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Supportive counseling and facilitated referrals to support organizations have shown positive effects on mental health and coping with domestic and family violence. However, the reasons why and how such effects are significant remain unknown. The current paper used data from a randomized controlled trial of a psychosocial intervention implemented in Nepal among 140 abused pregnant women. The hypothesized mediating effects of self-efficacy and social support on mental health and quality of life of abused pregnant women were tested using serial mediation analyses. Significance of parameter estimates and bias-corrected 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the indirect effects were generated using bootstrapping. The postintervention changes in self-efficacy and social support were found to have significant mediating effects on the relationship between the intervention and changes in both mental health and quality of life of participants post intervention. The positive effects on outcomes were seen at follow-up as well, though to a lesser extent. Further interventions should focus on enhancing abused women's self-efficacy and social support to ensure their positive mental health and better lives.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) has a high prevalence and serious consequences for the wellbeing of the victims. The impact of partner violence and the behavior of female victims continue to be poorly understood. Recently, a number of reviews have enhanced the understanding of the needs of female victims of IPV. These reviews improve the evidence base relating to IPV needs assessment and can enhance effectiveness of service provision. The aim of the current study is to review the currency of the knowledge used by social workers working with victims of IPV. We used a qualitative design in which 23 social workers from 10 IPV teams were asked to react to vignettes. Participants were asked what they perceived to be essential for understanding the women’s needs and determining an accurate treatment and guidance plan. Data were analyzed using open coding, followed by thematic analysis. Results indicate that in health services planning for battered women, service providers ask about the right domains, including: the characteristics of the relationship, social context, nature and pattern of abuse, characteristics of the female client, and—although to in a lesser degree—characteristics of the partner. Unfortunately, the sub themes within these domains are only partially considered, and sometimes superficially considered. Some topics that were not determined in the literature as relevant needs factors were seen as important by social workers, or assessed too soon, including the stay or leave question. These findings underline the realistic risk that staff members miss the actual reasons women stay with their partners or make certain choices in their help-seeking behavior. Incorrect needs assessments enhance the risk of female victims feeling unheard, and ineffective service provision, leading to care avoidance and low compliance with the services provided.

Consistent with a therapeutic jurisprudence framework, court decisions and processes can have a therapeutic or antitherapeutic effect on intimate partner violence (IPV) victims. To maximize therapeutic effects, IPV scholars have advocated for survivor-defined practices that emphasize the importance of engaging with victims in a collaborative manner that promotes autonomy, choice, and control. However, limited research exists in the context of criminal protection orders (POs). The current study addressed this gap by assessing whether criminal PO match (whether victims received the level PO they requested [i.e., PO match] or not [i.e., PO mismatch]) and victims’ subjective experiences of the court process were associated with their willingness to use the system in the future to address IPV. In a sample of 187 women whose partners were arrested for IPV, experiencing the court processes as positive (β = .36, p = .001) and court-related fear (β = .41, p < .001) were positively associated with willingness to use the system in the future. Additionally, PO match moderated the association between subjective court experiences and willingness to use the system in the future. Experiencing the court processes as negative ( b = .33, p = .005) and validating ( b = –.36, p = .001) was associated with willingness to use the system in the future only for participants who did not receive the PO level they requested. While experiencing the court as positive ( b = –.40, p ≤ .001) was associated with willingness to use the system regardless of PO match, it was most strongly associated for participants who did not receive the PO level they requested. Results suggest the importance of ascertaining strategies to improve victims’ experiences with the court, especially when victims’ requests are not met, to increase future engagement with the system.

Supportive counseling and facilitated referrals to support organizations have shown positive effects on mental health and coping with domestic and family violence. However, the reasons why and how such effects are significant remain unknown. The current paper used data from a randomized controlled trial of a psychosocial intervention implemented in Nepal among 140 abused pregnant women. The hypothesized mediating effects of self-efficacy and social support on mental health and quality of life of abused pregnant women were tested using serial mediation analyses. Significance of parameter estimates and bias-corrected 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the indirect effects were generated using bootstrapping. The postintervention changes in self-efficacy and social support were found to have significant mediating effects on the relationship between the intervention and changes in both mental health and quality of life of participants post intervention. The positive effects on outcomes were seen at follow-up as well, though to a lesser extent. Further interventions should focus on enhancing abused women's self-efficacy and social support to ensure their positive mental health and better lives.

The issue of domestic violence is neglected in current medical practice and the diagnosis associated with it thus escapes the attention of medical professionals. In this case report, we demonstrate rare and typical diseases of abused women, which should become warning signs for physicians (red flags) and lead them to screen domestic violence and intervene early. Failure to recognize domestic abuse as the cause of chronic health problems leads to lasting consequences and economically and personally burdens the health care system. Healthcare professionals of all specialties encounter abused women during their clinical practice and can thus actively participate in the prevention of domestic violence. However, it is women of reproductive age who are most at risk, so educating gynecologists and obstetricians on this issue is crucial. The aim of this article with a case study is to demonstrate the syndrome of a battered woman, its recognition and the possibility of immediate and brief intervention. Key words: chronic subdural hematoma – domestic violence – postdural puncture headache

