scholarly journals Communicating Reproductive Coercion in the Context of Domestic and Family Violence: Perspectives of Service Providers Supporting Migrant and Refugee Women

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicola Sheeran ◽  
Laura Tarzia ◽  
Heather Douglas
Keyword(s):  
Family Violence ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Past Research ◽  
Refugee Women ◽  
Reproductive Coercion ◽  
Conceptual Clarity ◽  
Shared Language ◽  
Police Encounters ◽  
Key Barrier

Abstract The current study explored the language barriers to help-seeking in the context of reproductive coercion and abuse (RCA), domestic and family violence (DFV), and sexual violence (SV), drawing on observations by key informants supporting women from migrant and refugee communities. A lack of shared language has been identified as a key barrier to help seeking for migrant and refugee women experiencing DFV more broadly, though how language intersects with help seeking in the context of RCA is yet to be investigated. We conducted 6 focus groups with 38 lawyers, counsellors, and social workers supporting women experiencing DFV in Brisbane and Melbourne, Australia. Our findings address two main areas. First, consistent with past research in DFV, our participants identified language as a barrier for women when communicating about sexual and reproductive issues in the context of health and police encounters. More specifically, our findings suggest that the inability of health professionals and police to communicate with women who have low or no English proficiency not only negatively impacted victims/survivors’ ability to access support, but also facilitated the perpetration of RCA. We conclude that language can be a mechanism through which coercive control is enacted by perpetrators of RCA and health and policing systems may not be equipped to recognise and address this issue. We also suggest that greater conceptual clarity of RCA is needed within the DFV sector in order to tailor responses.

Indigenous Perspectives on Help-Seeking for Family Violence: Voices From an Australian Community

2019 ◽  
pp. 088626051988386 ◽  
Author(s):  
Renee Fiolet ◽  
Laura Tarzia ◽  
Renee Owen ◽  
Corrina Eccles ◽  
Kayley Nicholson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Family Violence ◽  
Indigenous Peoples ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Indigenous Australians ◽  
Main Theme ◽  
Help Seeking Behaviors ◽  
Australian Community ◽  
Indigenous Perspectives ◽  
Indigenous Voices

Indigenous peoples experience high rates of family violence (FV) yet are said to access support at lower rates than their non-Indigenous counterparts. There is an absence of Indigenous voices regarding their help-seeking behaviors for FV, particularly concerning men’s views. The aim of this research was to seek Indigenous perspectives on their help-seeking behaviors for FV. Individual, face-to-face semistructured interviews took place with 23 Indigenous Australians (14 women and 9 men) recruited from one large community in Victoria, Australia. Interviews were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. Data were categorized and organized, and themes were identified using thematic analysis. Five main themes emerged from the data. “You’re Aboriginal, so that’s just how it is” describes the experiences with discrimination and judgment that create general barriers for Indigenous peoples to access services. The second theme “putting a big blanket over it” articulates the role that shame plays in deterring support-seeking for FV. “How do you trust somebody?” defines the fear in the hearts and minds of Indigenous participants who contemplate help-seeking. A further main theme of “someone that they could have a yarn with” explores what occurs when participants initially decide to seek support. Their thoughts on what participants want from interactions with formal services are explored in the final theme “a safe space.” Significant barriers to seeking support for FV exist for Indigenous peoples, including discrimination, shame, and fear. Service providers need to work on addressing these barriers through an increased understanding of Indigenous experiences and beliefs in an effort to encourage help-seeking behaviors. Interventions to assist kin in dealing with FV and for service providers to create safe spaces are urgent. More research informed by Indigenous voices is needed.

Transgender Intimate Partner Violence

2020 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Intimate Partner Violence ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Past Research ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Sexual Relationships ◽  
Comprehensive Overview ◽  
Transgender People ◽  
Prevention Service

