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

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.

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

Violence Against Women ◽

10.1177/1077801218768714 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 25 (3) ◽

pp. 337-358 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

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.

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Examining the Relationship Between Intimate Partner Violence and Concern for Animal Care and Safekeeping

Journal of Interpersonal Violence ◽

10.1177/0886260517700618 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 35 (9-10) ◽

pp. 1866-1887 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Melissa A. Wuerch ◽

Crystal J. Giesbrecht ◽

Jill A. B. Price ◽

Tracy Knutson ◽

Frances Wach

Keyword(s):

Intimate Partner Violence ◽

Rural Communities ◽

Partner Violence ◽

Service Providers ◽

Qualitative Interviews ◽

Intimate Partner ◽

Decision To Leave ◽

Community Based Research ◽

Human Service Providers ◽

Animal Care

The current study examined the knowledge and experience of animal welfare and human service providers in urban and rural communities of Saskatchewan, Canada. Nine exploratory qualitative interviews were conducted to gather a more in-depth understanding of whether the concern for animal care and safekeeping impacts the decision to leave situations of intimate partner violence. The interviews were semistructured and guided by four questions, which were designed, reviewed, and revised based on feedback from a community-based research team. Thematic analysis highlighted important findings, allowing for the generation of suggestions for improvement of current supports and services offered. The current study findings suggest that concern for animal care and safekeeping creates significant barriers regarding the decision to leave situations of intimate partner violence and abuse, warranting further research to inform support services and resources within a Canadian context.

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Prevalence of Intimate Partner Violence, Substance Use Disorders and Depression among Incarcerated Women in Lima, Perú

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph182111134 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (21) ◽

pp. 11134

Author(s):

Elena Cyrus ◽

Jorge Sanchez ◽

Purnima Madhivanan ◽

Javier R. Lama ◽

Andrea Cornejo Bazo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Intimate Partner Violence ◽

Substance Use ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Relative Risk ◽

Substance Use Disorders ◽

Partner Violence ◽

Physical Violence ◽

Incarcerated Women ◽

Intimate Partner ◽

Adjusted Relative Risk

Background: Globally, there is evidence supporting the co-occurrence of intimate partner violence (IPV), substance use disorders (SUD) and mental health disorders among women in prisons, however, there is limited research investigating these domains in the Andean region where rates of female incarceration have increased. The study objective was to explore the prevalence of IPV, SUD and depression among incarcerated women in a Peruvian prison and explore associations among these variables and related correlates. Methods: 249 incarcerated women responded to a questionnaire about IPV, substance use, depression, and sexual behavior, and were screened for HIV/sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Univariate analysis and logistic regression were used to estimate relative risk and the influence of substance use and depression on IPV rates. Results: Twelve months prior to incarceration, of the women with sexual partners pre-incarceration (n = 212), 69.3% experienced threats of violence, 61.4% experienced ≥1 acts of physical violence, and 28.3% reported ≥1 act of sexual aggression. Pre-incarceration, 68.1% of drug-using women had a SUD, and 61.7% of those who consumed alcohol reported hazardous/harmful drinking. There were 20 (8.0%) HIV/STD cases; and 67.5% of the women reported depressive symptoms. Compared to women with no experiences of physical violence, a greater proportion of women who experienced least l violent act had depressive symptoms and engaged in sex work pre-incarceration. Depression was associated with physical violence (adjusted relative risk = 1.35, 95% confidence interval: 1.14–1.58). Recommendations: The findings provide evidence of a syndemic of IPV, substance abuse and depression among incarcerated women in a Peruvian prison. To help guide policy makers, further research is needed to determine if this is indicative of trends for other at-risk women in the region, and viable options to treat these women during incarceration to prevent recidivism and other long-term negative sequalae.

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Intimate Partner Violence: The Lived Experiences of Economic and Financial Violence of Rural Women in Ghana

Partner Abuse ◽

10.1891/1946-6560.10.4.429 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 (4) ◽

pp. 429-451

Author(s):

Harriet Baffoe-Whyte ◽

Marie-Antoinette Sossou

Keyword(s):

Intimate Partner Violence ◽

Data Analysis ◽

Rural Communities ◽

Rural Women ◽

Partner Violence ◽

Lived Experiences ◽

Intimate Partner ◽

Policy Implications ◽

Process Data ◽

Economic Violence

Economic violence (EV) or financial violence (FV) is one form of intimate partner violence (IPV), which has received less attention from scholars, policymakers, and social work practitioners. This study explores and describes the lived experiences of 24 rural Ghanaian women with economic violence within intimate partner relationships as wives, mothers, co-wives, and girlfriends. A qualitative methodology utilized a purposeful sample of 24 self-identified female victims as participants aged 20–50 years from three different rural communities in the southeastern region of Ghana. Data collected through individual semi-structured in-depth face-to-face interviews and data analysis utilized a qualitative thematic content analysis approach using Miles, Huberman, and Saldana (2014)'s thematic process. Data analysis identifies four main themes namely: (1) Exploitation of family resources; (2) Refusal of spouse/partner to support economic activities; (3) Not benefiting from commonly acquired marital properties; and 4) Inadequate reward for contributions. The article discusses policy implications, mental health interventions and suggestions for the provision of professional services and programs to increase the socioeconomic development of rural communities in Ghana.

