“I’d Go from a Mountain Top and Tell My Story”: Perspectives of Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence on Storytelling for Social Change

2021 ◽  
pp. 107780122110242
Author(s):  
Melissa E. Dichter ◽  
Alicia Chatterjee ◽  
Ewa Protasiuk ◽  
Bernie S. Newman
Keyword(s):  
Intimate Partner Violence ◽  
Social Change ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
First Person ◽  
Therapeutic Benefits ◽  
Story Sharing ◽  
Societal Views

Storytelling has well-documented therapeutic benefits for survivors of trauma. However, little is known about intimate partner violence (IPV) survivors’ perspectives on sharing their stories. This article presents findings based on the analysis of 26 qualitative interviews with individuals who had experienced IPV regarding first-person story sharing. Participants described telling their stories as an act of healing and empowerment. They also named ways that storytelling can challenge societal views and structures that perpetuate IPV. Based on our findings, we offer suggestions for supporting survivor expertise and storytelling as part of a survivor-centered approach to IPV advocacy and social change.

scholarly journals Intimate Partner Violence and Structural Violence in the Lives of Incarcerated Women: A Mixed-Method Study in Rural New Mexico

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (12) ◽  
pp. 6185
Author(s):  
Shilo St. Cyr ◽  
Elise Trott Jaramillo ◽  
Laura Garrison ◽  
Lorraine Halinka Malcoe ◽  
Stephen R. Shamblen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Intimate Partner Violence ◽  
Substance Use ◽  
New Mexico ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Interpersonal Relationships ◽  
Rural Women ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Incarcerated Women ◽  
Intimate Partner

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a common feature in the lives of incarcerated women returning to rural communities, enhancing their risk of mental ill-health, substance use, and recidivism. Women’s experiences of IPV intersect with challenges across multiple social–ecological levels, including risky or criminalizing interpersonal relationships, geographic isolation, and persistent gender, racial, and economic inequities. We conducted quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews with 99 incarcerated women in New Mexico who were scheduled to return to micropolitan or non-core areas within 6 months. Quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed separately and then triangulated to identify convergences and divergences in data. The findings underscore how individual and interpersonal experiences of IPV, substance use, and psychological distress intersect with broad social inequities, such as poverty, lack of supportive resources, and reluctance to seek help due to experiences of discrimination. These results point to the need for a more proactive response to the mutually constitutive cycle of IPV, mental distress, incarceration, and structures of violence to improve reentry for women returning to rural communities. Policy and treatment must prioritize socioeconomic marginalization and expand community resources with attention to the needs of rural women of color.

scholarly journals “When we talk about intimate partner violence we talk in an adult way” – Social workers’ descriptions of intimate partner violence between teenagers

2021 ◽  
pp. 147332502110028
Author(s):  
Emmy Högström Tagesson ◽  
Carina Gallo
Keyword(s):  
Intimate Partner Violence ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Treatment Quality ◽  
Age And Gender ◽  
The Social ◽  
And Gender

This article examines how seven social workers within the Swedish social services describe intimate partner violence between teenagers (IPV-BT). The article adds to the literature by examining IPV-BT outside a U.S. context, where most studies have been conducted. Based on semistructured qualitative interviews, the authors analyze descriptions of IPV-BT in relation to Charles Tilly’s notion of category making through transfer, encounter, negotiation, and imposition. They also analyze how the social workers’ descriptions of IPV-BT relate to the intersection between age and gender. The results show that the social workers mostly described IPV-BT by referring to encounters with teenagers and by transferring knowledge and theoretical definitions from their specialized working areas, primarily intimate partner violence between adults (IPV-BA) and troubled youth. More rarely, the social workers based their definitions of IPV-BT upon negotiating dialogues with teenagers. Also, those who worked in teams specialized on IPV had the mandate to impose their definitions of IPV-BT to other professionals and teenagers. When taking age and gender hierarchies in consideration, the results show IPV-BT risks being subordinate IPV-BA on a theoretical level, a practical level and in terms of treatment quality. The study suggests that social work with IPV-BT needs to be sensitive to the double subordinations of the teenage girl and of the teenagers who do not follow gender expectations.

