scholarly journals Associations between state intimate partner violence-related firearm policies and injuries among women and men who experience intimate partner violence

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiara C. Willie ◽  
Trace Kershaw ◽  
Rachel Perler ◽  
Amy Caplon ◽  
Marina Katague ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Comprehensive state firearm policies related to intimate partner violence (IPV) may have a significant public health impact on non-lethal IPV-related injuries. Research indicates that more restrictive firearm policies may reduce risk for intimate partner homicide, however it is unclear whether firearm policies prevent or reduce the risk of non-lethal IPV-related injuries. This study sought to examine associations between state-level policies and injuries among U.S. IPV survivors. Methods Individual-level data were drawn from the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, a nationally-representative study of noninstitutionalized adults. State-level data were drawn from a firearm policy compendium. Multivariable regressions were used to test associations of individual policies with non-fatal IPV-related injuries (N = 5493). Regression models were also conducted to explore differences in the policy-injury associations among women and men survivors. Results Three categories of policies were associated with IPV-related injuries. The odds of injuries was lower for IPV survivors living in states that prohibited firearm possession and require firearm relinquishment among persons convicted of IPV-related misdemeanors (aOR [95% CI] = .76 [.59, .97]); prohibited firearm possession and require firearm relinquishment among persons subject to IPV-related restraining orders (aOR [95% CI] = .81 [.66, .98]); and prohibited firearm possession among convicted of stalking (aOR [95% CI] = .82 [.68, .98]) than IPV survivors living in states without these policies. There was a significant difference between women and men survivors in the association between IPV-related misdemeanors policy and injuries (B [SE] = .60 [.29]), such that the association was stronger for men survivors (aOR [95% CI] = .10 [.06, .17]) than women survivors (aOR [95% CI] = .60 [.48, .76]). Conclusions Restrictive state firearm policies regarding IPV may provide unique opportunities to protect IPV survivors from injuries.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiara C. Willie ◽  
Trace Kershaw ◽  
Rachel Perler ◽  
Amy Caplon ◽  
Marina Katague ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Comprehensive state firearm policies related to intimate partner violence (IPV) may have a significant public health impact on non-lethal IPV-related injuries. Research indicates that more restrictive firearm policies may reduce risk for intimate partner homicide, however it is unclear whether firearm policies prevent or reduce the risk of non-lethal IPV-related injuries. This study sought to examine associations between state-level policies and injuries among U.S. IPV survivors.Methods: Individual-level data were drawn from the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, a nationally-representative study of noninstitutionalized adults. State-level data were drawn from a firearm policy compendium. Multivariable regressions were used to test associations of an IPV firearm policy climate index, as well as individual policies, with non-fatal IPV-related injuries (N=6,565). Results: On average, states had 2 IPV-related firearm policies (range 0 to 6). Overall, IPV-related firearm policy climate was associated with lower odds of experiencing injuries (aOR[95% CI]= .95[.91, .98]). Three specific policies were associated with IPV-related injuries. Individuals who reported IPV and live in states that required firearm surrender of persons convicted of IPV-related misdemeanors (aOR[95% CI]=.78 [.64, .95]), prohibited firearms to persons subject to IPV-related protective orders (aOR[95% CI]=.82[.68, .97]) and convicted of stalking (aOR[95% CI]=.77[.64, .92]) had lower odds of experiencing injuries than individuals living in states without these policies. Conclusions: Restrictive state firearm policies regarding IPV may provide unique opportunities to protect IPV survivors from injuries.


2021 ◽  
pp. 088626052199744
Author(s):  
Amy T. Edmonds ◽  
Caitlin A. Moe ◽  
Avanti Adhia ◽  
Stephen J. Mooney ◽  
Frederick P. Rivara ◽  
...  

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a serious public health problem in the United States with adverse consequences for affected individuals and families. Recent reviews of the literature suggest that economic policies should be further investigated as part of comprehensive strategies to address IPV. The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is the nation’s largest anti-poverty program for working parents, and especially benefits low-income women with children, who experience an elevated risk of IPV. The EITC may prevent IPV by offering financial resources; such resources may help individuals experiencing IPV leave abusive relationships or address IPV risk factors, thereby preventing entry into abusive relationships. However, the association between EITC generosity and IPV has not been previously examined. We used state-level and individual-level datasets to examine the association between EITC generosity and IPV. Our state-level data source was the nationally representative National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS; N = ~ 95,000 households per year). For NCVS, we used a difference-in-difference approach to investigate the relationship between state EITC generosity and IPV rates. We also used individual-level longitudinal data from the Fragile Families and Child Well-being Study (n = 13,422 person-waves). Using this cohort of US families at higher risk for IPV, we evaluated associations between estimated EITC benefits based on the mother’s state of residence and number of children and self-reported IPV. In both state- and individual-level analyses, no significant association between state EITC benefits and IPV was found. Factors that may account for these null findings include program ineligibility for individuals who separate from abusive spouses. Future research efforts should more closely examine EITC policy implementation processes and the lived experience of participating in anti-poverty programs for people experiencing IPV.


