Discursive Positioning of Intimate Partners: A Structural-Relational Approach to Intimate Partner Violence (IPV)

Purpose: This study is about the discursive positioning of intimate partners: A structural-relational approach to intimate partner violence. The study attempts to uncover the story lines of the IPV narratives, the social force of the discursive acts of the narratives, the enacted positions, and the (de) legitimization of rights and duties of the positions of the referents in the narratives. Method: the study adopts the random sampling method in which two IPV narrative were randomly selected from one pseudo named male and female victims. The narratives were in the form of documented transcripts which is in line with Harre and Van lagenhoove (1999) accounting positioning that allows a retrospect study of social actors positioning of this kind. The study also adopted the Halliday’s transitivity process to substantiate the positioning works in the narrative and the mechanism with which these acts are tied to the social structure. Results: The findings of the study revealed that the declarations of the narratives indicates the evaluative and normative underlying judgment on the deontic powers to say and do something in the moral space of intimate partner relations. Conclusion: a socio-constructionist study of this nature reveals the relationship between the narrative referents point of view about actions, point of actions and line of life as regards the moralities of social behaviour in the moral space of intimate partner relationship and how it triggers tendencies for IPV.

Accuracy in perceptions of a partner’s sexual goals

Intimate partners engage in sex for a variety of reasons, and their perceptions of each other’s sexual goals play an important role in intimate relationships. How accurate are these perceptions of a partner’s sexual goals and is accuracy associated with relationship quality and sexual satisfaction for the couple? To answer these questions, we conducted a 21-day dyadic daily experience study of 121 couples, which we analyzed using two different approaches to examine accuracy: the profile approach and the Truth and Bias Model. Results from these two approaches demonstrated that people’s perceptions of their partner’s sexual goals were indeed accurate, but that accuracy was not associated with relationship quality or sexual satisfaction for the perceiver or their partner. Rather, perceiving a partner’s sexual goals in normative (or socially desirable) ways was associated with relationship quality and sexual satisfaction for both the perceiver and their partner. Implications of these findings are discussed.

Psychological Autopsy: A Method to Assist in the Identification of Risk and Protective Factors for Intimate Partner Femicide

The most common form of violence experienced by women is that perpetrated by intimate partners, and the gendered nature of intimate partner femicide (IPF) has received particular attention. Few studies to date have delved into the limitations associated with methods used in IPF research, and particularly the methods used to study homicide victims (rather than homicide perpetrators). This article outlines dominant methodologies used to study IPF, and considers a novel method of investigation—the “psychological autopsy”—that may help to improve existing knowledge about IPF.

Identifying psychological outcomes in families of Five Eyes alliance armed forces Veterans: A systematic review

LAY SUMMARY Military service can affect the psychological health and well-being of ex-service members and their families. Most research prioritizes active duty families or Veterans, with spouses/intimate partners and adult children of Veterans often overlooked. This study reviewed all previous research on the psychological health of Veteran families within the Five Eyes alliance countries of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. It found spouses/intimate partners had higher rates of anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) compared to national rates and were more likely to feel distress when their Veteran partner had mental health issues. Adult children were at higher risk for anxiety, depression, alcohol/substance misuse, and PTSD compared to national rates. Four themes identified were: personal feelings and internal emotions, Veteran-oriented, help and support, and acting as a unit. Due to the scarce available research, further studies are needed to address psychological outcomes among military Veteran families.

Otcovia, milenci a kamionisti: mužské postavy v prozaickom svete Ivany Dobrakovovej

The paper analyses the depiction of male characters in the select texts of the Slovak writer Ivana Dobrakovová. Although male protagonists are not rare in her prose, little attention is paid to them. This literary approach to their depiction is determined by the writer’s strong focus on the main female protagonists – the female characters make the majority in Dobrakovová’s short stories. However, men regularly appear as fathers or intimate partners of her female characters, and these relationships – ranging from informal to institutional – play a specific role in her works.

‘Lockdown's changed everything’: Mothering adult children in prison in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic occurred at a time when families of prisoners were gaining visibility in both academia and policy. Research exploring the experiences of families of prison residents has tended to focus on intimate partners and children, despite parents of those in prison being more likely than partners or children to maintain contact. The small body of work focusing on parents has identified their continued care for their children and highlights the burden of providing this care. With the ethics of care posing an ideological expectation on women to provide familial care, the care for adult children in custody is likely to fall to mothers. However, with restricted prison regimes, the pandemic has significantly impeded mothers’ ability to provide this ‘care’. Adopting a qualitative methodology, this paper explores the accounts of mothers to adult children in custody during the pandemic across two UK prison systems, England and Wales, and Scotland; exploring the negotiation of mothering in the context of imprisonment and the pandemic and highlighting important lessons for policy and practice.

Toxic Relationships: The Experiences and Effects of Psychopathy in Romantic Relationships

Limited research exists on the impact of psychopathy within romantic relationships. We examined mental and physical health consequences reported by intimate partners of individuals with psychopathic traits. Additionally, we explored whether psychopathy severity and coping impacted the severity of posttraumatic stress disorder and depression symptoms. Four hundred fifty-seven former and current intimate partners of individuals with psychopathic traits were recruited from online support groups. Victims reported a variety of abusive experiences and various negative symptomatology involving emotional, biological, behavioral, cognitive, and interpersonal consequences. Psychopathy severity and maladaptive coping were significantly related to increased PTSD and depression, while adaptive coping was only related to decreased depression. Regression analyses revealed that experiencing many forms of victimization predicted increased PTSD and depression symptoms. Examining the specific consequences experienced by intimate partners of individuals with psychopathic traits can aid the development of individualized treatment interventions aimed at symptom mitigation, recovery, and prevention of future victimization.

How People Become Attractive to Prospective Mates: Strategies of Self-Promotion in the Greek Cultural Context

An important aspect of human mating is to appeal to prospective mates. Accordingly, the current research attempted to identify the strategies that people use in order to become more attractive as prospective intimate partners. More specifically, using open-ended questionnaires in a sample of 326 Greek-speaking participants, we identified 87 acts that people performed in order to become more attractive as mates. By using quantitative research methods in a sample of 2,197 Greek-speaking participants, we classified these acts into 16 different strategies. We found that, enhancing one's looks and becoming more pleasant, were among the most preferred strategies. Women were more likely than men to adopt strategies that involved looks, while men were more likely than women to adopt strategies that involved resource acquisition capacity. Moreover, age effects were found for most strategies. The identified strategies were classified into two broader domains, one aiming to develop and demonstrate fitness-increasing qualities, and the other to deceive about fitness-impairing traits.

#MeToo on the Canadian Prairies: Raising Awareness of Sexual Assaults and Mental Health in Women Abused by Intimate Partners

Studies of intimate partner sexual assault (IPSA) and its effects on mental health are limited. This secondary data analysis examines IPSA, a history of child sexual abuse, depression, trauma, mental distress and quality of life in 665 Canadian women, 41% of whom had been sexually assaulted by intimate partners; 53% were sexually abused as children. Women who had experienced any IPSA had significantly higher scores on all Composite Abuse subscales (IPV), mental distress (SCL-10), and depression (CES-D-10). PTSD (PCL) was higher for women with both IPSA and CSA histories. Implications for advocates, clinicians, and researchers are presented.