Search Results (5)

Despite South Africa having interventions to address intimate partner violence (IPV) and offer women places of safety, they stay for long periods in IPV relationships. However, research on this topic is limited. Therefore, we examined the reasons why women stay for long periods of time in IPV relationships in a sample of women who were living in shelters for abused women in Gauteng Province, South Africa, and explored their experiences during the stay in IPV relationships. We used a descriptive phenomenological research approach and recruited and conducted in-depth interviews with 11 women who had left IPV relationships. The data were analysed using Giorgi’s phenomenological analysis method. Although women experienced a myriad of violent acts, physical violence was the most prevalent form of violence. Leaving the IPV relationship was not easy, as it involved an array of decision-making marked by a continuum of events. Various concerns kept most women trapped. They struggled with guilt and fear, emotional investment, love for the partner, fear of provoking more anger, and the hope that the partner will change. Hoping that the partner would change, having nowhere to go, and financial dependency were compounding factors that led to the feeling of being trapped in the relationship. However, having nowhere to go was the foremost factor that delayed women from leaving. Interventions to mitigate IPV should focus on understanding why women remain in abusive relationships for a long time to inform the design and development of effective interventions. Full article

Disabled people are at increased risk of violence, including physical, psychological, sexual, and financial abuse. We conducted a thematic analysis of discussion forum posts (N = 50) from the popular online platform, Reddit. Posts discussed personal experiences of domestic violence, most commonly referring to partner violence (n = 23) or abuse perpetrated by a parent (n = 16). We identified three primary themes associated with domestic violence: (i) Perpetrators Targeting Disability (e.g., withdrawing access to medication or assistive devices and verbal abuse focused on the disability), (ii) Isolation and Dependence (e.g., financial dependence on the perpetrator), and (iii) Accessibility of Support (e.g., inaccessibility of domestic violence shelters and bureaucracy of the benefits system). Findings highlight the relationship between disability and domestic violence. Greater societal recognition of this issue is required, and systems must be put into place to ensure that disabled victim-survivors of domestic violence can access the health and personal care required. Full article

Intimate partner violence, or IPV, is estimated to affect an estimated 10 million Americans. From 2015–2017 our community hospital-based residencies trained first-year residents to improve education in recognizing and screening for IPV. This retrospective cohort study’s goal was to analyze the longitudinal effectiveness of the educational program. The education was based on a curriculum created by Futures Without and the United States Office on Violence Against Women. The curriculum was taught by Turning Point, the local county provider for victims of domestic and sexual violence, and involved five hours of training. Physician Readiness to Manage Intimate Partner Violence Survey was used as the assessment tool. Residents were measured pre-, post immediate, and one-year post-education. Measures that include perceived knowledge and perceived preparation improved post immediate and one year after the training (p = 0.0001). Actual knowledge increased significantly post immediate but decreased after one year (p = 0.0001). The proportion of residents who screened patients and the proportion of patients who were screened increased post-intervention. The educational training provided by our local shelter improved residents’ performance in several of the categories tested, but most importantly, improved IPV practice post immediate and generally one year after. Full article

This qualitative research is the second part of a quantitative research that aims at recording the phenomenon of violence in pregnancy. The first part was carried out during August and September 2009 (N = 546). It was found out that the rate partner’s violence was 6%, while for 3.4% of the pregnant women, abuse started after the pregnancy. In the second part of this research, the semi-structured interview was used to investigate the way pregnant women experience violence. The sample comprised seven women abused by their partner (Ν = 7) at the women’s shelters of “Mitera” Babies’ Center and the National Social Solidarity Center between September 2010 and December 2011 and who accepted to participate in the research. The targets of the research were the investigation of the risk factors for the manifestation of violence, the profile of the victim and the perpetrator, the consequences of abuse for the woman, her reproductive health and the fetus. The majority of the abused pregnant women were foreigners and only two were Greek. The latter had experienced severe traumas (physical and psychological) since their childhood. Violence in their lives is the main characteristic of the foreign women seeking a better life in Greece, too. Alcohol use or abuse by the partners, poor socioeconomic background of the mothers and their partners, and pregnancy per se are the main risk factors of the violence against women in this period of their lives. Violence resulted in miscarriage in one case, while abortion was the alternative chosen by another as a solution to social exclusion and possible domestic violence. Anxiety and despair were the main psychological consequences. The small number of women included in the collection of qualitative data is a limitation for the research and decreases the reliability index of its results. Full article

Background: Data on Roma women’s experience of violence from their male partners are very scarce. We explored the process of actual domestic violence against Roma women, the threat of violence and its health consequences. We further focused on barriers in the availability of specialized support services aimed at eliminating domestic violence. Methods: The sample included 20 Roma women living throughout Slovakia: scattered among the majority (45.0%), in crisis centers and sheltered houses (40.0%), and in segregated Roma settlements (15.0%). Data were obtained through qualitative research by means of semi-structured interviews in 20 individual case studies. All 20 women had experienced a combination of violence: physical, psychological and economic, all of them connected with social isolation. Results: Prevailing gender stereotypes are a precondition of domestic violence against women, regardless of their status. Violence against Roma women resulted in several health consequences, and all of the 20 women suffered from these. Most of them reported general psychological problems (75%), among which anxiety and depression (25%), headache (25%), weight loss (10%) and health problems connected with motor activity (5%). The barriers include lack of awareness among Roma women of any specialised support services and the absence of such services for abused women in the region. Conclusions: Domestic violence results in serious psychological and physical health consequences. Violence elimination is generally set up without a specific ethnic or gender approach. Disregard of these specifics can lead to deepening of the uneven position of Roma women within the family, community and society, and the acceptance of violence against Roma women. Full article