What do Australian Women Experiencing Intimate Partner Abuse Want From Family and Friends?

The Extended Social Network-Oriented Support Model for Intimate Partner Violence Survivors

Intimate partner violence (IPV) transcends cultural, social and economic boundaries, affecting countless individuals globally. Recovery for IPV survivors is supported by their social networks, yet the readiness of these networks is often poorly understood. This perspective paper proposes an extension to existing network-oriented IPV support models by integrating a focus on the readiness and well-being of informal supporters towards the goal of enhancing IPV survivor recovery through effective networks. This paper presents the extended social network-oriented support model, incorporating the Informal Supporter Readiness Inventory. This tool assesses the readiness of informal supporters, incorporating factors, such as normative and individual beliefs about IPV, and context-specific factors, to enable identification and targeted assistance where needed. Additionally, the proposed model emphasises the importance of supporting the well-being of informal supporters, who frequently endure elevated levels of stress, anxiety and depression. By integrating these elements, the extended social network-oriented support model is designed to help professional supporters foster resilient and sustainable support networks for IPV survivors, with potential applicability across various healthcare disciplines. The extended model underscores the necessity of assessing and fostering both the readiness and well-being of informal supporters to enhance the recovery journey for IPV survivors.

Bystander Intervention in Intimate Partner Violence: A Scoping Review of Experiences and Outcomes

Governments across the globe are increasingly implementing policies that encourage bystanders to prevent intimate partner violence (IPV) by intervening in violent or potentially violent situations. While a wealth of research examines the most effective mechanisms for increasing potential bystanders' feelings of self-efficacy and rates of intervention, there is significantly less evidence demonstrating how effective bystander intervention is at preventing or interrupting IPV. This article thus presents a scoping review of the literature examining the experiences and outcomes of bystander intervention in IPV. Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses, extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines, six databases were searched for relevant peer-reviewed studies published in English between 2001 and 2021. A total of 13 articles were ultimately included in the review. The review highlights that although current knowledge on the topic is highly limited, the combined findings of the studies indicate that immediate responses to bystander intervention are heavily context dependent: victims (and perpetrators) tend to react differently to bystander intervention depending on the type of intervention, the type of violence being used, and their relationship to the bystander. However, we have little to no understanding of the outcomes of bystander intervention, or how these outcomes might vary across different contexts. We argue that a more comprehensive understanding of the immediate and long-term implications of bystander intervention across different contexts is crucial if we are to maximize the effectiveness and minimize the potential for harm resulting from bystander interventions in IPV.

Barriers Faced by Australian and New Zealand Women When Sharing Experiences of Family Violence with Primary Healthcare Providers: A Scoping Review

Despite the Australian Government's attempts to reduce domestic violence (DV) incidences, impediments within the social and health systems and current interventions designed to identify DV victims may be contributing to female victims' reluctance to disclose DV experiences to their primary healthcare providers. This scoping review aimed to provide the state of evidence regarding reluctance to disclose DV incidents, symptoms and comorbidities that patients present to healthcare providers, current detection systems and interventions in clinical settings, and recommendations to generate more effective responses to DV. Findings revealed that female victims are reluctant to disclose DV because they do not trust or believe that general practitioners can help them to solve their issues, and they do not acknowledge that they are in an abusive relationship, and are unaware that they are in one, or have been victims of DV. The most common symptoms and comorbidities victims present with are sleep difficulties, substance use and anxiety. Not all GPs are equipped with knowledge about comorbidities signalling cases of DV. These DV screening programs are the most prominent intervention types within Australian primary health services and are currently not sufficiently nuanced nor sensitive to screen with accuracy. Finally, this scoping review provides formative evidence that in order for more accurate and reliable data regarding disclosure in healthcare settings to be collected, gender power imbalances in the health workforce should be redressed, and advocacy of gender equality and the change of social structures in both Australia and New Zealand remain the focus for reducing DV in these countries.