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Women’s experiences of intimate partner violence in rural Taranaki, Aotearoa New Zealand

Aotearoa New Zealand Social Work ◽

10.11157/anzswj-vol31iss1id533 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 31 (1) ◽

pp. 31-41

Author(s):

Lesley Pitt ◽

Jane Maidment ◽

Yvonne Crichton-Hill

Keyword(s):

Intimate Partner Violence ◽

Rural Communities ◽

Social Workers ◽

Rural Women ◽

Partner Violence ◽

Hegemonic Masculinity ◽

Intimate Partner ◽

Women’S Experiences ◽

Women's Experiences ◽

The Impact

INTRODUCTION: Traditionally, research about intimate partner violence has focused on urban areas and has been urban-centric. However, there are some components of intimate partner violence in rural communities which are different and social workers need to be aware of these variances.METHODS: The findings presented in this article were drawn from a doctoral study in which 23 women and five men were interviewed using a qualitative approach. Alongside these interviews, key informants in the rural Taranaki district were consulted, a fieldwork journal kept and photographs taken. The data were analysed using applied thematic analysis.FINDINGS: Patriarchy was a distinct aspect of the intimate partner violence experienced by the women who participated in this study and part of the back-drop to lives. Hegemonic masculinity was a powerful contributor to the intimate partner violence experienced by some study participants. Geographic isolation was exploited as an aspect of control in intimate partner violence among the women and women had difficulty accessing services.CONCLUSION: It is important for social workers, in order to practise competently, to have an awareness of the impact of patriarchy and hegemonic masculinity. When working in rural communities, social workers need to be attentive to the factors which impact rural women who have experienced intimate partner violence, and how these factors might differ from those that impact urban women’s experiences.

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Women, Incarceration, and Reentry

Gender, Psychology, and Justice ◽

10.18574/nyu/9781479819850.003.0006 ◽

2017 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Elizabeth A. Lilliott ◽

Elise M. Trott ◽

Nicole C. Kellett ◽

Amy E. Green ◽

Cathleen E. Willging

Keyword(s):

Substance Use ◽

New Mexico ◽

Rural Communities ◽

Rural Women ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Health Resources ◽

Incarcerated Women ◽

Physical And Mental Health ◽

Substance Use Problems ◽

Structural Inequities

Before, during, and after incarceration, rural women prisoners experience significant challenges that are exacerbated by harmful stereotypes about their criminalized behavior and seeming inability to make “good choices.” These stereotypes commonly abound within healthcare and corrections systems and in rural communities. In rural areas, high rates of poverty, mental distress, and substance use are compounded by the disintegration of community health resources. This chapter describes women’s experiences within and outside of a New Mexico prison and points to the layered oppressions that endanger their physical and mental health and foreclose possibilities for a successful reentry within rural contexts. This chapter proposes a social justice approach to treatment and rehabilitation that encourages helping professionals to attend to the manifold effects of structural inequities, trauma, and substance-use problems of incarcerated women.

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Guns, Alcohol, and Intimate Partner Violence: The Epidemiology of Female Suicide in New Mexico

Crisis ◽

10.1027//0227-5910.20.3.121 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 20 (3) ◽

pp. 121-126 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Lenora Olson ◽

Frank Huyler ◽

Arthur W Lynch ◽

Lynne Fullerton ◽

Deborah Werenko ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Intimate Partner Violence ◽

New Mexico ◽

American Indians ◽

Partner Violence ◽

The United States ◽

Intimate Partner ◽

Injury Death ◽

Female Suicide ◽

Blood Alcohol Levels ◽

Associated Risk Factors

Suicide is among the leading causes of death in the United States, and in women the second leading cause of injury death overall. Previous studies have suggested links between intimate partner violence and suicide in women. We examined female suicide deaths to identify and describe associated risk factors. We reviewed all reports from the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator for female suicide deaths occurring in New Mexico from 1990 to 1994. Information abstracted included demographics, mechanism of death, presence of alcohol/drugs, clinical depression, intimate partner violence, health problems, and other variables. Annual rates were calculated based on the 1990 census. The New Mexico female suicide death rate was 8.2/100,000 persons per year (n = 313), nearly twice the U. S. rate of 4.5/100,000. Non-Hispanic whites were overrepresented compared to Hispanics and American Indians. Decedents ranged in age from 14 to 93 years (median = 43 years). Firearms accounted for 45.7% of the suicide deaths, followed by ingested poisons (29.1%), hanging (10.5%), other (7.7%), and inhaled poisons (7.0%). Intimate partner violence was documented in 5.1% of female suicide deaths; in an additional 22.1% of cases, a male intimate partner fought with or separated from the decedent immediately preceding the suicide. Nearly two-thirds (65.5%) of the decedents had alcohol or drugs present in their blood at autopsy. Among decedents who had alcohol present (34.5%), blood alcohol levels were far higher among American Indians compared to Hispanics and non-Hispanic Whites (p = .01). Interpersonal conflict was documented in over 25% of cases, indicating that studies of the mortality of intimate partner violence should include victims of both suicide and homicide deaths to fully characterize the mortality patterns of intimate partner violence.

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