Toward an Effective Workplace Response to Intimate Partner Violence

Human Resources ◽

Partner Violence ◽

Small Body ◽

Workplace Safety ◽

Intimate Partner ◽

Workplace Training ◽

Policy Changes ◽

Policy Suggestions ◽

This qualitative study adds to the relatively small body of research on the workplace impact of intimate partner violence (IPV), provides further insight into the various ways that IPV impacts survivors at work, and offers recommendations for improving the workplace response to IPV. Twenty-seven participants (survivors of IPV, workers, managers, union employees, and human resources professionals) took part in focus groups or one-on-one interviews. Three themes emerged from the data: the workplace impact of IPV, interventions in the workplace, and IPV policy suggestions for organizations. Recommendations for improving workplace response to IPV are offered, including legislative and policy changes, workplace leaves, and workplace accommodations for workers impacted by IPV. Findings illustrate the need for workplace training and information on how to recognize IPV, how to respond, and referral sources. This article offers suggestions of steps that workplaces can take to support employees who experience IPV as well as improving workplace safety, functionality, and productivity.

The Impact of Intimate Partner Violence in the Workplace: Results of a Saskatchewan Survey

Journal of Interpersonal Violence ◽

10.1177/0886260520921875 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 088626052092187

Author(s):

Crystal J. Giesbrecht

Keyword(s):

Partner Violence ◽

Public Awareness ◽

Small Body ◽

Intimate Partner ◽

Self Report ◽

Web Based ◽

Survey Results ◽

Violence In The Workplace ◽

The Impact

The present study adds to the small body of research that illustrates that when individuals are experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV) at home, they are impacted at work. Data were collected using an anonymous web-based self-report survey of workers in Saskatchewan, Canada. Survey results demonstrate that IPV is prevalent among the workers surveyed. Half of all survey respondents reported that they had experienced IPV, and for 83%, it impacted them in work in at least one way. Some respondents had lost a job as a result of the abuse. In addition, the survey found that some respondents who had experienced IPV did not identify as having experienced IPV, demonstrating the need for increased public awareness about IPV. Recommendations for workplace responses to IPV are offered.

Exploring Intimate Partner Violence in Polynesia: A Scoping Review

Trauma Violence & Abuse ◽

10.1177/1524838018795504 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 21 (4) ◽

pp. 769-778 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Emma Heard ◽

Lisa Fitzgerald ◽

Maxine Whittaker ◽

Sina Va’ai ◽

Allyson Mutch

Keyword(s):

Scoping Review ◽

Partner Violence ◽

Research Policy ◽

Small Body ◽

Intimate Partner ◽

Health Concern ◽

Future Research ◽

Global Public Health ◽

Formal Leadership

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a major, global public health concern with significant impacts, particularly for women, worldwide. There is an immediate need to develop comprehensive understandings of the complex drivers of this multifaceted issue in diverse cultural and social contexts. This scoping review used a systematic approach to gather a broad scope of peer-reviewed, publisher-controlled, and gray literature investigating IPV in Polynesia, a region of the Pacific experiencing high rates of IPV. A total of 181 articles were identified through a comprehensive search that included five cross-disciplinary databases; government, intergovernmental, and nongovernment websites; and consultation with community organizations. Thirty-three articles met the inclusion criteria related to IPV in a Polynesian country or community abroad and were included in this review. Narrative synthesis, which included summarizing and sorting key findings into common themes, was conducted to provide an overview of what is currently known about IPV in Polynesia and Polynesian communities living aboard. Key themes, which arose from the data analysis included: high prevalence of IPV, attitudes supporting IPV, urbanization and migration, traditional protective factors, and formal leadership and laws. The paucity of rigorous literature highlights an immediate need for IPV prevention research and intervention within Polynesian communities. This review includes a discussion of the limitations of this small body of literature and makes recommendations for future research, policy, and program development to include intersectionality in order to deepen understandings and enhance inclusive and meaningful intervention and policy implementation.

Risk Assessment in Intimate Partner Violence: A Systematic Review of Contemporary Approaches

Partner Abuse ◽

10.1891/1946-6560.4.1.76 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

pp. 76-168 ◽

Cited By ~ 45

Author(s):

Tonia L. Nicholls ◽

Michelle M. Pritchard ◽

Kim A. Reeves ◽

Edward Hilterman

Keyword(s):

