A mixed methods study of participant reaction to domestic violence research in Jordan

Domestic Violence Against Women in North African and Middle Eastern Countries: A Scoping Review

This scoping review aimed to identify the scope of the current literature on the prevalence, consequences, and risk factors of domestic violence (DV) against women by their husbands or male partners in North African and Middle Eastern countries. The methodology for this scoping review was based on the framework outlined by Arksey and O'Malley. Studies published on DV against women over the age of 15 by partner or husband and published in peer-reviewed scientific journals between January 1970 and April 2018 were included in the review. The databases MEDLINE, PsychINFO, CINAHL, HealthSTAR, EMBASE, Scopus, African Journals Online, Turkish Journal Database, and gray literature sources were searched. On completion of the review process, 151 full-text articles were identified for charting. This review demonstrated that women's age, women's education level, duration of marriage, history of childhood abuse/witnessing family violence, living in the rural region, and family income level were negatively associated with DV, indicating that younger women, women with lower education, a longer marriage duration, and a lower income level had a higher risk of exposure to DV in this region. Anxiety, depression/insomnia, and physical injury were the most common health problems reported by victims in the region. The highest proportion of women with no response to violence was reported in Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey. The findings of this scoping review represent the first attempt to summarize the literature from North African and Middle Eastern countries and demonstrate the similarity in DV-related behaviors among women despite the cultural and regional diversity of the studies.

Exploring Jordanian women's resistance strategies to domestic violence: A scoping review

Despite there being an abundant gender and social science research on domestic violence (DV) in Jordan, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, there is limited understanding and knowledge of women's resistance strategies to DV. To fill this gap, this study conducted a scoping review to synthesize and analyze 11 articles published in English-language scholarly journals between 2001 and 2021 by following the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. The databases of the University of Jordan Library, Dar Almandumah, PsycINFO, PubMed, Google Scholar, and Scopus were searched in December 2021. Our review found no scientific articles that primarily discussed Jordanian women's resistance to DV and explicate it as a secondary aim within the context of screening for the causes, consequences, and prevalence of DV. Therefore, while a few articles implicitly conceptualized women's resistance in the context of the patriarchal structure-either as tactics of physical, social, economic survival, and to protect their family and honor, or as consequences of DV-no article provided an explicit definition of this concept. The articles also deliberated on 12 resistance strategies that women use to deal with DV; predominant among them are daily resistance, activities hidden for immediate and de facto gains (e.g., to avoid beatings, divorce and family disintegration, the decision to keep their children, and maintaining economic stability). The most common strategies are silence and not seeking help, reporting to family members or friends, seeking legal and social advice, and reporting to the police or healthcare provider.

Experiences of participation in a population-based survey on violence: Emotional discomfort, disclosure concerns, and the perceived value of participation among adolescents and young adults

The accurate measurement of violence depends on high-quality data collected using methods that ensure participant confidentiality, privacy, and safety. To assess survey participants' emotional distress, discomfort, and self-perceived value of participating in the Honduras (2017), El Salvador (2017), Cote d'Ivoire (2018), and Lesotho (2018) Violence Against Children and Youth Surveys, which include sensitive topics such as sexual, physical, and emotional violence, we investigated individual self-reported distress and perceived value of participation by age, sex, and other demographic factors. We also examined the associations between past experiences of violence and both self-reported distress and perceived value of survey participation. Few individuals reported distress or concerns about disclosure. Across countries, 82.9% (Cote d'Ivoire) to 96.1% (Honduras) of participants indicated they were not afraid that someone might overhear their answers, 82.5% (Cote d'Ivoire) to 98.0% (El Salvador) said participation was not upsetting or stressful, and 93.3% (Cote d'Ivoire) to 98.6% (Honduras) said participation was worthwhile. The value of these interviews may exceed the negative feelings that some questions potentially elicit and can contribute to improved responses to victims.