2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. e000668 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jocelyn T D Kelly ◽  
Elizabeth Colantuoni ◽  
Courtland Robinson ◽  
Michele R Decker

ObjectivesAssess the link between levels of armed conflict and postconflict intimate partner violence (IPV) experienced by women in Liberia.MethodsArmed Conflict Location and Event Data Project data were used to measure conflict-related fatalities in districts in Liberia during the country’s civil war from 1999 to 2003. These data were linked to individual-level data from the 2007 Demographic and Health Survey, including past-year IPV. Multilevel logistic models accounting for the clustering of women within districts evaluated the relationship of conflict fatalities with postconflict past-year IPV. Additional conflict measures, including conflict events and cumulative years of conflict, were assessed.ResultsAfter adjusting for individual-level characteristics correlated with IPV, residence in a conflict fatality-affected district was associated with a 50% increase in risk of IPV (adjusted OR (aOR): 1.55, 95% CI 1.26 to 1.92). Women living in a district that experienced 4–5 cumulative years of conflict were also more likely to experience IPV (aOR 1.88, 95% CI 1.29 to 2.75).ConclusionResiding in a conflict-affected district even 5 years after conflict was associated with postconflict IPV.Policy implicationsRecognising and preventing postconflict IPV violence is important to support long-term recovery in postconflict settings.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanan M. Ghoneim ◽  
Mohamed Elprince ◽  
Tamer Yehia M. Ali ◽  
Waleed F. Gharieb ◽  
Amal A. Ahmed

Abstract Background Depression is a serious mental health disorder that might affect women in the childbearing period. Incidences increase during pregnancy as well as after delivery. Its association with intimate partner violence (defined as physical, sexual, or psychological harm by a current or former partner) has been reported in many countries. Data about this sensitive issue are lacking in Egypt. The aim of the study was to determine the relation between intimate partner violence and depression during pregnancy. Methods This was a case control study conducted at the outpatient clinics in Suez Canal University hospital, from January 2019 to March 2020. The study included two groups, the study group included women exposed to violence during the current pregnancy and a control one included women with no history of violence. Both groups were recruited according to the predetermined inclusion criteria (women aged 18-45 years, continuous marital relationship, no history of depression in current or previous pregnancies, and singleton pregnancy). Women were asked to complete the Arabic validated NorVold Domestic Abuse Questionnaire (measuring four types of abuse: emotional, physical, sexual, and violence in the health care system, the last one being excluded). Depression was evaluated using the Arabic validated form of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (comprises 10 questions that represent patients’ feelings in the last 7 days). The main outcome measure was to assess the association between intimate partner violence and depression. Results We recruited 158 women in each group. Both groups were matched in their demographic characters. Although emotional violence was reported prominently among women exposed to IPV 87.9% (139/158), it was not significantly reported in depressed women (P value 0.084). Physical and sexual violence were significantly reported among depressed women (P value 0.022 and 0.001, respectively). There was a significant difference between women exposed to violence and those who were not exposed to violence in the total depression scores (13.63 ± 5.47 and 10.65 ± 5.44, respectively with a p value < 0.001). Emotional (p value < 0.001) and sexual violence (mild and severe with p value of 0.026 and 0.002 respectively) had significant roles as risk factors for depression during pregnancy in single regression and after control of other confounders. Conclusion There was a strong association between intimate partner violence and depression during pregnancy.


2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 317-334 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonella Ludmila Zapata-Calvente ◽  
Jesús L. Megías ◽  
Miguel Moya ◽  
Dominik Schoebi

Intimate partner violence against women (IPVAW) is investigated mostly at the individual level, which ignores the role of macrosocial variables and possible interactions between them. We explored how two ideological gender-related macrosocial factors (traditional gender role beliefs and attitudes toward gender equality) and one structural gender-related macrosocial factor (the economic Gender Equality Index) are associated with physical, psychological, and sexual IPVAW in Europe. We examined their interactions with individual-level factors in predicting IPVAW. Secondary analysis ( N = 30,284 heterosexual women) of the 2015 European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights’ Violence Against Women survey revealed that 26.1% of women in Europe reported at least one act of physical, psychological, or sexual violence. Generalized linear mixed models analysis revealed that individual-level factors (women’s education, childhood victimization, equal say about income, partner’s alcohol consumption, and an aggressive partner) were associated with IPVAW. Adding the Eurobarometer of Gender Equality ( N = 28 countries) and the Gender Equality Index ( N = 28 countries), attitudes more favorable to gender equality were related to lower rates of psychological victimization; more traditional gender role beliefs predicted higher rates of sexual victimization. Ideological gender-related macrofactors played an important role in cross-level interactions with individual-level factors. To reduce the rates of IPVAW victimization, clinicians, educators, and policy makers need to focus on individual predictors and macrofactors to promote societal attitudes toward equality and change traditional gender role socialization. Additional online materials for this article are available on PWQ’s website at http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/suppl/10.1177/0361684319839367


