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The COVID-19 outbreak led to widespread disruption and stress to people's lives. Concern about the escalation of domestic violence (DV) rates and related mental health issues soon emerged following the implementation of strategies aimed at curbing the spread of the virus. This perspective paper presents an overview of the issues, argues for greater recognition of the link between DV against women and serious emotional distress, and the need for greater awareness and knowledge about DV among mental health professionals. While we acknowledge that men also experience DV, their rates are much lower than for women and in this paper our focus is on women., (© 2023 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.)

Objective: It was aimed to emphasize the relationship between domestic violence and suicides by evaluating the cases referred to prepare a report due to domestic violence, suicide attempt and homicide. Methods: From 2014, when Muğla Training and Research Hospital Forensic Medicine Polyclinic was established, until the end of 2022, cases who applied to our polyclinic due to suicide attempt and domestic violence were analyzed separately. The records of the cases who applied due to suicide attempt and those who applied for domestic violence before/after the attempt were evaluated. Results: In the 9-year period between 2014-2022, a total of 14.821 reports were prepared in Muğla Training and Research Hospital Forensic Medicine Polyclinic, and 1.099 (7.4%) of them were reported due to domestic violence. In 763 (69.4%) cases reported due to domestic violence, the perpetrator was the spouse/partner, and in the remaining cases, the violence came from other domestic individuals. 686 (89.9%) cases of spousal/partner violence and 180 (53.6%) of cases of nonspousal/partner domestic violence belong to women.631 (4.2%) of the reports were due to suicide attempt, and 402 (63.7%) of them belonged to women. It was determined that 17 of the female cases who attempted suicide were reported due to violence by spouse/partner before/after the attempt, and in 19 (4.7%) of them, including domestic violence in 2 cases, by spouse/partner and other domestic individuals. In men, the number of cases in this group is 5, and the rate is 2.2%. Only 1 of them is spousal violence and the others are domestic violence. According to results obtained, the rate of suicide attempt in cases of spousal/partner violence was 2.2%, while the rate of suicide attempt was 6.8% in cases diagnosed with mental disorder due to spousal/partner violence. Conclusion: It has been suggested that detailed evaluation of both suicide attempters and victims of domestic violence will contribute to the solution of both social problems.