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) in Bhutan: Understanding Women's Responses to IPV Using the Transtheoretical Model of Behavior Change

Intimate partner violence is highly prevalent in Asian region. It is largely committed by male against their female intimate partner. This is often associated with the region's unique social and cultural norms which subordinate women throughout their lives. IPV is an ongoing concern in Bhutan. The country's age-old traditions and customs are closely related to culture of silence among women experiencing IPV. This study examined women's responses to intimate partner violence (IPV) in Bhutan. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore sensitising concepts such as how and when women recognised IPV and how they responded to it. Fifteen women who had sought supportive services at the institution `RENEW' (Respect, Educate, Nurture, Empower Women) as a result of IPV participated in the interview. The Trans-theoretical model of behaviour change (TTM) was used as a theoretical framework to understand women's cognitive, affective and behavioural change processes. The interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed. Thematic analysis was used to identify the patterns of women's responses. From the analysis, women's experiences of IPV and their responses were located within the four stages of change, including contemplation, preparation, action and maintenance. Women used nine traditional processes of change among which consciousness raising and helping relationships were critical and appeared across all four stages of change. This study provides important insights of Bhutanese women's cognitive and behavioural responses to IPV. The appearance of consciousness raising and helping relationships across all the stages of change represents a potential opportunity for intervention to initiate and promote changes in women's response to IPV in the early stages.

Conceptualising the separation from an abusive partner as a multifactorial, non-linear, dynamic process: A parallel with Newton’s laws of motion

The present study focused on the dynamics and factors underpinning domestic abuse (DA) survivors’ decisions to end the abusive relationship. The experiences and opinions of 12 female DA survivors and 18 support workers were examined through in-depth, one-to-one, semi-structured interviews. Hybrid thematic analysis was conducted to retrieve semantic themes and explore relationships among the themes identified and the differences in survivors’ and professionals’ narratives of the separation process. The findings highlighted that separation decisions derived from the joint action of two sets of factors, the “promoters” and the “accelerators.” Whilst the “promoters” are factors leading to the separation from the abuser over time, the “accelerators” bear a stronger and more direct connection with survivors’ decision to end the abusive relationship. Despite their differences, both these factors acted as propelling forces, leading survivors to actively pursue the separation from the perpetrator. To portray the dynamic links among these factors, we propose a conceptualisation drawn from Newton’s laws of motion. Our findings also highlighted important differences in the views of survivors and support workers, as the former conceived themselves as proactive in ending the abuse, whereas the latter described the leaving process as mainly led by authorities and services supporting survivors. This study has potential implications for research, policy and clinical practice, as it suggests that far from being a linear sequence of multiple stages, leaving an abusive relationship results from a complex interplay of factors that facilitate (“promoters”) or drastically accelerate (“accelerators”) the separation process. We argue that future research should aim at improving our current understanding of the subjective and situational factors that can act as “accelerators” or “promoters” for women’s leaving decisions. Moreover, clinicians and policymakers should invest in creating interventions that aid victims to recognise and leverage promoters and accelerators, thus increasing their readiness to end the abuse.

Características Estruturais e Funções das Redes Sociais Significativas de Mulheres Ex-Abrigadas

Resumo O objetivo deste estudo qualitativo foi compreender as características estruturais e funções das redes sociais significativas de mulheres que sofreram violência, após a passagem por uma casa-abrigo. Participaram seis mulheres que haviam sido acolhidas numa casa-abrigo da região Sul do Brasil. Para coleta de dados, utilizou-se a entrevista semiestruturada e o Mapa de Redes. A organização e análise dos dados ocorreram com base na Grounded Theory e contou com o auxílio do software Atlas.ti 7.0. Observaram-se redes de tamanho médio e grande, com maior grau de proximidade afetiva e predomínio de membros da família. As principais funções foram apoio emocional e guia cognitivo e de conselhos. Destaca-se o empoderamento das participantes em reativar e ressignificar a qualidade do vínculo relacional com suas redes sociais significativas.

Help-Seeking Experiences of Immigrant Domestic Violence Survivors in Australia: A Snapshot of Muslim Survivors

There has been significant research on women's experiences of domestic violence (DV) as well as on the women's help-seeking behaviors when living with partner abuse. Most of the Australian literature has focused on nonimmigrant women. We know that help seeking can include informal sources such as family, friends, religious leaders, and colleagues or formal assistance from police, doctors, social workers, counselors, and DV agencies. The current study aims to contribute to the literature on help seeking by looking at what has been found concerning immigrant DV survivors and complementing that with interview material from a sample of 14 Muslim immigrant DV survivors in New South Wales. First, we look at barriers that these women may encounter in seeking help and the non-help-seeking strategies they may employ. We then see what may trigger seeking help (including before and after leaving the abusers). Next, we look at how the two types of help seeking are used to better understand the positives and negatives of these pathways. This article ends with some suggestions for developing more appropriate and targeted strategies to assist abused immigrant DV survivors and their children.