SAGE Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 215824401987106
Author(s):  
Marisa Bucheli ◽  
Maximo Rossi

We analyze individual and country factors that explain attitudes toward intimate partner violence against women (IPVAW) in Latin America and the Caribbean. Most patterns at individual level are similar to the international ones: for example, approval of IPVAW is higher among women and people in rural areas or in disadvantaged socio-economic situations. The most novel contribution of our work is the study of the variables at country level: approval of IPVAW increases with poverty, fertility rate, and equal gender outcomes. It decreases with Internet access and, less robustly, with the time elapsed since the enactment of women’s suffrage.


2020 ◽  
pp. 088626052091555
Author(s):  
Megan Bears Augustyn ◽  
Katherine Calle Willyard

Police notification and social service acquisition are two forms of formal help-seeking linked to improved outcomes among survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV), including better socio-emotional health, improved physical health, and, importantly, increased safety. The majority of research devoted to the study of formal help-seeking among survivors of IPV focuses on incident- and individual-level factors and their relationship with formal resource utilization. Much less is known about community-level factors. Using a nationally representative sample of incidents of IPV from the National Crime Victimization Survey (2006–2016), this work explores how law enforcement and social service resources in a community are related to police notification and survivor acquisition of a victim service after an incident of IPV, net of incident- and individual-level factors. Logistic regression models indicate that the number of law enforcement personnel per 1,000 residents in a county is positively associated with police notification after an incident of IPV, and it exerts an indirect effect on survivor service acquisition through police notification. Additional analyses reveal that the race/ethnicity of the survivor of IPV is a key demographic in the explanation of this relationship, as incidents of IPV involving White and Hispanic survivors of IPV are more likely to come to the attention of police as the number of law enforcement personnel increases. The reverse is true for incidents involving Black survivors of IPV. No differences across survivor sex emerged. Potential reasons to account for varying effects across race/ethnicity are discussed as well as the importance of additional funding for police and social service agencies to serve survivors of IPV and meet the dual goals of offender accountability and survivor safety and well-being.


2020 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 117822182094633
Author(s):  
Autumn Rae Florimbio ◽  
Meagan J Brem ◽  
Hannah L Grigorian ◽  
Alisa R Garner ◽  
Gregory L Stuart

Background: Advances in technology provide opportunities for communication using electronic mediums. Sexting is one form of electronic communication and includes the sending of explicit sexual content (e.g., photos, text) through electronic mediums. Previous research demonstrated a positive association between sexting and behaviors such as substance use. Moreover, substance use increases the risk for intimate partner violence and is also associated with risky behaviors. Objectives: The aim of the present study was to examine the prevalence of sexting in a sample of 84 women mandated to attend batterer intervention programs following arrest for domestic violence. The associations between sexting, substance use, and intimate partner violence were also examined. Method: Participants completed self-report questionnaires that assessed sexting, intimate partner violence, and alcohol and drug use symptoms. Results: Fifty-four percent of participants reported being asked to send a sext, 35.1% reported sending a sext, and 32.0% reported requesting a sext. Drug use symptoms were positively associated with some forms of sexting and intimate partner violence. There was a significant difference in drug use symptoms, such that women who received a request to send a sext had significantly more symptoms relative to women who had not received a request to send a sext. Conclusion: This is the first examination of sexting in a sample of women arrested for domestic violence. Findings indicate an association between drug use symptoms, sexting, and intimate partner violence, warranting continued research in this domain.


2020 ◽  
pp. 152483802096734
Author(s):  
Meg Osborn ◽  
Valli Rajah

Intimate partner violence (IPV) literature addresses the ways in which women oppose violent male partners through acts of “everyday resistance.” There is a limited understanding, however, of the relationship between women’s resistance and their formal help-seeking in the context of IPV. Our scoping review, which includes 74 articles published in English-language journals between 1994 and 2017, attempts to help fill this gap by developing systematic knowledge regarding the following research questions: (1) How are formal institutional responses discussed within the literature on resistance to IPV? (2) How does institutional help-seeking facilitate or obstruct IPV survivors’ personal efforts to resist violence? We find that institutions and organizations succeed in facilitating resistance processes when they counter victim-blaming ideas and provide IPV survivors with shared community and a sense of control over their futures. However, they fall short in terms of helping survivors by expecting survivors to adhere to a rigid narrative about appropriate responses to violence, devoting insufficient attention to individual-level factors impacting survivors’ vulnerability and ability to access help, and replicating abuse dynamics when interacting with survivors. Policy and practice implications are discussed.


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