scholarly journals “Whose Fault Is It?” How Rural Chinese Women Explain Intimate Partner Violence: A Qualitative Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fengsu Hou ◽  
Catherine Cerulli ◽  
Marsha N. Wittink ◽  
Eric D. Caine ◽  
Peiyuan Qiu
Keyword(s):  
Intimate Partner Violence ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Ecological Model ◽  
Migrant Worker ◽  
Chinese Women ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Social Characteristics ◽  
The Social

Women are often the victims of intimate partner violence (IPV). Though China has established its first statute against domestic violence, the service developments for victims fall behind. It is important to assess community members' perceptions of what causes IPV to create interventions to prevent and address IPV. This study completed the Short Explanatory Model Interview (SEMI) among a subset sample from a large epidemiology study in rural Sichuan China. The social ecological model was applied to analyze qualitative interviews. Among 339 participants, the average age was 46.01 ± 12.42 years old. There were 31.86% of them had been educated, 14.75% of them had migrant worker partners, and 49.26% of them had experienced violence from their partners in the last year. There were 252 participants attributed IPV to individual factors, and they primarily discussed the social characteristics, behaviors, personalities or even health problems of the husband or the wife in the vignette. Under this theme, there were 86 participants blaming the victim for being anxious, social disconnectedness or lazy; and there were 166 participants blaming to the perpetrator being abusive, irresponsibility, lack of understanding, and cheating. There were 44 women believed the cause was relational, in which there were 41 participants attributed the problem to the broken relationship between the couple and three participants attributed to the lack of support. There were 28 participants believed the cause was communal and societal, such as being poor, family problems, fate, and believed IPV was a common scene. There were 15 participants could not identify the cause of IPV. These participants usually provided very brief responses and barely had insight on violent behaviors or confidence in discussing the cause. Our findings offer a direction for understanding the rural Chinese women's beliefs about the etiology of IPV to better develop interventions which must consider raising a public awareness campaign about the risk factors of IPV and focus on reducing self-blame among victims.

How Research Evidence is Defined, Acquired, and Shared Across Systems That Address Intimate Partner Violence

2021 ◽  
pp. 107780122110259
Author(s):  
Taryn P. Lindhorst ◽  
Erin A. Casey ◽  
Claire Willey-Sthapit ◽  
Barbara Toews
Keyword(s):  
Intimate Partner Violence ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Research Evidence ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Research Information ◽  
Professional Networks ◽  
Victim Services ◽  
Academic Settings

This exploratory study examined the flow of research evidence through systems that address intimate partner violence (IPV), including victim services, law enforcement, and criminal justice organizations. Qualitative interviews with representatives of these disciplines assessed how respondents define, acquire, and share research evidence. Findings suggest that research evidence is defined more broadly in the field than in academic settings, and is accessed primarily from trusted intermediaries within professional networks. State IPV coalitions and victim service providers are key intermediaries across sectors. Findings suggest the need for more tangible supports to support sharing of research information within and across service sectors.

scholarly journals Beliefs and Attitudes Toward Intimate Partner Violence in a Group of Young Puerto Ricans

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Perez-Jimenez ◽  
Soélix Rodríguez-Medina ◽  
Francisco Rodríguez-León
Keyword(s):  
Intimate Partner Violence ◽  
Puerto Rico ◽  
Young People ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Attitudes And Beliefs ◽  
Beliefs And Attitudes

In this paper we aim to describe the beliefs and attitudes young people in Puerto Rico have toward intimate partner violence (IPV). Although Puerto Rico has a high rate of IPV, little empirical research has been conducted about the beliefs and attitudes people have regarding this issue. We conducted 20 in-depth qualitative interviews with young men and women. Data was analyzed using the qualitative content analysis approach. Participants expressed that men are more violent than women because of testosterone, machismo, and alcohol and other drug use. Both male and female participants stated that they believe they have the same rights to make decisions. Participants did not express directly stereotypical attitudes and beliefs that justify IPV. However, there remains a desire in some participants to have control over where their partner is and what he or she is doing. Preventive interventions are urgently needed to promote healthier relationships among young people.