Purpose: Threatening or obscene messaging is repeated, unwanted texts, emails, letters or cards experienced by the recipient as threatening or obscene, and causing fear, alarm or distress. It is rarely examined as an aspect of intimate partner violence. We describe the prevalence of exposure to threatening/obscene messaging from a current or ex-partner; characteristics of victims; and associations with other forms of violence and abuse, mental disorder, self-harm, and suicidality., Methods: Cross-sectional probability-sample survey of the general population in England aged 16 + . Multivariable regression modelling tested associations between receipt of threatening/obscene messaging and current common mental disorder, past-year self-harm and suicidality., Results: Threatening/obscene messages were received from a current/ex-partner by 6.6% (95%CI: 5.9-7.3) of adults who had been in a relationship; 1.7% received these in the past year. Victims were more likely to be female, under 35, single or divorced, socioeconomically disadvantaged, and to have experienced other forms of sexual and partner violence and abuse. Those who received threatening/obscene messages in the past year were more likely to experience common mental disorder (adjusted odds ratio 1.89; 1.01-3.55), self-harm (2.31; 1.00-5.33), and suicidal thoughts (2.00; 1.06-3.78)., Conclusion: Threatening/obscene messaging commonly occurs in the context of intimate partner violence. While often occurring alongside sexual and physical violence, messaging has an additional association with mental disorder and suicidality. Routine enquiry in service settings concerning safety, including those working with people who have escaped domestic violence, should ask about ongoing contact from previous as well as current partners. This should include asking about messaging, as well as other forms of potentially technology-enabled abuse which may become increasingly common., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Gun violence is a principal cause of premature death in America. It has been suggested that solutions to gun violence may be found using a public health approach, which is broader than dealing with the problem via law enforcement alone. A component of a public health approach to gun violence is the implementation of policies or laws. Unfortunately, there is a serious gap in our understanding of how street-level police officers view proposed or existing firearms legislation. This is an important omission, because it is line-level personnel who are tasked with enforcing these policies within highly discretionary contexts. We surveyed police from three jurisdictions to establish a baseline understanding of officers' views about potential gun legislation and identify possible resistance and implementation barriers of firearms laws. The findings suggest that those responsible for enforcing new laws show limited or mixed support for the same. Officers were most supportive of laws that increase the presence of trained gun owners within certain contexts and ensure that individuals with criminal backgrounds or mental health concerns do not have access to firearms. Most officers support prohibiting gun ownership following conviction of a domestic violence offense. However, officers generally opposed gun legislation banning assault weapons, large capacity magazines, and internet ammunition purchases. Finally, officers with the Buffalo Police Department-which recently had experienced an active-shooter event-were more supportive of almost all types of legislation. Respondents expressing greater concern about officer safety related to firearms were supportive of several types of firearm legislation., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Aims: To systematically review and synthesize qualitative research exploring home-visiting nurses' roles and identify the challenges for nurses working with women experiencing family violence., Design: We undertook a thematic synthesis of qualitative studies, focusing on the family violence work of nurse home visitors., Data Sources: A systematic search of four scientific databases (ProQuest Central, CINAHL, MEDLINE, EMBASE) was undertaken in August 2021. Grey literature was searched, including government and non-government research documents, theses, clinical guidelines, policy documents and practice frameworks., Review Methods: Inclusion criteria included research from high-income countries, peer-reviewed qualitative studies in English published from 1985 to 2021, and included research on home-visiting nurse family violence practice. The first author conducted the data search and the initial screening. The first and second authors independently reviewed the full text of 115 papers, identifying 26 for inclusion in the thematic synthesis (Figure 1-PRISMA flowchart)., Results: The thematic synthesis identified two themes: (1) relationship building-with the client, with services and with colleagues/self; and (2) family violence practice-ask/screen, validate/name, assess risk/safety plan and safeguard children., Conclusion: The thematic synthesis confirmed the multiple roles fulfilled by home-visiting nurses and enabled insight into the challenges they face as they undertake complex and demanding work. The roles of the home-visiting nurse have evolved, with the initial focus on safeguarding children leading to broader family violence nursing practice roles, including the identification of family violence and safety planning discussions with women., Impact: Our meta-synthesis has confirmed the high-level communication and rapport-building skills required by nurses undertaking complex and conflicting roles. Nurses need support and supervision to undertake emotionally demanding work. Integrated health systems, clinical practice guidelines and tools, and training programmes need to encompass the breadth and complexity of the roles of these specialist practitioners., (© 2022 The Authors. Journal of Advanced Nursing published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Aims: To explore the family violence practice of home visiting nurses and identify the personal and professional characteristics of nurses undertaking family violence work., Design: A qualitative research design using interpretive description., Methods: The family violence nursing practice and characteristics of home visiting nurses in Victoria, Australia, were explored by analysing semi-structured interviews (n = 37) conducted over 4 months in 2019-2020. Twenty-five nurses and 12 nurse managers worked in urban, regional city and rural/remote settings. The data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis., Results: We categorized the characteristics of home visiting nurses into two broad themes with sub-themes: 'Things you can learn'; and 'You just bring yourself'., Conclusion: By researching the characteristics of home visiting nurses undertaking family violence work, this study has identified the personal characteristics managers should consider when recruiting nurses to this specialist role. Identifying the personal and professional skills required will improve nurses' working experience by reducing the risk of a potential skill/role mismatch. These insights may enhance the effectiveness of home visiting nurses so that the Enhanced Maternal and Child Health program contributes effectively to the support of women experiencing family violence., Impact: Interviewing home visiting nurses and their managers has enabled a clearer insight into this specialist practitioner's