Modifiers of Neighbors' Bystander Intervention in Intimate Partner Violence: A Concept Mapping Study

Personality processes of everyday moral courage

INTRODUCTION

Moral courage manifests in acts intended to intervene to stop or redress witnessed moral norm violations, despite the risk of negative consequences for the intervener. We investigate moral courage in everyday life and ask what personality processes are involved. Based on an extended process model of moral courage, we derived hypotheses on cognitive and emotional processes that should facilitate or hinder intervention. Further, we identified candidate personality dispositions that should shape these processes and thereby predict who tends to intervene against others' norm violations and who does not.

METHODS

Using a quota-based sample of the German population (N = 1108), we conducted a personality assessment, followed by a 7-day experience sampling during which participants reported norm violations witnessed in their daily life as well as their cognitive, emotional, and behavioral reactions.

RESULTS

In total, 678 participants reported 1965 norm violations and intervened against 32% of them. Dispositional self-efficacy facilitated intervention by increasing a sense of efficacy when confronted with others' norm violations. Conversely, dispositional moral disengagement hindered intervention by reducing perceived own responsibility.

DISCUSSION

Our findings provide novel insights into the situations affording moral courage in everyday life, and the personality processes that uniquely guide this behavior.

Black Communities' Perspectives on High-Risk Domestic Violence

Domestic violence homicide is a serious issue that is receiving increased attention in communities across the country. The Black community has been disproportionately impacted by domestic violence fatality. However, little information has been obtained as to how these communities understand and perceive high-risk domestic violence. This article provides information from 128 focus group participants from diverse Black communities on their perceptions of what constitutes high-risk domestic violence. The findings affirm some current high-risk indicators, such as stalking, strangulation, use of threats, access to a weapon, and isolation, and provide nuanced perspectives of each indicator. In addition, the findings provide new thoughts on what these communities identified as high-risk domestic violence, including public violence, repeated violence with no consequences, escalation of arguments, disconnection from the community, and being a member of a marginalized group. Implications for practice, policy, education, and protocol development are provided.

The Relationship Between Foreclosures and Intimate Partner Violence During the U.S. Housing Crisis

The recent U.S. housing crisis led to increases in neighborhood foreclosures and stress. Intimate partner violence (IPV) is linked to neighborhood stress, but less is known about whether foreclosures aggravate neighborhood conditions affecting IPV. Using police, foreclosure, and census data for three cities in the Phoenix region coupled with cross-sectional time series modeling, we find a direct effect of foreclosures on IPV, with the largest effects appearing at the end of the housing crisis. Our findings suggest that households living in communities that recover more slowly from housing downturns may be more prone to IPV.

Last mile research: a conceptual map

Background: The term 'last mile' has been used across disciplines to refer to populations who are farthest away, most difficult to reach, or last to benefit from a program or service. However, last mile research lacks a shared understanding around its conceptualization.Objectives: This project used a concept mapping process to answer the questions: what is last mile research in global health and, how can it be used to make positive change for health equity in the last mile?Methods: Between July and December 2019, a five-stage concept mapping exercise was undertaken using online concept mapping software and an in-person consensus meeting. The stages were: establishment of an expert group and focus prompt; idea generation; sorting and rating; initial analysis and final consensus meeting.Results: A group of 15 health researchers with experience working with populations in last mile contexts and who were based at the Matariki Network institutions of Queen's University, CAN and Dartmouth College, USA took part. The resulting concept map had 64 unique idea statements and the process resulted in a map with five clusters. These included: (1) Last mile populations; (2) Research methods and approaches; (3) Structural and systemic factors; (4) Health system factors, and (5) Broader environmental factors. Central to the map were the ideas of equity, human rights, health systems, and contextual sensitivity.Conclusion: This is the first time 'last mile research' has been the focus of a formal concept mapping exercise. The resulting map showed consensus about who last mile populations are, how research should be undertaken in the last mile and why last mile health disparities exist. The map can be used to inform research training programs, however, repeating this process with researchers and members from different last mile populations would also add further insight.