Challenges of caring for victims of violence and their family members in the emergency department

INTRODUCTION

Interpersonal violence causes illness and suffering for victims and their family members. Emergency nurses are often given responsibility for forensic patients and their family members, but there is limited knowledge of their experiences regarding this task. This study aimed to describe nurses' experiences when caring for victims of violence and their family members in the emergency department.

METHODS

Individual interviews were conducted with twelve nurses from seven emergency departments. Data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis.

RESULTS

The analysis resulted in the theme: a challenge to create a caring encounter. Hindering factors comprising this challenge are described under four categories: struggling to intervene and talk about violence; contradictions when caring for family members; being helped by forensic guidelines but needing more knowledge; and dealing with one's own strong emotions towards violence.

DISCUSSION

Creating a caring encounter is perceived as a prerequisite to providing forensic care. Nurses often felt hindered to act and forensic issues were left unaddressed. Family members are offered little or no support in the aftermath of violence. The hindering factors must be overcome to ensure forensic care for victims of all types of violence.

Violência contra a Mulher, Casas-Abrigo e Redes Sociais: Revisão Sistemática da Literatura

Resumo Este estudo teve como objetivo caracterizar a produção científica de artigos empíricos sobre casas-abrigo e redes sociais no contexto da violência contra a mulher. Buscaram-se artigos publicados entre 2004 e 2015, no Portal de Periódicos da Capes. Os descritores utilizados foram “shelter” e “social networks”, combinados com “violence against women” e suas variações: “domestic violence”/“gender violence”. De 1.536 estudos encontrados, 33 atenderam aos critérios de inclusão estabelecidos e foram organizados em duas categorias temáticas. Os resultados mostraram aspectos positivos da passagem das mulheres pela casa-abrigo, como o apoio oferecido pelos profissionais, além de aspectos dificultadores após a saída do local, principalmente em relação à geração de trabalho e renda. As redes sociais foram apontadas como um importante recurso no enfrentamento da violência, sobretudo pelo apoio da família de origem e das relações de amizade. Com base nos resultados e limitações apontados nos estudos, sugere-se o desenvolvimento de novas pesquisas que problematizem a interrelação das práticas profissionais realizadas em casas-abrigo e o acompanhamento das mulheres após saírem do local, assim como, aprofundar a análise dos vínculos afetivos que sustentam as funções desempenhadas pelos membros que constituem as redes sociais configuradas.

Qualitative study to explore the health and well-being impacts on adults providing informal support to female domestic violence survivors

OBJECTIVES

Domestic violence (DV) is hazardous to survivors' health, from injuries sustained and from resultant chronic physical and mental health problems. Support from friends and relatives is significant in the lives of DV survivors; research shows associations between positive support and the health, well-being and safety of survivors. Little is known about how people close to survivors are impacted. The aim of this study was exploratory, with the following research question: what are the health and well-being impacts on adults who provide informal support to female DV survivors?

DESIGN

A qualitative study using semistructured interviews conducted face to face, by telephone or using Skype. A thematic analysis of the narratives was carried out.

SETTING

Community-based, across the UK.

PARTICIPANTS

People were eligible to take part if they had had a close relationship (either as friend, colleague or family member) with a woman who had experienced DV, and were aged 16 or over during the time they knew the survivor. Participants were recruited via posters in community venues, social media and radio advertisement. 23 participants were recruited and interviewed; the majority were women, most were white and ages ranged from mid-20s to 80.

RESULTS

Generated themes included: negative impacts on psychological and emotional well-being of informal supporters, and related physical health impacts. Some psychological impacts were over a limited period; others were chronic and had the potential to be severe and enduring. The impacts described suggested that those providing informal support to survivors may be experiencing secondary traumatic stress as they journey alongside the survivor.