previously unexplored work. Identifying the nurses' personal, professional, and clinical characteristics should inform the development of position roles and identify nurses who are best suited for this role. This knowledge will ensure that the Maternal and Child Health program effectively supports women experiencing family violence., (© 2022 The Authors. Journal of Advanced Nursing published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Objectives: To describe how the UNC Horizons program, a comprehensive women-centered program for pregnant and parenting women with substance use disorders, and its patient population have changed over time and summarize basic neonatal outcomes for infants born to women in treatment at Horizons., Methods: Yearly Annual Reports from fiscal years of 1994 to 2017 were abstracted. Patient characteristics and infant outcomes compared to normative North Carolina data were examined., Results: Highlights of findings include: The percentage of women for whom opioids were the primary substance of use increased from 0% in 1995-1996 to 62% in 2016-17, while cocaine decreased from 66 to 12%. Intravenous substance use history increased from 7% in 1994-1995 to 41% in 2016-2017. The number of women reporting a history of incarceration rose from 10-20% in the early years to 40%-50% beginning in 2007-2008. The proportion of women reporting a desire to hurt themselves rose from 20% in 2004-2005 to 40% in 2016-2017. Self-reported suicide attempt history remained consistent at 32% across years. While reporting of childhood physical abuse remained at 38% across years, reporting of sexual abuse and domestic violence trended upward. Horizons did not differ from North Carolina in the likelihood of patients giving birth prematurely [χ 2 (13) = 20.6,p = .082], or the likelihood of a patient giving birth to a low birthweight infant [χ 2 (13) = 14.7,p = .333]., Conclusions for Practice: Breaking the cycle of addiction for women and children must focus on helping women with substance use problems develop a sense of hope that their lives can improve, and a sense of feeling safe and nurtured., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Purpose: We hypothesized that during the 2020 pandemic there has been a significant change along the year, depending on the SARS-CoV-2 impact on the population and varying difficulties implied in the norms that were adopted to embank the pandemic. Our objectives were to verify how the phenomenon of domestic violence has evolved and changed along 2020, and to clarify if these changes were correlated to the evolution of the pandemic., Methods: Though the analysis of the number of daily calls from women to the national anti-violence number and the parameters related to COVID-19 pandemic (daily cases, deaths, hospitalizations, and admissions in ICU), a positive correlation was found between daily deaths due to COVID-19 and the number of calls to the anti-violence number, while daily hospitalizations and admissions in ICU negatively correlated with calls of women reporting at the national anti-violence number., Results: The number of daily calls from women reporting at the national anti-violence number positively correlated with the number of quarantined people shifted of 30 days from the beginning of isolation at home, as well. We also analyzed temporal trends of daily calls from women to the national anti-violence number from 25th of February 2020 to 31st of December 2020., Conclusions: These findings demonstrate the importance of an active anti-violence telephone service and may help in developing a strategy to improve anti-violence facilities, especially during crises, such as specific sources of psychological support for women who have survived violence episodes., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Aims: To describe how mothers and mothering in the context of IPV are conceptualized in the nursing research and practice literature with attention to underlying ideologies, biases and potential harms., Design: Feminist intersectionality was used as a theoretical and analytic lens., Data Sources: Articles published between 2000 and 2021 in the nursing literature, identified by searching Google Scholar, CINAHL, PubMed and Scopus databases, and conducting bibliographic reviews of published articles., Review Methods: Search terms included: intimate partner violence, domestic violence, parenting, mother and nursing. Initial screening resulted in inclusion of 98 papers for analysis., Results: Four dominant ways of conceptualizing mothering in the context of IPV were identified: (1) IPV is conceptualized as a discrete acute event and/or crisis, (2) mothering is treated as a practice, (3) mothers are valued as vehicles for child health and well-being and (4) mothers are seen as vulnerable and 'at risk'. These narrow constructions are rooted in ideologies such as normative motherhood, deficit and grit/resilience and neoliberalism. Emerging shifts in the literature are providing an important counter-balance., Conclusion: Biases in nursing knowledge about mothering in the context of IPV may limit nursing's capacity to support the health of these women and their children. The integration of emerging perspectives that emphasize strengths and equity is critical in strengthening nursing knowledge and practice and in beginning to redress existing limitations and potential harms., Impact: This critique focused on higher-income countries of the Global North but raises fundamental questions that should be considered in other contexts. Applying broader conceptualizations of mothers, mothering and IPV to research and practice can help improve the quality of care available., (© 2022 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background and Aim: Domestic violence is a prevalent public health issue. While clinical guidelines and care programs for its identification and handling have been formulated in all administrative regions of Sweden, their degree of implementation is largely unknown. This study aims to assess the implementation of one administrative region's care program, including how it is seen to align with and function in clinical practice, and any perceived barriers to or facilitators of its use., Methods: A survey was distributed to first-line managers for healthcare units with patient contact in the region (n = 807). The responses were analysed using descriptive statistics. Open responses were analysed thematically. Group interviews (n = 5) were held with caregivers (n = 15) working primarily with young patients and analysed thematically., Results: 73% of the survey respondents reported previous awareness of the care program, and 27% reported knowledge of its content. The extent to which their staff knew about and followed the care program was assessed to be relatively low. The survey response rate was 19%. Among interview participants, knowledge of the care program was generally quite low. Survey responses and interview discussions pointed to the importance of developing routines, of collegial and managerial support and of training on domestic violence and the care program., Conclusion: This study indicates that the knowledge and use of the regional care program is limited among healthcare staff, including among those working with young patients. This underscores the importance of information and training for furthering the implementation of clinical guidelines on domestic violence., (© 2023 The Authors. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Nordic College of Caring Science.)