A growing body of research finds that upward of half of transgender people experience intimate partner violence (IPV)—psychological, physical, or sexual abuse in romantic and sexual relationships—in their lifetimes, and consequences can be severe. Despite this, the movement to end IPV has focused almost exclusively on cisgender individuals, resulting in many transgender IPV (T-IPV) survivors being underserved and overlooked by the very laws and victim agencies tasked with protecting survivors. Research has illuminated a variety of unique aspects of T-IPV regarding the predictors of perpetration, the specific forms of abuse experienced, barriers to help seeking for survivors, and policy and intervention needs. As the first of its kind, this volume brings together leading T-IPV researchers and service providers to offer a comprehensive overview of past research and identify evidence-based strategies to foster systemic change in how transgender abuse is addressed in our policies and services. First the volume details known patterns of transgender abuse and examines, through an intersectional framework, the myriad ways in which discrimination and social inequality promote and enhance T-IPV. Second, the volume discusses how transphobia and cisnormativity impact the causes of T-IPV, survivor resiliency, and help seeking. Third, the volume reviews and critiques existing practices in how health care, shelters, policing, and the legal system intervene in T-IPV. The volume concludes with recommendations for transforming public health prevention, service provision, and research to ultimately build a safer and more inclusive world for transgender communities.

scholarly journals Violence against Afghan immigrant women in Canada: cultural influences in help-seeking behaviours

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mushtari Ahmed
Keyword(s):  
Help Seeking ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Immigrant Women ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Cultural Influences ◽  
Past Research ◽  
State Violence ◽  
Cultural Barriers ◽  
Spousal Relationships ◽  
Women's Lives

There have been studies on abuse against immigrant women, in spousal relationships. There is also literature on state violence against women in Afghanistan. Research to date has shown that there are various structural and cultural barriers affecting the help-seeking behaviours of many immigrant women subjected to spousal abuse. If Afghan culture is preserved in Canada, then, along with potential barriers that exist as immigrants, many of these women are constrained to seek help because of cultural barriers. This issue is important to address in order to make awareness of the phenomenon. My research question is: How does culture influence abused Afghan immigrant women's help-seeking behaviours in Canada? Interviews with service providers in the Afghan community were conducted to explore explanations for the victims’ behaviours. Much of the findings were in keeping with past research related to immigrant women's lives. However, this study is unique given the group in question. I conclude that patriarchal practices rather than cultural essentialism explain the phenomenon of violence and help-seeking behaviours.

scholarly journals Violence against Afghan immigrant women in Canada: cultural influences in help-seeking behaviours

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mushtari Ahmed
Keyword(s):  
Help Seeking ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Immigrant Women ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Cultural Influences ◽  
Past Research ◽  
State Violence ◽  
Cultural Barriers ◽  
Spousal Relationships ◽  
Women's Lives

There have been studies on abuse against immigrant women, in spousal relationships. There is also literature on state violence against women in Afghanistan. Research to date has shown that there are various structural and cultural barriers affecting the help-seeking behaviours of many immigrant women subjected to spousal abuse. If Afghan culture is preserved in Canada, then, along with potential barriers that exist as immigrants, many of these women are constrained to seek help because of cultural barriers. This issue is important to address in order to make awareness of the phenomenon. My research question is: How does culture influence abused Afghan immigrant women's help-seeking behaviours in Canada? Interviews with service providers in the Afghan community were conducted to explore explanations for the victims’ behaviours. Much of the findings were in keeping with past research related to immigrant women's lives. However, this study is unique given the group in question. I conclude that patriarchal practices rather than cultural essentialism explain the phenomenon of violence and help-seeking behaviours.

scholarly journals Contemplating Help-Seeking in Perinatal Psychological Distress—A Meta-Ethnography

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (10) ◽  
pp. 5226
Author(s):  
Minna Anneli Sorsa ◽  
Jari Kylmä ◽  
Terese Elisabet Bondas
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Critical Appraisal ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Perinatal Period ◽  
Linear Process ◽  
Small Children ◽  
Complex Process ◽  
Seeking Help ◽  
Critical Appraisal Skills

Perinatal psychological distress (PPD) may cause delays in help-seeking in the perinatal period, which is crucial for families with small children. Help-seeking theories focus on rational processes of behavior wherein ‘help-seeking’ is viewed as a decision-making process, in which action is preceded by recognizing a problem. We identified the phase prior to actual help-seeking actions as a life situation and a phenomenon through which to gain a deeper understanding from women’s own perspectives. The aim of this study was to integrate and synthesize knowledge of women’s experiences of contemplating seeking help for PPD. We chose interpretative meta-ethnography by Noblit and Hare (1988) and implemented eMERGe guidelines in reporting. The search was performed systematically, and the 14 included studies were evaluated with Critical Appraisal Skills Programme checklist (CASP). We identified seven themes and a metaphor in a lines-of-argument synthesis, showing that contemplating help-seeking is a multidimensional phenomenon. We did not observe a straightforward and linear process (as previous research suggests) but instead a complex process of contemplating help-seeking. A clinical implication is that service providers should work with outreach and develop their tools to connect with mothers with PPD. Another suggestion is to improve training in mental health literacy prior to or during pregnancy.