Community Conversations on Relationship Violence: Town Variations in Prevention Perceptions through Concept Mapping

To further develop domestic and sexual violence (DSV) prevention strategies at the community level requires an understanding of how community members in towns think about prevention. Using concept mapping, this study sought to better understand community members' perspectives about what DSV prevention strategies would be most feasible, most effective, and generate the greatest community support within their town. Data were collected across four rural Northern England towns. Participants (>90% White) in each town (total sample size = 119) brainstormed, sorted, and rated between 67 and 90 statements per town (x̅ = 75). Based on the results, a 5-cluster solution of school settings, conversations, individual direct action, community building, and community awareness was identified across all four towns as DSV prevention strategies with one town identifying an additional cluster solution of governance. Despite identifying similar prevention strategies, participants from each town rated these clusters of strategies differently on how feasible, effective, and supported they would be in their community. Overall, our results suggest that there were interesting consistencies across four towns in a similar geographic region in terms of how DSV prevention was described. However, individual communities differed in their views of the feasibility and acceptability of the different strategies. These results suggest that different strategies and higher-level actions may be required to address and prevent DSV within different towns and communities and that community narratives can clarify which specific strategies may encounter fewer barriers to implementation.

Exploring the Immediate Effects of COVID-19 Containment Policies on Crime: an Empirical Analysis of the Short-Term Aftermath in Los Angeles

This work investigates whether and how COVID-19 containment policies had an immediate impact on crime trends in Los Angeles. The analysis is conducted using Bayesian structural time-series and focuses on nine crime categories and on the overall crime count, daily monitored from January 1st 2017 to March 28th 2020. We concentrate on two post-intervention time windows-from March 4th to March 16th and from March 4th to March 28th 2020-to dynamically assess the short-term effects of mild and strict policies. In Los Angeles, overall crime has significantly decreased, as well as robbery, shoplifting, theft, and battery. No significant effect has been detected for vehicle theft, burglary, assault with a deadly weapon, intimate partner assault, and homicide. Results suggest that, in the first weeks after the interventions are put in place, social distancing impacts more directly on instrumental and less serious crimes. Policy implications are also discussed.

Myth Acceptance Regarding Male-To-Female Intimate Partner Violence amongst Spanish Adolescents and Emerging Adults

(1) Background: General beliefs and attitudes toward Male-to-Female Intimate Partner Violence (MFIPV) play a fundamental, critical role in the expression of violent behaviors in relationships during both adolescence and adulthood. The objective of the present study was to contrast the degree of myth acceptance regarding MFIPV, based on the sex and age of Spanish teenagers and emerging adults. (2) Methods: A sample of 1580 participants aged between 15 and 24 took part in the study. The subjects were enrolled in 34 secondary schools and two university centers spread across Seville (Spain). A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was carried out for the data analysis. (3) Results: Overall, males had a higher level of myth acceptance than females in all the dimensions considered in the study. In the case of significantly high levels of myth acceptance, males quintupled females. The research dimension that revealed the greatest differences was romantic love. Regarding age, a degree of stability was observed in the age period of 15–17 years and 18–20 years, but this subsequently decreased for the age range of 21–24 years. (4) Conclusions: Efforts should be focused on promoting actions to challenge male mandates and narratives concerning romantic or true love.

Community Actionists: Understanding Adult Bystanders to Sexual and Domestic Violence Prevention in Communities

OBJECTIVES

Researchers and practitioners are becoming increasingly aware that domestic and sexual violence (DSV) can be addressed at the community level by involving bystanders (or actionists, a term used to specify third parties who help as opposed to those who stand by). Since most research on DSV actionists has been conducted in secondary and higher educational contexts, little is known about actionist behaviors in towns and neighborhoods among adults. The current study examines how groups of actionists with differing levels of proactive and reactive behaviors related to DSV prevention vary in their community perceptions.