Background During the COVID-19 pandemic, incipient data have revealed an increase in violence against women (VAW). Objective To analyze the existing scientific literature on strategies and recommendations to respond to VAW during the implementation of social distancing measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Search strategy An integrative review was conducted based on articles published between December 2019 and June 2020. Suitable articles were identified from the PubMed, SciELO, and LILACS databases, using relevant terms. Selection criteria Eligible studies included opinion and primary research articles describing the dynamics of VAW during quarantine and in the context of the restrictive measures taken during the COVID-19 pandemic and proposing recommendations to respond to this issue. Data collection and analysis Data were extracted from eligible publications and qualitative synthesis was used. Main results The 38 articles included in the study showed that some factors increasing women's vulnerabilities to violence were exacerbated during the social distancing and lockdown period. Health professionals are essential for screening and responding to VAW during the pandemic. Conclusions Strategies must include integrated actions aiming to prevent and respond to violence during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. These must be designed based on lessons learned from previous public health emergencies.

With domestic violence shelters faced with the persistent and arduous challenge of intimate partner violence, using an online survey, we explored the experiences of 98 shelter workers, including their perceptions of shelter services. Findings revealed that a majority of respondents (94%) indicated that through their work, they have had a positive influence on shelter residents. Moreover, 68% agreed that shelters are successful with providing services that will aid women in becoming self-sufficient, and 94% would like to see shelters have a greater impact on helping women find the pathway to economic independence. Thirty-six and 39% of participants, respectively, endorsed items about compassion fatigue and secondary trauma, and slightly more than half (51%) were frustrated by their work. Challenges in the provision of services included lack of funding, housing, and mental health and communal living issues. Incorporation of wellness efforts and self-care practices are encouraged in order for shelter workers to reduce susceptibility to compassion fatigue and secondary trauma.

The phenomenon of Sexual Assault against Women in Late Life (SAWLL) has received increasing research attention in recent years. Yet, there is still only scant knowledge on it, compared with research on the sexual assault of younger women. Sexual assault is considered a sensitive topic, generally characterized by a conspiracy of silence. The aim of this article is to explore the barriers that hinder the identification and exposure of SAWLL, as reported by professionals. The research question was as follows: How do welfare and health care professionals present the motives and processes that obstruct exploring, exposing, and intervening in cases of SAWLL? A qualitative research design was used. Participants were 18 experienced welfare and health care professionals engaged in intervention with sexual assault in late life victims as well as offenders. Data were collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews, which were later transcribed and thematically analyzed. Four themes emerged from the data analysis: (a) Leading Negative Emotions, (b) Lack of Language, (c) Implications of Cumulative and Complex Trauma, and (d) Social Exclusion. Women and professionals alike undergo complementary processes involving silence and silencing. These processes construct a “wall” of barriers, requiring professionals’ sensitivity and awareness to deconstruct these barriers. Professional intervention through open discourse with the abused women can break this conspiracy of silence. We recommend that training programs for professionals intervening in cases of elder abuse and neglect will be directed along two paths: The first path should focus on professionals’ competence and skills, and the second path should address the women’s specific needs. These programs will include a particular module that will specifically address SAWLL. This module should comprise knowledge on typical emotional reactions to SAWLL, the use of language in creating reality, cumulative and complex trauma, and the social construction of ageism and sexism, which lead to social exclusion.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a serious global health problem affecting millions of women worldwide. Despite increased investments into its reduction, little research has been conducted into how women in low- and middle-income countries deal with IPV. This study seeks to explore this by looking in depth into help-seeking strategies utilized by abused women in Tanzania, using the 2015–2016 Tanzania Demographic and Health Survey. The prevalence of lifetime physical and/or sexual IPV was 41.6% in this study, but only half of all affected women sought help from anyone. The only clear association found with help-seeking was the severity of IPV.

This article explores the self-positioning of Indian social workers who work with female survivors of domestic violence (DV). We know from previous research about the experiences of persons who have encountered DV, but more studies on the point of view of the professionals is needed. Relying on positioning theory and discursive analysis as a framework, we analyzed interviews ( N = 18) concerning the practices, emotions, and attitudes of social workers. Positioning theory enables scholars to approach the situation of encountering a survivor as a social event, which consists of the meaning-making activities of social workers. Professionals self-position themselves as one or a combination of the following: (a) a challenger of gendered oppression, (b) an advocator of women’s rights, (c) a facilitator of women’s empowerment, and/or (d) a self-reflector of personal emotions and attitudes. The findings suggest that the event of DV intervention is a discursive and contextually situated moral practice in which the distribution of rights and duties to say and do things is of particular interest. The act of self-positioning is constructed in relation to sociocultural settings. Social workers may take several positions during the meetings with survivors. Positions build our understanding of how social workers in violence-specific units make sense of DV, illustrating how the act of self-positioning may also define to the position of the survivor. Social workers experienced boundaries, and possibilities in responding to DV were explored. The study reveals that barriers should be addressed at a wider level by funders and policy makers to enhance the continuity of work and the implementation of women rights legislation in India.