scholarly journals A qualitative investigation of mental health in women of refugee background resettled in Tasmania, Australia

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Clare Hawkes ◽  
Kimberley Norris ◽  
Janine Joyce ◽  
Douglas Paton
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Mental Distress ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Mental Health Needs ◽  
Regional Location ◽  
Services And Supports

Abstract Background Women of Refugee Background (WoRB) are a highly vulnerable population with complex going mental health needs following resettlement. In Australia, there has been a substantial increase in WoRB being resettled in rural and regional locations. Despite this, no research to date has specifically focused on factors contributing to mental distress in WoRB in regional resettlement locations. The current study aimed to address this gap in literature. Methods 21 semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with WoRB and service providers in regional locations of Tasmania, Australia. Interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Transcripts were analysed utilising Braun and Clarke (Qual Res Psychol 3(2):77–101, 2006) framework for conducting thematic analysis. Results Thematic analysis revealed that WoRB conceptualised mental health as a pathogenic entity, which significantly influenced their mental health help-seeking behaviours. The findings also highlighted how resettlement to a rural and regional location of Australia may exacerbate many of the factors which contribute to ongoing mental distress in WoRB. Conclusions The findings of the current study build upon existing research which indicates the adverse impacts post-migrations stressors can have on the mental health of individuals of refugee background. Furthermore, this study suggests that the current services and supports available to WoRB resettled in regional locations of Australia are inadequate, and under-resources. These findings are discussed in regard to practical and policy implications which should be addressed to better support the mental health of WoRB resettled in rural and regional locations of Australia.

Internal and External Barriers to Help Seeking: Voices of Men Who Experienced Abuse in the Intimate Relationships

2020 ◽  
pp. 0306624X2091971
Author(s):  
Alexandra Lysova ◽  
Kenzie Hanson ◽  
Louise Dixon ◽  
Emily M. Douglas ◽  
Denise A. Hines ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Help Seeking ◽  
Professional Training ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Semantic Level ◽  
The Public ◽  
Male Roles ◽  
The Family ◽  
Seeking Help ◽  
English Speaking

This qualitative study explores internal and external barriers to help seeking among 41 men from four English-speaking countries who self-reported victimization from a female intimate partner. Twelve online focus groups were conducted and themes were identified inductively at a semantic level. Six identified themes represented four internal (blind to the abuse, maintaining relationships, male roles, and excuses) and two external barriers to help seeking (fear of seeking help and nowhere to go). Most participants who avoided seeking help did so due to their own lack of recognition of abuse and ability to assess their risk of harm, attempts to keep the family intact, masculine stereotypes, and excuses for their partner’s abuse. Some men who expressed an interest in seeking help were discouraged from it due to fear for their personal safety, a potential revictimization in the legal system, and the lack of support services available to men. This research suggests that the individuals who are abused in relationships, service providers, and the public at large could benefit from professional training about gender inclusive approaches to intimate partner abuse.

Parents’ Perspectives of their Children's Reactions to an Australian Military Deployment

2014 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip Siebler ◽  
Christopher Goddard
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Military Families ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Military Deployment ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Parent Relationships ◽  
Australian Defence Force ◽  
Prevention Programmes ◽  
Depth Interviews

This article reports on a qualitative study of Australian parents’ perceptions of their children's reactions to a military deployment as well as their help-seeking behaviours. Thirty-eight in-depth interviews were conducted with 34 Australian Defence Force (ADF) parents and 33 non-deployed parents (67 participants). Twenty-nine interviews were with couples and nine were with individuals. The findings revealed that this group of children generally fared poorly in terms of physical and mental health, and behavioural outcomes. Children and adolescents had a number of needs which were not identified, assessed or treated, and prevention programmes were reported to be limited. Factors that are associated with positive and negative outcomes from the families’ perspective are outlined. The data showed how developing a deeper understanding of military families’ needs, as well as positive worker–parent relationships, would enhance the therapeutic alliance between parents and service providers. Implications for prevention and intervention approaches in relation to both policy and service delivery are outlined.

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