“Everybody’s Really Close-Knit”: Disconnections Between Helping Victims of Intimate Partner Violence and More General Helping in Rural Communities

2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 337-358 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victoria L. Banyard ◽  
Katie M. Edwards ◽  
Elizabeth A. Moschella ◽  
Katherine M. Seavey
Keyword(s):  
Intimate Partner Violence ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Daily Hassles ◽  
Eastern United States ◽  
Preventive Actions ◽  
Taking Action

Social support is key to well-being for victims of intimate partner violence (IPV), and bystanders have an important role to play in preventing IPV by taking action when there is risk for violence. The current study used qualitative interviews to explore young adults’ perspectives on helping in situations of IPV, and more general helping, in the rural communities in which they resided. Participants were 74 individuals between the ages of 18 and 24 years from 16 rural counties across the eastern United States. Participants generally described their communities as close-knit and helpful, especially around daily hassles (e.g., broken down car) and unusual circumstances (e.g., house fire). Although participants generated ways in which community members help IPV victims, these mostly focused on providing support or taking action in the aftermath of IPV as opposed to more preventive actions. Lack of financial resources were uniquely cited as a barrier to more general helping, whereas concerns about privacy and lack of deservingness of help were barriers to both general helping and helping in IPV situations, although these were more pronounced in IPV situations than general helping situations. Taken together, these results suggest that although people generally see their communities as helpful and close-knit, these perceptions and scripts did not necessarily translate to helping in situations of IPV. Bystander intervention programs are needed that provide more specific helping scripts for IPV.

scholarly journals Family and Social Support and the Brazilian Victim of Immigrant Partner Violence Abroad

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 216-231
Author(s):  
Mindy Reynolds
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Intimate Partner Violence ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
The United States ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Awareness Campaigns

In recent months due to Covid-19 and lockdowns across the world, intimate partner violence has drawn increasing attention. In some countries, mandatory lockdowns and quarantines have been accompanied by rising rates of violence, sparking public awareness campaigns. However, intimate partner violence is a phenomenon which persists across time and cultures. This study focuses on the female Brazilian migrants who become victims of intimate partner violence and the role of social support networks, as previous research has indicated a need for research on specific communities. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 24 victims and professionals who work with these victims in Japan, the United States, Germany, and Portugal. The data provided examples of positive and negative social support from family and friends and suggested effective alternatives to informal social support and also how to give more effective assistance to family and friends who may be victims of intimate partner violence. The results show that Brazilian victims of intimate partner violence abroad often seek financial support from family members in Brazil; however, in the lack of such support, income from employment or government assistance may help a victim should she choose to leave an abusive relationship. In addition, the research suggests that professionals and friends can help victims by providing them with information about available social services and accompanying them to apply for these services.

Mothers’ Experiences of Parenting Within the Context of Intimate Partner Violence: Unique Challenges and Resilience

2019 ◽  
pp. 088626051988386
Author(s):  
Alison Fogarty ◽  
Hannah Woolhouse ◽  
Rebecca Giallo ◽  
Catherine Wood ◽  
Jordy Kaufman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Intimate Partner Violence ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
First Child ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
The Impact

Maternal and child health are strongly linked, particularly in the presence of intimate partner violence (IPV). Women who experience IPV are at increased risk of negative physical and mental health difficulties. However, little is known about the experience of mothering within the context of IPV and what mothers perceive as contributing to resilience. This study had two aims. First, to explore women’s experience and perceived challenges associated with being a mother within the context of being in a relationship where IPV is being used. Second, to explore what mothers found helpful in coping during this experience. A nested qualitative sub-study was conducted within a prospective study of mothers during pregnancy and following the birth of their first child. Nine women who reported experiencing IPV since becoming pregnant with their first child participated in semi-structured qualitative interviews, which were then transcribed and analyzed using interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA). Three subthemes emerged within the theme of unique challenges experienced by mothers. These were partner control over parenting, other disrespectful and controlling behavior, and emotional exhaustion. Within the theme of mothers’ sense of resilience and coping, career development, making sense of experiences, focusing on children, and help-seeking played important roles in helping mothers manage these difficulties. Our findings highlighted the impact that IPV can have on the experience of mothering and the importance of prioritizing women’s health and well-being. Finally, these findings emphasize the importance of health-care professionals identifying and acknowledging the signs of IPV to support women to speak out about their experiences.

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