Objective: To determine the potential and limitations of Primary Health Care professionals to identify situations of violence against women. Location: A municipality of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Design: Descriptive and exploratory study with a qualitative approach. Participants: Twenty-one health professionals of three Family Health Strategy units, as well as one Basic Health Unit. The inclusion criterion consisted of being a health worker in these services. The exclusion criterion was to be absent from work by any kind type license during the period of data production. Method: The technique used to produce data was individual, semi-structured, interviews in order to collect sociodemographic data and the monitoring by professionals related to the potentials and limitations to identify violence situations. The data collection was suspended based on the saturation criterion. The data were systematized and analyzed by the content analysis technique, according to the analytical categories of health care network and gender. Results: The potential to identify themes were: professional experience, receptive atmosphere, bonding, and listening to the reports of women, children and/or neighbors and observing their behavior; to identify the lesions; prenatal consultations; and home visits. As to the limitations: silence, denial/non-recognition of violence, lack of complaints by women; fear and guilt; flaws and unpreparedness of the health team; and fear due to the presence of aggressor. Conclusions: It is urgent to recognize the potential of Primary Care and to promote the qualification of professionals in order to identify the situation among visible and invisible complaints, leading to the confrontation of violence. Resumen: Objetivo: Conocer potencialidades y límites para identificar de situaciones de violencia contra las mujeres por profesionales de Atención Primaria a la Salud. Emplazamiento: Un municipio de Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil. Diseño: Estudio exploratorio y descriptivo con enfoque cualitativo. Participantes: 21 Profesionales de la salud de 3 unidades de Estrategia Salud de la Familia y una Unidad Básica de Salud. Criterio de inclusión: ser trabajador de salud en esos servicios. Criterio de exclusión: estar ausente del trabajo por licencia de cualquier naturaleza durante el período de generación de datos. Método: Entrevistas semiestructuradas individuales para recopilar datos sociodemográficos y profesionales relacionados con potencialidades y límites para identificar situaciones de violencia. La recolección de datos fue cerrada mediante el criterio de saturación. Los datos fueron sistematizados y analizados a través del análisis de contenido según las categorías analíticas red de atención a la salud y género. Resultados: Los temas fueron potencialidades para la identificación: experiencia del profesional, acogida, vínculo y escucha atenta del relato de la mujer, hijos y/o vecinos y su comportamiento; reconocer las lesiones; la consulta prenatal, visita domiciliaria. Los límites: silencio, negación/no reconocimiento de la violencia, falta de la denuncia por la mujer; miedo y culpabilidad; el déficit y la falta de preparación del equipo; y el miedo debido a la presencia del agresor. Conclusiones: Cabe reconocer las potencialidades de la Atención Primaria y promover la calificación de los profesionales para la identificación de la situación entre las quejas (in)visibles, impulsando el enfrentamiento de la violencia. Keywords: Violence against women, Attitude of health personnel, Battered women, Women's health, Delivery of health care, Palabras clave: Violencia contra la mujer, Actitud del personal de salud, Mujeres maltratadas, Salud de la mujer, Prestación de Atención de Salud

This study examines the nature of helpful responses received and barriers to seeking help following the experience of intimate partner violence among women of Filipina, Indian, and Pakistani descent (N = 143) in the United States. Instead of aggregating women from diverse backgrounds, we investigated these groups of women separately. A content analysis found that while emotional support was the most helpful response, there were important variations by ethnicity and immigration position in the perceived helpfulness of various assistance resources as well as barriers to help-seeking. This study of disaggregated Asian immigrant groups enhances our understanding of both common and unique challenges faced by each immigrant group, which can inform development of socioculturally relevant intervention programs.

Objective: To identify Brazilian and international scientific evidence on the critical path of women in situations of violence. Method: Integrative literature review developed in four databases and two electronic portals, in January 2017. Twenty-one full articles in English, Portuguese or Spanish from original researches were included in the time cut from 1994 to 2016, and which presented critical path elements, even without using this concept. Results: The critical path of women in situations of violence is constituted of elements related to their perceptions, actions and previous experiences regarding availability and quality of services, social representations of public servers and community and the results obtained in the search for help. Conclusion: Critical path elements are decisive for the women, and can promote, inhibit or delay the beginning of the route and consequently the end of situations of violence experienced by these women.

Advocacy services, for victims and survivors, are at the core of our response to Intimate Partner Violence (IPV). The survivor contact element of IPV perpetrator programs is recognized as a necessary safety measure for their operation. Within the context of equivocal evaluations of these programs, and the impetus to find opportunities to enhance their effectiveness, this study report explores the service user perspective on survivor contact work. In-depth semi-structured interviews were completed with 18 perpetrators and 18 survivors involved in three Irish-based programs, and findings were analyzed using grounded theory principles. Almost without exception, survivors were positive about their engagement with an outreach service. There was evidence to suggest that perpetrator program outreach services do reach survivors who may not ordinarily make contact with an advocacy service. In general terms, survivors felt validated as survivors, they felt supported, they learned about abusive behaviors and some saw the service as a monitor of what their partner was saying during group work. However, some survivors described their fear that any reports of ongoing abuse, which they offered, would attract reprisals from their partner or the attentions of child protection services. More determined application of criminal justice measures, and enhanced resourcing of the survivor contact element of these programs, should be considered.