Risk Assessment ◽

Partner Violence ◽

Small Body ◽

Intimate Partner ◽

Violence Risk ◽

Male Victims ◽

Violence Risk Assessment ◽

Economic Implications ◽

Assessment Measures

Intimate partner violence (IPV) has profound and widespread health and economic implications at an individual, familial, and societal level. Violence risk assessment measures offer an evidence-informed approach to ascertain the degree of threat an abuser poses, transparent and defensible indicators for intervention and treatment decisions, and can be used to inform professionals, perpetrators, and victims alike regarding the nature and intensity of services required to help prevent IPV. This article summarizes the state of knowledge regarding risk assessment for IPV through a systematic examination of all English publications from westernized nations from 1990 to 2011. Three search engines—PsychINFO, ScienceDirect, and Social Sciences Citation Index—identified 3,361 potentially relevant articles. After dropping duplicates and removing articles that did not explicitly examine risk assessment for IPV, 39 articles remained. Several themes emerged: (a) There is a relatively small body of empirical evidence evaluating risk assessment measures in the context of IPV; (b) continued advancements are needed in the methodological rigor of the research; (c) investigations should expand cross-validation research to diverse samples (e.g., gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender [GLBT]; male victims/female perpetrators); and (d) an exciting development in IPV risk assessment research is evidence that risk assessments can serve to reduce risk levels (Belfrage et al., 2011). In terms of clinical implications, the review demonstrated considerable promise of several measures but generally reveals modest postdictive/predictive validity. Limited evidence for the superiority of IPV specific risk assessment measures over general violence risk assessment measures was revealed; however, this may largely be a reflection of study limitations. Given the challenges in comparing across studies and the heterogeneity of partner abusers, it seems premature to recommend one preferred assessment measure/approach to clinicians.

Intersectional and Trauma-Informed Approaches to Employment Services: Insights From Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) Service Providers

Violence Against Women ◽

10.1177/1077801220988344 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 107780122098834

Author(s):

Sarah Tarshis ◽

Ramona Alaggia ◽

Carmen H. Logie

Keyword(s):

Partner Violence ◽

Service Providers ◽

Intimate Partner ◽

Constructivist Grounded Theory ◽

Employment Services ◽

Barriers To Employment ◽

Trauma Informed ◽

Integrated Approaches ◽

This article presents qualitative findings from a constructivist grounded theory study that examines intimate partner violence and employment-seeking from the perspectives of 10 service providers. Three distinct themes emerge through analysis: (a) understanding the intersecting barriers to employment faced by survivors, (b) integrated approaches to employment services, and (c) barriers to providing employment services. Findings have important theoretical implications on the intersectional nature of employment-seeking and provide insight into IPV service responses.

The Influence of Demographic, Relational, and Risk Asymmetries on the Frequency of Intimate Partner Violence in Young Adulthood

Journal of Family Issues ◽

10.1177/0192513x20916205 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 42 (1) ◽

pp. 136-155

Author(s):

Lindsey M. Cooper ◽

Monica A. Longmore ◽

Wendy D. Manning ◽

Peggy C. Giordano

Keyword(s):

Intimate Relationships ◽

Partner Violence ◽

Mate Selection ◽

Intimate Partner ◽

Social Characteristics ◽

Adolescent Relationships ◽

Partner Similarity ◽

Young Adult Relationships ◽

Social characteristics are prominent factors in mate selection, but they are also important for the quality and functioning of intimate relationships. Researchers have shown that the intimate relationships that are considered the most successful often have high levels of partner similarity. Yet this prior work is limited, as it largely focuses on demographic differences (or asymmetries) between intimate partners. In addition to demographic asymmetries, we explored how differences in relational and risk behaviors were associated with intimate partner violence (IPV). Examining data from the Toledo Adolescent Relationships Study ( n = 828), we found that young adults in relationships with demographic, relational, and risk asymmetries reported greater frequency of violence. Furthermore, we found that asymmetries in risk behavior had the strongest association with IPV. These findings highlighted the importance of considering different types of asymmetries and provided new insight into the functioning of young adult relationships.

Exploring Officer Arrest Discretion Following State Policy Changes in Intimate Partner Violence

Violence Against Women ◽

10.1177/1077801220975486 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 107780122097548

Author(s):

Philip B. Mason ◽

Michelle A. Petrie

Keyword(s):

South Carolina ◽

Black Males ◽

Partner Violence ◽

Intimate Partner ◽

Policy Changes ◽

Mandatory Arrest ◽

Female Victims ◽

Incident Reports ◽

Property Destruction

In 2015, South Carolina passed the Domestic Violence Reform Act giving officers increased arrest discretion and rescinding mandatory arrest laws for intimate partner violence (IPV). Analyses using incident reports (2016/2017) from South Carolina show that officers primarily rely on the presence of five variables to determine arrest: children, injury, property destruction, offender at scene, and weapons. Cases with Black female victims are more likely to result in arrest, suggesting that Black males are being criminalized. We conclude that officers are reluctant to use individual discretion and rely on a form of structured discretion provided by administrators that shapes local culture and decision-making.

