The Contextual Influences of Police and Social Service Providers on Formal Help-Seeking After Incidents of Intimate Partner Violence

Disrupting Patriarchal Illusio to Reduce Violence Against Women and Girls

We apply a Bourdieusian lens to understand the reproduction of a patriarchal illusio that works to maintain violence-supportive attitudes and concurrent low levels of support for gender equality among young people. We analyze interview and focus group data collected with young women and men and conclude that we must disrupt the reproduction of patriarchal norms by: recognizing the intentional operation of backlash by men's rights activist groups that undermine attempts to transform society; ensuring girls' and women's safety on new technologies to reduce their exposure to sexism and violence; and introducing prevention early to disrupt misogynist social norms being internalized.

Perceived Reportability of Intimate Partner Violence against Women to the Police and Help-seeking: A National Survey

The literature has consistently found that victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) against women are reluctant to make their situation visible and report it to the police. Whether victims perceive and define IPV behaviors as reportable is key to understanding in which cases the police are seen as potential providers of help or whether other potential sources of help (family, friends, professionals, etc.) are preferred. The purpose of the present study was to analyze the influence of perceived reportability of IPV on women's selection of the police as a source of help compared to not seeking help or selecting other sources of help. Structural equation modeling was applied to data from 479 female participants drawn from a nationally representative sample of 1,112 male and female Chilean adolescents and young adults conducted by the National Youth Institute of Chile. The results showed that perceived reportability was a significant predictor of choosing the police as a source of help compared to other informal sources of help, such as family and friends. However, perceived reportability did not affect help-seeking choices between the police and other formal help sources (psychologists, public services). Participants' IPV victimization and attitudes toward IPV also played a specific role in selecting the police as a source of help. These findings highlight the complexity of the visibility of women's IPV victimization to the police and the need to examine its explanatory mechanisms.

Arab Women at the Police Station in Israel: Cultural Crisis and Empowerment

In the collectivist Arab society, seeking police intervention violates a cultural norm. This qualitative study was based on in-depth interviews with 12 Muslim Arab abused women, who sought help at police stations where police officers and social workers cooperate. Interviews analysis revealed a conflict between the women's desire to stop the violence and the implications of violating cultural norms. Interviewees' emotions ranging from a positive sense of empowerment to negative feelings derived from insensitive, alienating conduct. The encounters with social workers empowered the women in facing social pressures. The discussion focuses on the meaning of integrating the police and welfare services in a collectivist-patriarchal community in a society with a dominant individualist orientation.

Imaging and Non-imaging Findings of Intimate Partner Violence on the Trauma Service: A Retrospective Analysis of Two Level 1 Trauma Centers

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a serious public health issue. This study aims to characterize IPV-related injuries in trauma patients presenting to emergency departments (ED) who required hospitalization.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Trauma registries of two Level 1 trauma centers were searched for assault-related ED visits by adults reporting "abuse" over 3 and 5 years to identify IPV victims. Imaging and electronic medical records were reviewed for demographics, injury type, hospital stay, and previous or subsequent presentations for presumed IPV.

RESULTS

Twenty-nine of 18,465 (0.2%) individuals seen on the trauma service had reported IPV. Majority were women (90%, mean age 37) and Caucasian (69%), over 50% had psychiatric or substance use comorbidities, and 45% reported prior IPV. Blunt trauma (22/29) was more common than penetrating trauma. Soft tissue injuries dominated when including both radiologic and non-radiologic findings. Excluding two patients who were not imaged, most frequent injuries identified on imaging were to the head/face (14/27), followed by the chest (9/27; mainly rib fractures), upper extremity and abdomen (7/27 each). All spinal fractures involved the upper lumbar spine. Synchronous injuries to multiple body regions were common, particularly craniofacial and upper extremity. Twenty-eight of 29 patients scored a grade 3-4 on the IPV severity grading scale. Eight (28%) patients required intensive care unit -level care. One patient passed. Four (14%) patients had prior IPV-related ED presentations.

CONCLUSION

While craniofacial and soft tissue injuries dominate, IPV can also result in serious thoracoabdominal, extremity and spinal injuries, even death. Multisystem injuries are common with synchronous craniofacial and upper extremity injuries being the most common combination.

"Isn't There Any Other Way than Calling the Cops?": How Differences in Initiation of Police Intervention Influence Survivor Safety

As formal crisis responders, police are trained in de-escalation tactics that are expected to mitigate intimate partner violence and promote survivor safety. However, the alignment between expected and actual practice of police intervention varies, especially when the survivor does not initiate the call, police treat the survivor poorly, or provide an undesirable arrest outcome. At best, unsuccessful interventions do not change survivors' risk level, and at worse, elevate their risk of experiencing harm. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore survivors' perspectives on the process of police intervention, specifically how variations in initiation, quality of engagement, and arrest influence survivors' safety. Twenty-four women whose partners were in a relationship violence intervention program were recruited to participate in the study. Results showed that many survivors described a range of ongoing, strategic violence perpetrated by their partners that required intervention; yet the complex nature of the violence often extended beyond police capacity. Either survivors called the police, or they were initiated externally by neighbors or strangers; some survivors had dual initiations. Whether survivors reported that police used safety practices during the intervention was related to who initiated the police. Arrests of abusive partners were inconsistent, and they varied based on number of previous calls to the police and visible signs of injury. Survivors of color, specifically Black women, self-initiated at higher rates, experienced fewer safety strategies used by police, and had fewer arrests. No matter the outcomes of police intervention, survivors actively engaged in strategies outside of formal systems to protect themselves and their families. Study results imply that police intervention may be ill-suited to support survivors' safety goals and highlight a need for alternative interventions focused on de-escalation and prevention.

"I Was Worried I Wouldn't Be Believed": Sexual Assault Victims' Perceptions of the Police in the Decision to Not Report

Most sexual assault victims make the conscious decision to not report to the police. Concerns about the police appear to be prominent in victims' decision-making, but we do not know specifically what these concerns entail, and therefore cannot address them. A qualitative inquiry is needed to understand perceptions of the police in reporting decisions, from the voices of victims themselves. Participants (N = 175) responded to an open-ended survey question about their decision to not report to the police following sexual victimization. Analyses revealed that police perceptions shaped the decision to not report for 36% (n = 63) of participants. Nonreporting decisions related to the police fell into two themes: concerns of police treatment and previous/vicarious negative experiences with the police. We include recommendations for police and a call for alternative reporting options.