Recent research on the practices of justice operators with women victims of intimate partner violence has evidenced the existence of gender stereotypes and gender-blind practices in the Spanish legal system (Albertín et al., 2020; García Jiménez et al., 2019, 2020), as well as the graves consequences that such practices imply for these women. In this context, the present study explored the existence of a battered woman stereotype and its variation when the victim defends herself from the abuser. An opportunity sample of 505 undergraduates of Law, Psychology and other studies from two Spanish universities assessed some personality characteristics of a woman after watching a 1-minute-long silent video. The participants were randomly assigned to one of three observation conditions (“control”, “victim” or “self-defense victim”), which differed in the previous information given about the target woman. The Principal Components Analysis reduced the information from the questionnaire to three dimensions: “brittleness” (α = .91), “positive” (α = .786), and “hostile” (α = .809). The MANOVA confirmed the battered woman stereotype and its modification when the victim reacts against the abuser in self-defense: in this case the attribution of brittleness decreases and the attribution of hostility increases. The type of academic training showed significant effects on the stereotype, this being more negative among Law students than among Psychology ones. Law students perceive the target woman in the “victim” condition more hostile and manipulator. As for the “self-defense” condition, Law students attribute less brittleness to the victim, and perceive her more manipulator and dangerous. The effect of the observer's gender on the stereotype is consistent with the previous literature. Implications for professional training and judicial practices are discussed.

Objective: To explore women's experiences of violence and their opinion on routine screening for domestic violence by nursing professionals in mental health care settings. Methods: This qualitative narrative research design was carried out among 20 asymptomatic women with mental illness at a tertiary care centre in Bangalore, India. Results: Narrative content analysis was performed, and five dominant themes have emerged: 1. Understanding the nature and signs of violence (subtheme: Meaning of violence), 2. Abusive experiences of women with mental illness (subthemes: Physical violence, psychological violence, social violence, sexual violence and financial violence), 3. Experiences on disclosure of violence (subthemes: Identification of violence by nursing professionals, Experiences of disclosure of violence), 4. Barriers for disclosure of abuse(subthemes: Fear of consequences, the hectic schedule of nursing staff, helplessness and hopelessness, perceived poor family support). 5.Routine screening for violence by nursing professionals (subthemes: reasons for routine inquiry of violence, nature of inquiry by the nursing professionals). Conclusion: Women with mental illness were undergoing more than one form of violence, and most of the participants supported routine screening by nursing professionals. Nurses play an essential role in identifying and supporting abused women in mental health care settings. Resumen Objetivo: Explorar las experiencias de violencia que sufren las mujeres y su opinión sobre el cribado rutinario de la violencia doméstica por parte de los profesionales de enfermería en los centros de salud mental. Métodos: Esta investigación narrativa cualitativa se llevó a cabo con 20 mujeres asintomáticas con enfermedades mentales en un centro de atención terciaria en Bangalore, India. Resultados: Se realizó un análisis de contenido narrativo y surgieron cinco temas dominantes: 1. Comprensión de la naturaleza y los signos de la violencia (subtema: Significado de la violencia), 2. Experiencias abusivas de las mujeres con enfermedades mentales (subtemas: Violencia física, violencia psicológica, violencia social, violencia sexual y violencia económica), 3. Experiencias sobre la revelación de la violencia (subtemas: Identificación de la violencia por parte de los profesionales de enfermería, Experiencias de revelación de la violencia), 4. Barreras para la revelación del abuso (subtemas: Miedo a las consecuencias, el agitado horario del personal de enfermería, impotencia y desesperanza, percepción de un escaso apoyo familiar). 5. Indagación rutinaria de la violencia por parte de los profesionales de enfermería (subtemas: razones para la indagación rutinaria de la violencia, naturaleza de la indagación por parte de los profesionales de enfermería). Conclusión: Las mujeres con enfermedades mentales sufrieron más de una forma de violencia y la mayoría de las participantes apoyó el cribado rutinario por parte de los profesionales de enfermería. Las enfermeras desempeñan un papel esencial en la identificación y en el apoyo a las mujeres maltratadas en los entornos de atención en la salud mental. Resumo Objetivo: Explorar as experiências de violência sofrida por mulheres e sua opinião sobre o rastreamento rotineiro de violência doméstica por profissionais de enfermagem em centros de saúde mental. Métodos: Esta pesquisa narrativa qualitativa foi realizada com 20 mulheres assintomáticas com doença mental em um estabelecimento de cuidados terciários em Bangalore, Índia. Resultados: Realizou-se uma análise de conteúdo narrativo e emergiram cinco temas dominantes: 1. Compreendendo a natureza e os sinais da violência (subtópico: Significado da violência), 2. Experiências abusivas de mulheres com transtorno mental (subtópicos: Violência física, violência psicológica, violência social, violência sexual e violência econômica), 3. Experiências sobre a divulgação da violência (subtópicos: Identificação da violência por profissionais de enfermagem, Experiências da divulgação da violência), 4. Barreiras para a divulgação do abuso (subtópicos: medo das consequências, enfermagem ocupada horas de trabalho, desamparo e desesperança, percepção de pouco apoio familiar) 5. Inquérito de rotina sobre violência por profissionais de enfermagem (subtópicos: motivos de inquérito de rotina sobre violência, natureza do inquérito por profissionais de enfermagem). Conclusão: Mulheres com doença mental sofreram mais de uma forma de violência e a maioria das participantes apoiava o rastreamento de rotina pelos profissionais de enfermagem. Os enfermeiros desempenham um papel essencial na identificação e apoio às mulheres agredidas em ambientes de cuidados de saúde mental.

