scholarly journals Difficult Conversations: The Dynamics Surrounding New Zealand Women's Disclosure of Intimate Partner Violence to Family and Friends

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Jared Reid Walton

<p>One in three New Zealand women has experienced Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) at some stage in their lives, with the vast majority of these women disclosing to a family member or friend at some stage during or after the relationship. Therefore, it is important to understand the dynamics involved with this disclosure. This study draws on feminist perspectives and a grounded theory methodology to examine six women’s experiences with these dynamics. These women reported being very careful about when they disclosed, often going to great lengths to hide the abuse, and who they disclosed to. Furthermore, they explained that they felt a number of barriers to disclosure, both of a personal and social nature. They also described a number of different reactions they received, both negative and positive. In reflecting on their situations these women had come to a number of realisations, while during the interviews a number of observations were made, particularly regarding the strength they showed. In bringing their experiences together, it was clear that upon disclosure women require their family and friends to listen non-judgementally; help them to understand IPV; support the woman’s decisions; and offer tangible support if necessary. However, negative experiences were not uncommon, and it was hypothesised that there are two forms of this: passive, which comes about through a lack of understanding; and active, which comes about through a conscious decision to be unsupportive. In concluding, it was suggested that widespread education be introduced, and public awareness campaigns be widened, to increase public understanding of IPV.</p>

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Jared Reid Walton

<p>One in three New Zealand women has experienced Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) at some stage in their lives, with the vast majority of these women disclosing to a family member or friend at some stage during or after the relationship. Therefore, it is important to understand the dynamics involved with this disclosure. This study draws on feminist perspectives and a grounded theory methodology to examine six women’s experiences with these dynamics. These women reported being very careful about when they disclosed, often going to great lengths to hide the abuse, and who they disclosed to. Furthermore, they explained that they felt a number of barriers to disclosure, both of a personal and social nature. They also described a number of different reactions they received, both negative and positive. In reflecting on their situations these women had come to a number of realisations, while during the interviews a number of observations were made, particularly regarding the strength they showed. In bringing their experiences together, it was clear that upon disclosure women require their family and friends to listen non-judgementally; help them to understand IPV; support the woman’s decisions; and offer tangible support if necessary. However, negative experiences were not uncommon, and it was hypothesised that there are two forms of this: passive, which comes about through a lack of understanding; and active, which comes about through a conscious decision to be unsupportive. In concluding, it was suggested that widespread education be introduced, and public awareness campaigns be widened, to increase public understanding of IPV.</p>


2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 216-231
Author(s):  
Mindy Reynolds

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.


2016 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 582-601 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jesse Cale ◽  
Stacy Tzoumakis ◽  
Benoit Leclerc ◽  
Jan Breckenridge

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between child abuse, depression, and patterns of Intimate Partner Violence victimization among female university students in Australia and New Zealand. Data were based on the Australia/New Zealand portion of the International Dating Violence Study (2001–2005) (n = 293). Using Latent Class Analysis, Low-, Moderate-, and High-level Intimate Partner Violence profiles were identified that differed according to the variety, degree, and severity of Intimate Partner Violence. Furthermore, the combination of child maltreatment and self-reported depressive symptoms differed across profiles. The results highlighted differential pathways from child maltreatment to specific Intimate Partner Violence victimization patterns. These findings provide further evidence for the importance of early intervention strategies to prevent Intimate Partner Violence, and specifically for children who experience abuse and neglect to help prevent subsequent victimization experiences in intimate relationship contexts.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fengsu Hou ◽  
Catherine Cerulli ◽  
Marsha N. Wittink ◽  
Eric D. Caine ◽  
Peiyuan Qiu

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.


2015 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 960-983 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janet Fanslow ◽  
Pauline Gulliver

The purpose of this investigation was to identify risk and protective factors associated with intimate partner violence (IPV) in a high-income country (New Zealand) and to identify those factors that distinguish between current versus previous exposure to IPV. Data were drawn from the New Zealand replication of the World Health Organization’s Multi-Country Study on Women’s Health and Domestic Violence. Logistic regression was conducted to identify those variables associated with experience of IPV. Problem drinking, a partner who has concurrent sexual relationships, and a partner who is violent outside the home were associated with increased likelihood of current as opposed to previous experience of IPV. Increased household income and both the respondent and her partner being employed were associated with reduced likelihood that women would experience current as opposed to prior IPV. The findings point toward the need for comprehensive approaches to reduce all forms of violence and to contribute to the primary prevention of IPV. Strategies that address early exposure to violence, problematic alcohol consumption, gender transformative approaches to working with boys and men, and economic empowerment for women may all hold promise.


2014 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 297-311 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda M. Young-Hauser ◽  
Karen B. Eden ◽  
Denise Wilson ◽  
Jane Koziol-Mclain

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