Challenges facing a woman wishing to report intimate partner violence in Belize

BMJ Case Reports ◽

10.1136/bcr-2018-226048 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. bcr-2018-226048

Author(s):

Oscar James MacCormac ◽

Trevor Romo

Keyword(s):

Primary Care ◽

Partner Violence ◽

Care Facility ◽

Intimate Partner ◽

Policy Changes ◽

Police Station ◽

Contraceptive Implant ◽

Self Harm ◽

Emotionally Abused

We present a case of a 29-year-old woman who presented to a volunteer-run primary care facility in Southern Belize. Her initial presentation was vaginal itching and white discharge; she also requested insertion of a sub-dermal contraceptive implant. During the insertion, marks suspicious for deliberate self-harm were noticed on the patient’s arm, and on further exploration she revealed she was being physically and emotionally abused by her husband. With some encouragement, she requested help in taking further action to preserve her safety; however, in Belize clinicians have no power to assist in cases involving adults. Therefore, the victim should self-present to a police station, resulting in a significant potential barrier to reporting intimate partner violence (IPV). Here we discuss this barrier further, as well as other barriers that exist to reporting IPV, and discuss possible policy changes that may improve the situation in Belize.

COVID-19, Intimate Partner Violence, and Communication Ecologies

American Behavioral Scientist ◽

10.1177/0002764221992826 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 000276422199282

Author(s):

Clare E. B. Cannon ◽

Regardt Ferreira ◽

Frederick Buttell ◽

Jennifer First

Keyword(s):

Perceived Stress ◽

Partner Violence ◽

Nutritional Stress ◽

Intimate Partner ◽

Snowball Sampling ◽

Income Loss ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

As Stress ◽

The purpose of this research is to identify important predictors, related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, of intimate partner violence (IPV) and to provide insight into communication ecologies that can address IPV in disaster contexts. This study uses a cross-sectional design, with purposive snowball sampling, for primary survey data collected over 10 weeks starting the first week in April 2020. A total of 374 adults participated in the study. Logistic binary regression was used to identify key predictors among sociodemographic characteristics, stress related to COVID-19, and perceived stress of group membership for those who reported IPV experiences. A t test was used to statistically differentiate between IPV-reporters and non-IPV reporters based on perceived stress measured by the Perceived Stress Scale. Results indicated that respondents who reported renting, lost income due to COVID-19, and increased nutritional stress were all more likely to belong to the IPV-reporters group. These findings provide insight into additional stressors related to the ongoing pandemic, such as stress due to income loss, nutritional stress, and renting, and their likelihood of increasing IPV victimization. Taken together, these results indicate that additional communication resources are needed for those affected by IPV. Additional findings and implications are further discussed.

A Phenomenological Inquiry Into Men’s Desistance From Intimate Partner Violence

Partner Abuse ◽

10.1891/1946-6560.9.4.398 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 9 (4) ◽

pp. 398-420

Author(s):

Crystal J. Giesbrecht

Keyword(s):

Intimate Relationships ◽

Partner Violence ◽

Qualitative Interviews ◽

Small Body ◽

Violent Behavior ◽

Intimate Partner ◽

Treatment Programs ◽

Phenomenological Inquiry ◽

Complete Treatment

This research sought a deeper understanding of the experiences of men who have perpetrated intimate partner violence and subsequently participated in treatment and desisted from perpetrating violence in their intimate relationships. Phenomenological methods were used to conduct in-depth, qualitative interviews with men who had perpetrated intimate partner violence and participated in violence treatment programs to determine what assists individuals to desist from perpetration of intimate partner violence. Few participants who begin intimate partner violence programs successfully complete treatment, making it difficult to learn what helps men to successfully end their use of violence in their intimate relationships. This work adds to the small body of qualitative literature, which examines the ways by which men change their violent behavior and the motivating factors that assist with those changes. Results detail men’s experiences before entering programming, experiences while attending treatment programming, and experiences after attending treatment. Understanding how to help men to end their violent behavior not only increases women’s safety but also improves men’s lives. Future directions for treatment interventions are discussed.

School leaders' perspectives : intimate partner violence

10.32469/10355/46876 ◽

2015 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Kendra M. Lau

Keyword(s):

School District ◽

Organizational Climate ◽

Organizational Theory ◽

Partner Violence ◽

School Leaders ◽

Intimate Partner ◽

The State ◽

Societal Issue ◽

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) affects one in four women nationwide. As more women join the workforce, IPV enters organizations everyday. Yet, as of this writing, there is no federal policy to address IPV in the workplace and, for the state in which this study is situated, other existing statutes are used as a proxy for specific IPV legislation. In the school district that is the focus of this study, there is no specific IPV workplace policy. This lack of a formal response to a prevalent workplace and societal issue prompts questions regarding how school leaders might address IPV. Responses are likely informed by the perceptions about IPV leaders have. Thus, through the lens of gendered organizational theory, this investigation provides insight into the school leaders' perspectives about IPV and related responses, including policies, to help us better understand the organizational climate and the potential opportunities for change.