This study examines the nature of perceived needs of women victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) and their association with social demographic characteristics and self-reported mental health symptoms. The study uses data from case records of women victims of IPV (n = 154) seeking help from a victim assistance program housed within city police station located in the southwest, United States. The majority of the women in this study reported needs related to counseling, protection orders, Crime Victims' Compensation Rights, legal services, and Temporary Aid for Needy Families. Findings also indicate that perceived needs of women were significantly associated with self-reported mental health symptoms. Some needs had a stronger relationship to women's mental health symptoms than others. Overall these findings suggest that it is imperative to emphasize responses that can address all the needs of women (in addition to stopping IPV) to reduce mental health symptoms.

Civil Protection Orders (CPOs) are among the most common legal tools that victims of intimate partner violence and abuse (IPV/A) use to protect themselves. The current study adds to the CPO research by using quantitative data to look at how female survivors' experiences with court personnel (attorneys, mediators, and hearing officers) shape their satisfaction with the court process, and what types of individual and court-related factors are related to perceived fairness of court personnel. The current study uses in-depth quantitative data collected from women over the age of 18 who sought a CPO due to violence from a male current or former partner. The findings indicate that women's satisfaction with the court process is significantly impacted by the perceived fairness of court personnel. In turn, specific behaviors by court personnel predict women's ratings of fairness of those personnel. Additionally, women's socioeconomic status impacts how fair they perceive the hearing officers to be. Court personnel play an integral role in helping victims navigate the legal system in ways that could protect their safety and influence how they perceive the CPO system as it relates to the abuse they have experienced.

Background:Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) survivors are at high risk of sexual revictimization. At the same time, some survivors report positive transformations resulting from the traumatic experience, a phenomenon known as post-traumatic growth (PTG). Although one might expect PTG to be related to reduced risk of revictimization, the link between PTG and revictimization has not been investigated. Furthermore, mixed findings regarding the associations between PTG and distress imply that the effects of PTG are multifaceted. One potential explanation may be that dissociation shapes the implications of PTG, making it more like denial than adaptive processing of traumatic experience. This longitudinal study explores (a) the associations between PTG and sexual revictimization and (b) the moderating role of dissociation within the associations between PTG and revictimization.Method:Participants were 111 female CSA survivors who participated in a 6-month efficacy trial evaluating the effectiveness of group psychotherapy for CSA survivors with HIV risk factors.Results:Dissociation moderated the associations between PTG and revictimization: Whereas PTG had nonsignificant effects on revictimization in participants with low dissociation, it predicted elevated levels of revictimization in participants with high dissociation.Conclusions:Reports of PTG among some CSA survivors might mirror dissociative beliefs that increase their risk of revictimization.

Intimate partner violence continues to be a widespread and serious problem. African American women experience a high lifetime prevalence of physical intimate partner violence, but resources for them are often scarce. This mixed-methods analysis of telephone survey responses found that women who were African American, had less education, and were dissatisfied with criminal justice responses to an abusive incident were less likely to seek personal protection orders (PPOs). The qualitative analysis showed that many women did not seek POs because their assessment of their partners indicated it was not needed or increased risk. Practical obstacles in obtaining orders were noteworthy.

Through the use of purposive sampling and the grounded theory method, this qualitative study delineates factors that promote adaptation and end family patterns of violence and dysfunction in the case of resilient adult daughters of abused women ( N = 29). Coping processes included distancing from the family, seeking understanding and acceptance, and finding meaning and purpose. Motivating factors included learning what not to do from their families and breaking the cycle of violence and dysfunction from occurring in their adult lives. We learn how daughters of abused women may create a life informed, rather than directed, by their childhood adversity.

This pilot study examined whether an evidence-based intervention for preventing HIV that was adapted for women residing in domestic violence shelters improved residents’ HIV knowledge and condom use self-efficacy. The intervention acceptability, feasibility, and fidelity were also assessed. Seven domestic violence shelter workers facilitated the intervention to 32 shelter residents. Residents had significantly higher HIV knowledge and condom use self-efficacy after the intervention. Residents found the intervention highly acceptable. Intervention facilitators generally agreed that the intervention was acceptable and feasible. Facilitators taught the intervention mostly as suggested, but with some changes. Study implications are discussed.

Evidence of the effectiveness of programs to change gendered social norms related to intimate partner violence (IPV) is growing, but their potential to significantly impact actual occurrence of IPV at population level is lacking. We study whether modest changes in gendered social norms related to wife-beating can result in significant changes in the incidence of emotional, physical, and sexual IPV among ever married women in Uganda. We employ an imputation-based causal inference approach, based on nationally representative Demographic Health Survey data. The steps are (1) model the association between adjusted neighborhood norms and experiences of IPV using a random effects logistic regression model, (2) impute unobserved counterfactual probabilities of experiencing IPV for each woman while manipulating her neighborhood norms by setting it to different values, (3) average the probabilities across the population, and (4) bootstrap confidence intervals. Results show that statistically significant inverse associations between more prohibitive neighborhood IPV norms and women's experiences of different forms of IPV at the population level exist. The effect is however small, that even if an entire community disapproves of wife-beating, incidence of IPV falls by about 10 percentage points to 48.5% (95% CI 46.0%-50.9%) from the observed value of 57.6% (95% CI 55.2%-59.9%). Furthermore, changes in neighborhood social norms are found to have no statistical significant effect on the incidence of sexual violence. In conclusion, changing gendered social norms related to wife-beating will not result in significant reductions in different forms for IPV at the population level.