Domestic violence (DV) is a serious public health concern, affecting women's health and well-being. An international governance framework, through the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals and national policies in India have committed the country to attempt elimination of violence against women. Even so, efforts remain starkly inadequate for altering conditions under which women experience DV. This review paper aims to develop an evidence-based, integrated life cycle model to alter conditions that perpetuate DV and related vulnerabilities in society. The analyses identify and determine community-based innovative practices and policies. We propose a collaborative 'R5 model' to incorporate a multi-stage response to break the cycle of gendered vulnerability. The model identifies five stages of vulnerability in the lives of victims of violence: rescue, recovery, rehabilitation, resilience, and reform. This approach can result in promoting a proactive state-society engagement to uphold the rights and the welfare of women. We recommend the 'R5 model' to bridge the global SDG targets, national policies, and local practices.

This article explores the design and implementation of the Alberta Healthy Youth Relationships (AHYR) Strategy. The AHYR is a province-wide practice and policy change initiative in Alberta, Canada, that aims to prevent intimate partner violence by promoting service provider and systems capacity to support healthy relationships in adolescence and beyond. Developed in 2012 within a broader initiative called Shift: The Project to End Domestic Violence, the design of the AHYR began with work with provincial policy-makers, in order to create a policy climate that championed primary prevention practice. This policy climate subsequently supported the province-wide implementation of three evidence-based/evidence-informed programs that focus on building the skills and capacities required for healthy youth relationships. Through these programs, the AHYR has reached over 62,000 youth in grades 7-9, 900 teachers, 850 parents, and 1300 adults that work with youth across the province. In addition to these three programs, the AHYR also works with larger systems (e.g., policymakers, local funders, post-secondary institutions) to advance primary prevention practice. In this paper, we describe how the AHYR contributed to a culture of intimate partner violence prevention practice in the province by improving the readiness of funders and system leaders, community organizations, and practitioners to support healthy relationships best practices. We also describe how we used process evaluation to explore the potential for practice change and to inform the design of the next iteration of the AHYR. The article concludes with implications for other researchers and practitioners aiming to build a culture of intimate partner violence prevention practice within their province or state.

Violence against women is a problem worldwide, with economic costs ranging from 1% to 4% of global gross domestic product. During the coronavirus disease 2019 lockdowns, the United Nations coined the term the Shadow Pandemic to describe the increase in global violence against women. Here, using variation in the intensity of government-mandated lockdowns in India, we show that domestic violence complaints increase significantly in districts with the strictest lockdown rules. We find similarly large increases in cybercrime complaints. However, rape and sexual assault complaints decrease in districts with the strictest lockdowns, consistent with decreased female mobility in public spaces, public transport and workplaces where they might be at greater risk for rape and sexual assault. Medium-term analysis shows that increases in domestic violence complaints persist 1 year later, while other complaints related to rape, sexual assault and cybercrimes return to pre-lockdown levels., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.)

Many victims, victim advocates, and even law enforcement believe that protective orders are "just a piece of paper," suggesting that they do not work or are not effective. This study examined protective order effectiveness by following 210 women for 6 months after obtaining a protective order. There are four main themes that were identified from the study results. First, protective orders were not violated for half of the women in the sample during the 6-month follow-up period. Second, even among those who experienced violations, there were significant reductions in abuse and violence. Third, overall, women were less fearful of future harm from the PO partner at the 6-month follow-up, and a vast majority felt the protective order was fairly or extremely effective. Fourth, stalking emerges as a significant risk factor for protective order violations, sustained fear, and lower perceived effectiveness of the protective order. Implications for practice and future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is growing recognition of the links between knowledge translation, policy and practice, particularly in the domestic violence research area. A literature review applying a systematic approach with a realist lens was the preferred methodology. The review answered the following question: What are the mechanisms of change in research networks which 'work' to support knowledge translation? A search of eight electronic databases for articles published between 1960 and 2018 was completed, with 2,999 records retrieved, 2,869 records excluded and 130 full-text articles screened for final inclusion in the review. The inclusion criteria were purposefully broad, including any study design or data source (including grey literature) with a focus on domestic violence knowledge translation. The analysis of included studies using a realist lens identified the mechanisms of change to support knowledge translation. A disaggregation of the included studies identified five theories focused on the following outcomes: (1) develop key messages, (2) flexible evidence use, (3) strengthen partnerships, (4) capacity building and (5) research utilisation. This review adds to our understanding of knowledge translation of domestic violence research. The mechanisms of change identified may support knowledge translation of research networks. Further research will focus on exploring the potential application of these program theories with a research network., (© 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

This article presents information related to papers presented by the Western Society of Criminology, Long Beach, California. Few of the articles listed are: "Men as Perpetrators of Multiple Murder in the Domestic Context," by John Heeren, this study investigates multiple murders committed by men that grow out of domestic violence. "Suicide by Cop: A Scientific Profile," by Catherine E. Guzman, develops a theoretical profile based on the extant scientific research on the topic. The profile contains more than 60 characteristics that are typically found before, during, or after cases of suicide by cop.