METHODS

We surveyed 1,623 adults (age range = 18 and over; 95% White; 52% female) across four rural communities in New England using direct mail methods. We asked participants about their perceived opportunities for taking action in the face of acute DSV risk and about any such actions they had taken in their communities during the past year. We also asked about participants' perceptions of community prevention-related social norms. From this data, we calculated prevention action ratios that resulted in three groups of actionists: non-responders, occasional responders, and frequent responders.

RESULTS

Individuals who more consistently responded to DSV reported positive perceptions of community social norms and processes. The most involved group of actionists had stronger perceptions of injunctive community norms.

CONCLUSIONS

Results suggest that prevention strategies that aim to change social norms among adults may enhance prevention outcomes in communities.

Not All Behind Closed Doors: Examining Bystander Involvement in Intimate Partner Violence

It is often said that intimate partner violence (IPV) happens "behind closed doors"; however, research on IPV and other crimes suggests that witnesses are sometimes present. This suggests that bystanders may be in a position to help victims or potential victims of violence. Bystander behavior has been studied primarily in school settings, and consequently, little is known about how often it occurs or what its effects may be in the broader community. This study examined IPV incidents in a rural sample to assess the presence and potential impact of bystanders on victim-reported outcomes. One thousand nine hundred seventy-seven adult participants completed a questionnaire that asked about five violent behaviors (my partner threatened to hurt me; pushed, grabbed, or shook me; hit me; beat me up; sexually assaulted me), bystander characteristics, and victim outcomes (fear; injury; disruption of daily routines; mental health). Adult or teen bystanders were present for each IPV approximately one third of the time, except in the case of sexual assault (14.3%). When a bystander was present, victims reported higher rates of injury, greater disruption in their routines, and poorer mental health. When a bystander's safety was threatened, victims reported more physical injury and more routine disruption. A considerable number of IPV incidents do not happen behind closed doors, and the presence of a bystander was associated with worse outcomes for victims. Prevention efforts for adult IPV may need to take a more cautious or nuanced approach to encouraging bystander action, especially when confronted with more severe incidents. Bystander safety should be a priority for violence prevention.

The Willingness to Intervene in Cases of Intimate Partner Violence Against Women (WI-IPVAW) Scale: Development and Validation of the Long and Short Versions

Willingness to intervene when one becomes aware of a case of intimate partner violence against women (IPVAW) reflects the level of tolerance and acceptance of this type of violence in society. Increasing the likelihood of intervention to help victims of IPVAW is also a target for prevention strategies aiming to increase informal social control of IPVAW. In this study, we present the development and validation of the Willingness to Intervene in Cases of Intimate Partner Violence (WI-IPVAW) scale. We report data for both the long and short versions of the scale. We analyzed the latent structure, the reliability and validity of the WI-IPVAW across four samples (N = 1648). Factor analyses supported a bifactor model with a general non-specific factor expressing willingness to intervene in cases of IPVAW, and three specific factors reflecting different intervention preferences: a preference for setting the law enforcement process in motion ("calling the cops" factor), a preference for personal intervention ("personal involvement" factor), and a preference for non-intervention ("not my business" factor). Configural, metric, and partial scalar invariance across genders were supported. Two short versions of the scale, with nine and six items, respectively, were constructed on the base of quantitative and qualitative criteria. The long and short versions of the WI-IPVAW demonstrated both high reliability and construct validity, as they were strongly related to the acceptability of IPVAW, victim-blaming attitudes, perceived severity of IPVAW, and hostile sexism. These results confirm that both the long and short versions of the WI-IPVAW scale are psychometrically sound instruments to analyze willingness to intervene in cases of IPVAW in different settings and with different research needs (e.g., long versions for clinical and research settings, and short versions for large population surveys). The WI-IPVAW is also useful for assessing prevention policies and public education campaigns design to promote a more responsive social environment in cases of IPVAW, thus contributing to deter and reduce this major social and public health problem.