In Spain, a country of great cultural diversity, there is an increasing demand for psychosocial care for victims of gender-based violence. The objective is to describe the psychosocial profile of these women residing in the Autonomous Community of Galicia. In a sample (

Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) poses a risk for sexual revictimization. Additionally, according to theory CSA may lead to identification with the aggressor, expressed by adopting the perpetrator's experience concerning the abuse; identifying with the perpetrator's aggression; replacing one's agency with that of the perpetrator; and becoming hyper-sensitive to the perpetrator. Although clinical impressions suggest that identification with the aggressor underlies reenactment of trauma, this linkage between identification with the aggressor and sexual revictimization remains largely uninvestigated. This study assessed (a) the relationship between identification with the aggressor (total score and four subscales) and sexual revictimization; (b) the unique associations between identification with the aggressor (total score and four subscales) and sexual revictimization, above and beyond chronicity of abuse and PTSD symptoms. Participants were Israeli women students who reported a history of CSA (n = 174). Analyses indicated significant correlations between two subscales of identification with the aggressor - replacing one's agency with that of the perpetrator and becoming hyper-sensitive to the perpetrator - and sexual revictimization. These subscales of identification with the aggressor were associated with sexual revictimization, above and beyond the effects of chronicity of the abuse and PTSD symptoms. Nevertheless, these associations were in opposite directions - while replacing one's agency with that of the perpetrator was related with higher occurrence of sexual revictimization, becoming hyper-sensitive to the perpetrator was related with lower levels of revictimization. These results imply that identification with the aggressor may serve as a multifaceted phenomenon in the context of sexual revictimization, comprised of both adaptive and maladaptive aspects.

This article surveys an evolving understanding of women’s use of force in their intimate heterosexual relationships. It explores the common characteristics of women who use force and, using an intersectional lens, considers the experiences of women in marginalized communities. It also examines how the legal response to intimate partner violence has affected this population. In addition, the development of and best practices in community-based gender-responsive programming for women’s use of force in their intimate heterosexual relationships are overviewed. In conclusion, this work identifies challenges that still exist in effectively responding to women’s use of force.

BackgroundEvidence of an association between exposure to domestic violence and abuse (DVA) and use of emergency contraception (EC) is lacking in the UK.AimTo quantify the association between exposure to DVA and consultations for EC in general practice.Design and settingNested case-control study in UK general practice.MethodUsing the Clinical Practice Research Datalink, the authors identified all women all women aged 15–49 years registered with a GP between 1 January 2011 and 31 December 2016. Cases with consultations for EC (n = 43 570) were each matched on age and GP against four controls with no consultations for EC (n = 174 280). The authors calculated odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association between exposure to DVA in the previous year and consultations for EC. Covariates included age, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, pregnancy, children, alcohol misuse, and depression.ResultsWomen exposed to DVA were 2.06 times more likely to have a consultation for EC than unexposed women (95% CI = 1.64 to 2.61). Women aged 25–39 years with exposure to DVA were 2.8 times more likely to have a consultation for EC, compared with unexposed women (95% CI = 2.08 to 3.75). The authors found some evidence of an independent effect of exposure to DVA on the number of consultations for EC (OR 1.48, 95% CI = 0.99 to 2.21).ConclusionA request for EC in general practice can indicate possible exposure to DVA. Primary care consultation for EC is a relevant context for identifying and responding to DVA as recommended by the World Health Organization and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines. DVA training for providers of EC should include this new evidence.

Women who have experienced intimate partner violence suffer from symptoms that persist long after the abuse has ended. However, the patterns and trajectory of these symptoms are poorly understood. The objective of this longitudinal research was to explore symptom trajectory typologies. A latent class growth analysis with multi-outcomes modeling was used to explore typologies based on women's (

Violence against women represents a serious concern worldwide. In Tunisia, despite an advanced legislative framework, we still receive women victims of violence. This survey aimed to characterize the demographic and clinical profile of women victims of violence in Kairouan, central Tunisia. This survey was designed as a cross-sectional study. It concerned women victims of violence over 18 years old, consulting the emergency department of the University Hospital of Kairouan during 3 months in 2017. We defined violence against women according to the Tunisian protection of gender discrimination law. This survey included 100 Tunisian victims of violence; their median age was 35 (ranging from 18 to 59 years old). This study showed that 58% of victims, CI95% [48.3%, 67.6%], were illiterate or had only a primary level education and that 90%, CI95% [84.1%, 95.8%], had a low or middle socioeconomic level. The Intimate Partner Violence was about 70% among all cases, CI 95% [61.0%, 78.9%]. Most aggressive partners were young (aged between 39 and 51 years old). The most affected part of the body was the face (76%, CI 95% [67.6%, 84.3%]). Alcohol consumption was the primary risk factor of violence in 29.6% of cases, CI95% [20.0%, 37.9%]. Other risk factors were the occupational instability, conflicts with the family in-laws and infidelity. Violence against women remains widespread. Even strict legislations in Tunisia didn’t protect women sufficiently from different types of violence. It mostly happens within intimate relationships. Therefore, surveillance and early intervention controlling risk factors are extremely important.