I Don't Have Power, and I Want More: Psychological, Physical, and Sexual Dating Violence Perpetration Among College Students

The purpose of this study was to (a) explore the prevalence of, and gender differences in, self-reported physical, sexual, and psychological violence perpetration in dating relationships (i.e., not married or engaged), (b) evaluate the factorial validity of the Power Perceptions and Power Satisfaction Questionnaire in dating relationships, and (c) document the mediating role of power satisfaction in the associations between power perception and physical, sexual, and psychological dating violence perpetration. College students (N = 812) completed the Power Perceptions and Power Satisfaction Questionnaire and the Psychological Aggression, Physical Assault, and Sexual Coercion subscales of the Revised Conflict Tactics Scale. Gender differences emerged in the prevalence of physical (43.0% for women and 35.0% for men) and sexual violence (25.0% for women and 41.8% for men) but not psychological violence (80.1% for women and 75.5% for men). Exploratory factor and parallel analyses yielded two subscales of power perceptions and power satisfaction, which explained 40.56% of the variance. Mediation analyses revealed that college students who perceived lower relationship power were more dissatisfied with that relationship power and, in turn, perpetrated more physical, sexual, and psychological violence against their partners. The mediation effects were evident in both women and men. The implications of the current findings for future research and mental health professionals at colleges are outlined.

Difference and Analysis of Evaluating Psychological Monitors' Interview and Classmates' Being Interviewed About Suicide

In recent years, suicide has become the leading cause of unnatural death among college students in China. Psychological monitors, as class cadres who manage affairs related to mental health within their classes, are critical in identifying and intervening in psychological crises among their classmates. In China, however, talking about death is a cultural taboo, and many mental health workers have expressed concern about their implementation of interviews about suicide with others. Generally speaking, interviews with suicidal classmates are usually conducted by professional psychological experts and psychological monitors (psychological monitors are non-professional peer counselors in China). Such classmates that have undergone both the aforementioned types of interviews were investigated in this paper. However, this paper focuses on two issues. Firstly, what are the perceptions of classmates who have been interviewed toward the experience of being interviewed by psychological monitors? Secondly, what are the psychological monitors' perceptions of their implementation of interviews about suicide with classmates? In this study, 1,664 classmates who had been interviewed and 1,320 psychological monitors were surveyed by means of an online questionnaire. The results showed that classmates who have been interviewed perceived their experience of being interviewed by a psychological monitor about suicide more positively than the psychological monitors who viewed their implementation of interviews about suicide with classmates. Among the classmates who have been interviewed, three categories of classmates have more positive perceptions of their experience of being interviewed by a psychological monitor about suicide. Category one is males. Category two is those who were willing to seek help from the psychological monitors. Category three is those who had a more correct attitude toward mental illness. Among the psychological monitors, three categories of psychological monitors have more positive perceptions of their implementation of interviews about suicide with classmates. Category one is those who have the experience of implementing interviews with their classmates. Category two is those who have received training. Category three is those who had a more correct attitude toward mental illness. Psychological monitors can interview classmates confidently, and the training of psychological monitors on mental health knowledge should be strengthened in universities.

A scoping review of recommendations in the English language on conducting research with trauma-exposed populations since publication of the Belmont report; thematic review of existing recommendations on research with trauma-exposed populations

OBJECTIVE

To identify recommendations for conducting public health research with trauma-exposed populations.

METHODS

Researchers searched Embase, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Open Grey, and Google Scholar for recommendations. Trauma that causes psychological impact was our exposure of interest and we excluded clinical articles on treating physical trauma. We reviewed titles and abstracts of 8,070 articles and full text of 300 articles. We analyzed recommendations with thematic analysis, generated questions from the existing pool of recommendations, and then summarized select gaps.

RESULTS

We abstracted recommendations from 145 articles in five categories: community benefit, participant benefit, safety, researcher well-being, and recommendations for conduct of trauma research.

CONCLUSIONS

Gold standards to guide the conduct of trauma-informed public health research do not yet exist. The literature suggests participation in trauma research is not inherently harmful, and current recommendations concern using research to benefit communities and participants, protecting participants and researchers from harm, and improving professional practice. As public health researchers increasingly analyze trauma as a determinant of health, gold standards for the conduct of trauma-informed public health research would be appropriate and timely.

Prevalence of intimate partner violence against women in the Arab world: a systematic review

Background

Violence against women has particular importance for women’s health and wellbeing in the Arab world, where women face persistent barriers to social, political and economic equality. This review aims to summarize what is known about the prevalence of physical, sexual and emotional/psychological intimate partner violence (IPV) against women in the 22 countries of the Arab League, including geographic coverage, quality and comparability of the evidence.