CONCLUSIONS

Friends and relatives of DV survivors experience substantial impact on their own health and well-being. There are no direct services to support this group. These findings have practical and policy implications, so that the needs of informal supporters are legitimised and met.

The culture of pretence: a hidden barrier to recognising, disclosing and ending domestic violence

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

To explore in detail how women perceived their experience of domestic violence and leaving or ending the abuse. This research also examined how service providers identified their professional role in assisting women to end such relationships.

BACKGROUND

Domestic violence against women continues to occur internationally. Reliable statistics are difficult to capture because of inconsistent definitions, contradictory methods of acquiring data and unreported incidents.

DESIGN

A qualitative study, undertaken in two phases, was conducted in Australia.

METHODS

Twelve women who had experienced domestic violence and ended those relationships participated in one semistructured interview (Phase 1). Twenty-five professionals from health, social sciences and law, whose work included assisting women experiencing domestic violence, participated in three focus groups (Phase 2). Thematic analysis guided by a narrative inquiry approach forms the framework for information collection and interpretation of data in this project.

FINDINGS

The barriers that impede women from disclosing abuse and taking action to end domestic violence are complex and varied between participants. Women did not always acknowledge or realise their relationship was precarious and often denied or minimised the abuse to cope with the domestic violence. Professionals identified that women did not always identify or acknowledge abuse inherent in their relationship although this delayed the provision of appropriate services.

CONCLUSION

Whether women disclose abuse or deny violence in their relationship, acceptance by service providers and the offer of support is crucial to assisting women in violent relationships.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

It is hoped that the findings may assist health practitioners, including nurses, to provide nonjudgemental support to women experiencing domestic violence whether women acknowledge the abusive relationship or not.

Assessing the feasibility of a web-based domestic violence intervention using chronic disease frameworks: reducing the burden of 'treatment' and promoting capacity for action in women abused by a partner

BACKGROUND

Domestic violence shares many features with chronic disease, including ongoing physical and mental health problems and eroded self-efficacy. Given the challenges around help-seeking for women experiencing domestic violence, it is essential that they be given support to 'self-manage' their condition. The growing popularity of web-based applications for chronic disease self-management suggests that there may be opportunities to use them as an intervention strategy for women experiencing domestic violence, however, as yet, little is known about whether this might work in practice.

DISCUSSION

It is critical that interventions for domestic violence-whether web-based or otherwise-promote agency and capacity for action rather than adding to the 'workload' of already stressed and vulnerable women. Although randomised controlled trials are vital to determine the effectiveness of interventions, robust theoretical frameworks can complement them as a way of examining the feasibility of implementing an intervention in practice. To date, no such frameworks have been developed for the domestic violence context. Consequently, in this paper we propose that it may be useful to appraise interventions for domestic violence using frameworks developed to help understand the barriers and facilitators around self-management of chronic conditions. Using a case study of an online healthy relationship tool and safety decision aid developed in Australia (I-DECIDE), this paper adapts and applies two theories: Burden of Treatment Theory and Normalisation Process Theory, to assess whether the intervention might increase women's agency and capacity for action. In doing this, it proposes a new theoretical model with which the practical application of domestic violence interventions could be appraised in conjunction with other evaluation frameworks. This paper argues that theoretical frameworks for chronic disease are appropriate to assess the feasibility of implementing interventions for domestic violence in practice. The use of the modified Burden of Treatment/Normalisation Process Theory framework developed in this paper strengthens the case for I-DECIDE and other web-based applications as a way of supporting women experiencing domestic violence.

Fractured Identity in the Context of Intimate Partner Violence: Barriers to and Opportunities for Seeking Help in Health Settings

Intimate partner violence has profound effects on women's identities. However, detailed examination of how abuse affects identity is lacking. We interviewed 14 diverse women (Australia), applying social identity theory to analyze their experiences of identity and help-seeking in health settings. The destabilizing effect of violence on social identities was strongly supported. Women concealed abuse to preserve a public identity. However, when the violence threatened the most integrated identities, women unveiled an abuse identity, receiving mixed responses from health providers. A healing context where a woman can display an abuse identity safely is crucial to enable her to rebuild an integrated self-concept.