Background In April 2020, the United Nations predicted that the COVID-19 pandemic will have a ‘calamitous’ impact on the lives of women. This was based on concerns about an upsurge in Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) arising from increased opportunities for relational conflict due to forced co-existence and therefore additional time spent with abusive partners. Aim Research has shown an increase in IPV during times of crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic has generated unprecedented circumstances and stress, and opportunities to do research to understand whether the COVID-19 pandemic impacted on IPV experiences were limited. Thus, the present study aimed to understand women’s experiences of being in and leaving an abusive relationship during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods Individual, telephonic interviews were conducted with 16 women living in domestic violence shelters within three Provinces during South Africa’s lockdown period. Results Findings reveal that the public health measures implemented by the South African Government to curb the spread of the virus, may have placed vulnerable groups at increased risk of violence. Specifically, lockdown likely magnified the risk for escalation of abuse in families already experiencing IPV prior to COVID-19. The study highlights an IPV and COVID-19 relationship, showing that the gender insensitive pandemic control measures, such as stay at home orders and travel restrictions, likely placed women at risk of increased abuse. Given the recurrency of COVID-19 epidemic waves, attention must be given to gender disparities or many South African women may experience worse outcomes. Conclusion This study reminds us that being ordered to stay at home is not always the safest option for women and thus, in a country with one of the highest levels of GBV, it becomes imperative to ensure that IPV safeguards are integrated into COVID-19 measures. It also becomes evident that COVID-19 requires enhanced ways of responding by paying attention to gender disparities.

Research has documented the considerable hardships immigrant women often face if they want to leave abusive relationships, but the cumulative impacts of such experiences have received insufficient scholarly attention. In response, this study investigates women’s difficulties leaving abusive relationships based on life story interviews with 35 immigrant women who experienced partner abuse. Almost all the women originated from “patriarchal belt” countries in, for example, the Middle East and all arrived in Denmark as adults. Using a model of gendered geographies of power, this study examines key interview passages in which the women use dramatized speech to tell about their younger selves’ interactions with significant others. These dramatized episodes of interactions emerge as crucial for the interviewees to communicate why they remained in abusive relationships for years and how most finally managed to leave their husbands. The narrated episodes reveal how the women’s frequent lack of success in various interactional situations can be attributed to women “having the lower hand”—holding disadvantaged positions in the familial, social, and national hierarchies of power. These hierarchies reinforce each other, for example, when insecure residency status limits immigrant women’s options to solicit help from Danish society. The analysis demonstrates that—in contrast to the stereotype of the abused immigrant woman as a passive victim—micro- and macro-level processes may work together to undermine immigrant women’s possibilities to act independently at important junctures in their lives. The results also stress the importance that frontline workers have sufficient understanding of immigrant women’s predicament and the ability to extend qualified and timely support. Such support can be crucial for abused immigrant women to become able to move away from their violent home environments.

Violence in intimate relationships is a major problem worldwide. Many women, despite having experienced violence from a partner, decide to remain in a relationship with the perpetrator. A special premise for such a decision is that the abusive partner undertakes therapy that serves to build security in the family. An important indicator of dealing with violence is post-traumatic growth (PTG), a concept introduced by Calhoun and Tedeschi (1998) to describe positive changes as a result of traumatic experiences. The purpose of the research was to assess PTG changes in the course of relationships in which the woman had experienced violence from her partner, but both her partner and she had undertaken therapy and changed their behavior ( N = 48). The conducted research used a demographic survey and two questionnaires: The Polish version of the Impact Event Scale-Revised (IES-R, Weiss, Marmara prepared by Juczyński and Ogińska-Bulik [2009]) examining three dimensions of trauma (intrusion, hyperarousal, and avoidance) and the Post-traumatic Growth Inventory ( Tedeschi & Calhoun [2004] ; Polish version prepared by Ogińska-Bulik & Juczyński [2010] ). The studies showed that over a period of one and half years, significant changes in PTG had taken place. Reportedly, changes in self-perception and changes in relating to others have decreased, while appreciation of life increased but spiritual life remained the same. The research also allowed us to distinguish several groups of corelates in changes in individual PTG categories. The studies also indicate that building a close relationship with the person who caused the harm can limit the victim’s PTG.

In Japan, domestic violence refers to “violence perpetrated by a person who is or has been in an intimate relationship, such as a spouse or lover”. 1 In the Cabinet Office survey in 2018, 31.3% of ...

Since the 1970s, the state response to intimate partner violence (IPV) has increasingly become one of criminalization—particularly police intervention. Little is known, however, about marginalized women’s experiences with the police within a context of intimate partner violence in Canada. Drawing on interviews with 90 battered immigrant women, this study examines which women contact the police, why some do not, and what characterizes their experiences when the police are involved in an IPV incident. This study demonstrates that while the women who called the police were demographically similar to those who did not call, the women who called reported much greater levels of physical abuse. Findings indicate that general fear of the police and fear of police being racist or culturally insensitive continue to be important reasons why women do not call the police. Notably, the majority of women who had contact with the police reported the encounter as positive.