Methods

A systematic review of IPV prevalence in Arab countries was carried out among peer-reviewed journal articles and national, population-based survey reports published by international research programmes and/or governments. Following PRISMA guidelines, Medline and the Social Sciences Citation Index were searched with Medical Subject Headings terms and key words related to IPV and the names of Arab countries. Eligible sources were published between January 2000 and January 2016, in any language. United Nations databases and similar sources were searched for national surveys. Study characteristics, operational definitions and prevalence data were extracted into a database using Open Data Kit Software. Risk of bias was assessed with a structured checklist.

Results

The search identified 74 records with population or facility-based IPV prevalence data from eleven Arab countries, based on 56 individual datasets. These included 46 separate survey datasets from peer-reviewed journals and 11 national surveys published by international research programmes and/or governments. Seven countries had national, population-based IPV estimates. Reported IPV prevalence (ever) ranged from 6% to more than half (59%) (physical); from 3 to 40% (sexual); and from 5 to 91% (emotional/ psychological). Methods and operational definitions of violence varied widely, especially for emotional/psychological IPV, limiting comparability.

Conclusions

IPV against women in Arab countries represents a public health and human rights problem, with substantial levels of physical, sexual and emotional/psychological IPV documented in many settings. The evidence base is fragmented, however, suggesting a need for more comparable, high quality research on IPV in the region and greater adherence to international scientific and ethical guidelines. There is a particular need for national, population-based data to inform prevention and responses to violence against women, and to help Arab countries monitor progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals.

Reflections on the Translation Into Arabic and Validation Process of the NorAQ Abuse Questionnaire

The use of validated instruments and questionnaires on abuse is of great importance to evaluate and compare the prevalence in different populations worldwide. However, most of the questionnaires available and published are in English. For example, the NorVold Abuse Questionnaire (NorAQ) instrument which was used for the Bidens study in six European countries. A substantial proportion of the pregnant population in the catchment area of the clinical site in Sweden is Arabic-speaking women. As abuse and violence against women is a global concern, it is important to translate these questionnaires to other languages. This process is not just merely a matter of finding a correlating word but also needs to be validated for content and consider the wording in a linguistic and cultural context. This article gives an account of the translation and content validity process and its challenges and pitfalls from Swedish and English into the Arabic language version.

A medicolegal study of domestic violence in south region of Jordan

BACKGROUND

Domestic violence is a forced pattern of behavior that happened in domestic settings to gain or maintain power and control over an individual. The aim of this work is to study the magnitude of domestic violence in south region of Jordan.

METHODS

The retrospective study was retrieved from the medico-legal reports of domestic violence cases referred to the Directorate of Forensic Medicine in south region of Jordan during six years period starting from 1st of January 2010 till the end of December 2015.

RESULTS

The total number of cases was 128. The majority was females (77.3%), high prevalence (41.4%) was found in adult age group (18 years and above) in both genders. The prevalence was higher in rural areas (75%). Sexual abuse was the commonest method of domestic violence in both genders (41.4%). Nearly a quarter of cases (23.4%) leaving home as an outcome. Spring months represented the highest percentage of domestic violence occurrence (28.1%). Family and financial problems were reported in 71.1% of cases.

CONCLUSION

Domestic violence rate in South Jordan is much lower than in other areas but still considered a problem and should be given high priority with regard to prevention, investigation and treatment.

Trauma-sensitive yoga as an adjunct mental health treatment in group therapy for survivors of domestic violence: a feasibility study

This study is a feasibility test of whether incorporating trauma-sensitive yoga into group therapy for female victims of partner violence improves symptoms of anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) beyond that achieved with group therapy alone. Seventeen (9 control, 8 intervention) adult female clients seeking group psychotherapy were enrolled. A 12-week trauma-sensitive yoga protocol was administered once weekly for 30-40 min at the end of each group therapy session. The control group received typical group psychotherapy. Feasibility was assessed through recruitment and retention rates as well as participants' self-reported perceptions of the safety and utility of the study. The study enrolled 85% (17/20) of those screened eligible. Loss to follow-up was 30% (5/17). No one reported emotional or physical harm. All of the respondents reported that the study was personally meaningful and that the results would be useful to others.