clinical staging, using the bioelectrical impedance vector analysis (BIVA), over five years of follow-up. At baseline time 114 patients (T0) were selected and after 5 years (T1) of follow-up (n=35) data of weight, body mass index, waist circumference, phase angle, resistance/height, reactance/height, %fat free mass and %fat mass were monitored. Bioelectrical impedance vector analysis (BIVA) and the vector displacement assessment took place according to the initial and advanced clinical staging (CS 1 and 2, respectively) and time of follow-up and have been showed using mean graph and RXc score graph. Patients on CS 1 showed a reduction in reactance/height, phase angle, %fat free mass and an increase in %fat mass. The same group presented during the follow-up significant vector displacement by mean graph and a change to the 95% ellipse by the RXc score graph. Women with breast cancer in the initial CS showed a more significant displacement of bioelectric vectors, indicating worsening in body composition.

Improving Educational Dialog System for Historical World Affairs

This study aims to introduce the process of developing a dialog system to inform users of historical world affairs. It further aims to show the process of improving the dialog system by expanding the users’ question phrases to expose the contents maximally. The dialog system’s contents contain testimonial talks made by Korean comfort women survivors of Japanese army sexual slavery during World War II. We built a dialog system to design interactions between a user and video-recorded testimonies. In the dialog system, a user is able to interact with them verbally and virtually. The system plays the role of the survivors, who underwent painful experiences during the period. In this dialog system—of which knowledge content for testimonial answers is limited—it is more important to maximally cover the prepared answers than emulate dynamic conversation, which many dialog application researchers have focused on so far to let dialogs have sequentially diverse. Therefore, we expanded question phrases using lexical relatedness and various modal expressions, thereby boosting the content coverage. Overall, this study aims to seek a digital way of representing a dialog on historical world affairs with limited contents.

Fictional and Non-fictional Narrative Representations of State Repression and Terror in the Dirty Wars in Argentina (1976-1983) and Chile (1973-1990)

I argue that fictional representations of the Dirty Wars in Argentina (1976-1983) and Chile (1973-1990) allow for the possibility of forgiveness and healing, while non-fictional representations such as testimonies and conversations do not. Focusing on a variety of fictional and non-fictional texts, I analyze why and how state repression inflicts trauma and violence upon its victims and survivors. The novels I analyze are no place for heroes by Laura Restrepo, El Angel’s Last Conquest by Elvira Orphée and Bedside manners by Luisa Valenzuela. The non–fictional works I analyze are Nunca Mas: A Report By Argentina’s National Commission on Disappeared People, That Inferno: Conversations of Five Women Survivors of an Argentine Torture Camp, Circle Over Death: Testimonies of the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo and We, Chile: Personal Testimonies of the Chilean Arpilleristas. The theoretical underpinnings of my arguments are Paul Ricouer’s Memory, History, Forgetting (2004) and Avishai Margalit’s The Ethics of Memory (2002), both of which attempt to think through the relationship between forgetting and forgiving.

Growing Older in the Shadow of Childhood Intrafamilial Sexual Abuse: Women's Reflections on Parenthood Experiences Throughout the Life Course.

The long-term effect of intrafamilial sexual abuse for the survivors' parenting rarely focuses on older women who are mothers of adult children. The aim of this study was to explore the parenthood experiences of aging women survivors of intrafamilial sexual abuse, using the life course perspective as a conceptual framework. Interpretive phenomenological analysis was used to analyze the narratives of 19 older women survivors of intrafamilial sexual abuse. The narratives revealed 4 themes: (a) "How did I raise those kids? I really do not know": Early parenthood experiences of aging women incest survivors; (b) "This is a true gift they are giving me now": Revealing the intrafamilial sexual abuse secret to the adult children; (c) "Is it possible to say that something good came out of it?": Adult children as a victory over incest experiences; and (d) "When my granddaughter was born, I suddenly felt that I could not go near her": Grandparenting in the shadow of incest memories. Aging seems to open up a new avenue for parent-child relationships in the shadow of the parent's traumatic past, allowing reframing of parenthood in later life and demonstrating the power of parenthood as a source of healing in the lives of sexual abuse victims.

Daily experiences and strategies for psychological survival during the 2014 assaults in Gaza: a retrospective analysis of chronological diaries

BackgroundPublic health research suggests that multiple factors contribute to the mental health sequalae of political violence, but the daily experiences and ongoing strategies of psychological survival during active warfare are not clearly understood. We analysed retrospective chronological diaries from Palestinian women in Gaza, occupied Palestinian territory, to explore their lives during Operation Protective Edge in 2014, when a series of aerial bombardments killed over 2000 Palestinians and left around 500 000 displaced from their homes. Methods20 Palestinian female teachers in Gaza were recruited via an intervention for trauma recovery 1 month after the end of Operation Protective Edge, in September, 2014. Following the experience sampling method, women were asked to chronicle specific memories and affective responses associated with their experiences. Data were imported into qualitative data analysis software, coded line by line, and analysed using content analysis, with special attention to the causes of mental distress associated with political violence. FindingsThe women's narratives included memories of exposure to bombings, injuries, death, and destruction of vital infrastructure and systems. Their experiences of flight were described as exhausting and demoralising. Their temporary shelters lacked their basic needs for sanitation, food, and privacy. These experiences resulted in intense terror, grief, exhaustion, hopelessness, and isolation. Strategies of psychological survival included reframing; trying to appreciate “being able to escape death”, a sense of solidarity within families and neighbourhoods, and pride and satisfaction found in a context of resistance and global attention to the suffering in Gaza. InterpretationOur results reveal the importance of tracing the events of warfare, its psychosocial consequences, and the distinct patterns of emotional and logistical survival in Gaza. This study was limited by the representativeness of our study population and the small sample size. Future studies should explore this topic in larger populations. Limitations notwithstanding, in drawing out the unique contribution of reflective narratives of women survivors of war, our study highlights the need to solicit and analyse reflective and chronologically grounded narratives within global mental health epidemiology. FundingNone.

"I've Never Told Anyone": A Qualitative Analysis of Interviews With College Women Who Experienced Sexual Assault and Remained Silent.

The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of the decision made by some college women who are raped to tell no one. In-depth interviews were conducted with 15 college women between the ages of 19-24 who had never shared their sexual assault with anyone prior to speaking to the researchers. This study provides a systematic investigation of the factors underlying women's decisions to remain silent. The knowledge and understanding gained from these in-depth interviews offer insight for individuals and institutions to support these students and for the development of future efforts encouraging women survivors to tell someone.

Contextual factors associated with gender-based violence and related homicides perpetrated by partners and in-laws: A study of women survivors in India

Gender based violence (GBV) is a significant public health concern for women globally, including countries such as India. The researchers investigated factors related to GBV and GBV-related homicides perpetrated by both husbands and in-laws using a qualitative approach. Data were collected from 27 women in India. Analysis revealed factors at the societal/cultural (e.g. dowry), community (e.g. inadequate resources), relationship (e.g. in-laws abuse) and individual (e.g. internalized powerlessness) levels. Findings highlight the need for culturally appropriate risk assessment and safety planning procedures, as well as policies and programs across different ecological levels to reduce risk for GBV and GBV-related homicides.