OBJETIVO: Analizar las propuestas sanitarias de las políticas públicas y los planes de salud que abordan la violencia contra las mujeres. MÉTODOS: Estudio descriptivo y comparativo de las políticas y planes de salud en Cataluña y Costa Rica del 2005 al 2011. Se utilizó una metodología cualitativa con análisis documental. Se clasificó por temas comunes y se describieron e interpretaron los contenidos. Se consideraron dimensiones como: principios, estrategias, concepción de violencia contra las mujeres, tendencias en salud y evaluación. RESULTADOS: Se analizaron 13 documentos de políticas públicas de género para abordar la violencia contra las mujeres. La desigualdad de género fue concebida como origen de la violencia contra las mujeres en ambos contextos. Las estrategias comunes fueron el cambio cultural y la acción interinstitucional. Las actuaciones sanitarias se ampliaron en planes específicos y en los protocolos y normas de actuación. La prioridad del tema y la especificidad de las actuaciones en los planes de salud fue un rasgo diferenciador entre Cataluña y Costa Rica. CONCLUSIONES: Entre los rasgos comunes están la inclusión de la violencia hacia las mujeres en los planes de salud, el uso de protocolos, tareas de detección, atención y recuperación para las mujeres y el autocuidado profesional. Cataluña no contempla acciones sanitarias con agresores. Hay menor especificidad en la conceptualización y en pautas protocolarias así como carencia de actualización de normas sanitarias en Costa Rica con respecto a Cataluña OBJECTIVE: To analyze the content of policies and action plans within the public healthcare system that addresses the issue of violence against women. METHODS: A descriptive and comparative study was conducted on the health policies and plans in Catalonia and Costa Rica from 2005 to 2011. It uses a qualitative methodology with documentary analysis. It is classified by topics that describe and interpret the contents. We considered dimensions, such as principles, strategies, concepts concerning violence against women, health trends, and evaluations. RESULTS: Thirteen public policy documents were analyzed. In both countries' contexts, we have provided an overview of violence against women as a problem whose roots are in gender inequality. The strategies of gender policies that address violence against women are cultural exchange and institutional action within the public healthcare system. The actions of the healthcare sector are expanded into specific plans. The priorities and specificity of actions in healthcare plans were the distinguishing features between the two countries. CONCLUSIONS: The common features of the healthcare plans in both the counties include violence against women, use of protocols, detection tasks, care and recovery for women, and professional self-care. Catalonia does not consider healthcare actions with aggressors. Costa Rica has a lower specificity in conceptualization and protocol patterns, as well as a lack of updates concerning health standards in Catalonia

Interpersonal violence (IPV) is highly prevalent in the United States and is a major public health problem. The emergence and/or worsening of chronic pain are known sequelae of IPV; however, not all those who experience IPV develop chronic pain. To mitigate its development, it is critical to identify the factors that are associated with increased risk of pain after IPV. This proof-of-concept study used machine-learning strategies to predict pain severity and interference in 47 young women, ages 18 to 30, who experienced an incident of IPV (i.e., physical and/or sexual assault) within three months of their baseline assessment. Young women are more likely than men to experience IPV and to subsequently develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and chronic pain. Women completed a comprehensive assessment of theory-driven cognitive and neurobiological predictors of pain severity and pain-related interference (e.g., pain, coping, disability, psychiatric diagnosis/symptoms, PTSD/trauma, executive function, neuroendocrine, and physiological stress response). Gradient boosting machine models were used to predict symptoms of pain severity and pain-related interference across time (Baseline, 1-,3-,6- follow-up assessments). Models showed excellent predictive performance for pain severity and adequate predictive performance for pain-related interference. This proof-of-concept study suggests that machine-learning approaches are a useful tool for identifying predictors of pain development in survivors of recent IPV. Baseline measures of pain, family life impairment, neuropsychological function, and trauma history were of greatest importance in predicting pain and pain-related interference across a 6-month follow-up period. Present findings support the use of machine-learning techniques in larger studies of post-IPV pain development and highlight theory-driven predictors that could inform the development of targeted early intervention programs. However, these results should be replicated in a larger dataset with lower levels of missing data.

Background: Understanding the drivers of intimate partner violence (IPV), perpetrated by men and experienced by women, is a critical task for developing effective prevention programmes.Objectives: To provide a comprehensive assessment of the drivers of IPV.Methods: A comprehensive review of the drivers of IPV, at the end of a six-year programme of research through the What Works to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls Global Programme with reference to other important research in the field.Results: Broadly, we argue that IPV is driven by poverty, patriarchal privilege, and the normative use of violence in interpersonal relationships. These factors also increase childhood trauma, poor mental health and substance misuse, and poor communication and conflict in relationships, which in turn impact on IPV. Disability status, and contexts of armed conflict, or post-conflict, further reinforce and exacerbate these risks. We move beyond describing associations towards describing the causal pathways through which these factors operate to increase IPV.Conclusions: Specific recommendations about the future of further research on drivers of IPV include a greater focus on understanding the causal pathways from drivers to IPV and clearly delineating association from causality in studies, particularly for women and girls with disabilities, in armed conflicts, and adolescent girls and young women. To achieve this, we recommend extensive in-depth qualitative research, and complex quantitative modeling studies. Understanding drivers and causal pathways better will enable the identification of points of entry for the development of more effective IPV prevention interventions.