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Midhat-Najami N, Goldner L, Lev-Wiesel R, Saint-Arnault D. "Being My Own Pillar of Support": How Palestinian-Arab Women Citizens of Israel Cope With IPV. JOURNAL OF INTERPERSONAL VIOLENCE 2024:8862605241265436. [PMID: 39066576 DOI: 10.1177/08862605241265436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/28/2024]
Abstract
Studies on the ways in which women implement coping strategies to recover from intimate partner violence have primarily focused on Western, non-collectivistic societies. To contribute to the scant literature on coping strategies among women in traditional-collectivistic societies, the current study applied the principles of Clinical Ethnographic Narrative Interview to analyze the experiences of 15 Palestinian-Arab citizens of Israel as these women confronted violence within marriage. This exploration is situated within the backdrop of entrenched collectivistic traditional norms and the broader context of the enduring Israeli-Arab conflict. An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis revealed three themes that translated into a transformative three-phase coping model. The first theme covers navigating violent relationships through avoidance, emotional encapsulation, and cognitive reframing. The second theme describes strategies to mitigate violence and its consequences, including escapist and immediate departure, sustained fulfillment of duties, and maintaining hope amid adversity. The third theme characterizes strategies aimed at achieving self-care and self-empowerment. The findings highlight the importance of acknowledging women's definition of coping and recovery within their cultural constraints as they chart their coping trajectories.
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Boateng JD, Tenkorang EY, Issahaku P. Economic Abuse of Women in Intimate Relationships in Ghana: Consequences and Coping Strategies. Violence Against Women 2024; 30:2032-2052. [PMID: 38470542 DOI: 10.1177/10778012241238239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/14/2024]
Abstract
Economic abuse is a significant gender-based problem in Ghana and sub-Saharan Africa, but few studies explore the consequences of this type of abuse on women's lives and their coping strategies. This study examined the narratives of 16 Ghanaian women in intimate relationships who experienced economic abuse in the Greater Accra, Ashanti, and Upper East regions of Ghana. Results indicate economic abuse negatively affected female survivors' jobs, businesses, and food security and led to physical violence and adverse health implications. Some women coped by relying on external family networks, religion, and theft from husbands, while others trivialized their experiences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica D Boateng
- Department of Sociology, Memorial University, St. John's, NL, Canada
| | - Eric Y Tenkorang
- Department of Sociology, Memorial University, St. John's, NL, Canada
| | - Paul Issahaku
- School of Social Work, Memorial University, St. John's, NL, Canada
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Szyfer Lipinsky A, Goldner L, Hadar D, Saint-Arnault D. Predicting Recovery Pathways in Jewish Ultra-Orthodox Intimate Partner Violence Survivors: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach. JOURNAL OF INTERPERSONAL VIOLENCE 2024:8862605241255738. [PMID: 38819011 DOI: 10.1177/08862605241255738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/01/2024]
Abstract
Cultural and religious norms, as well as trauma-related cognitions and recovery actions, are known to impact the well-being of survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV). Although acknowledged as a key component, there is scant research on the recovery trajectories of women who have experienced IPV, in particular on survivors from collectivistic societies such as the Jewish Ultra-Orthodox (JUO) community in Israel. A mediation model examined the recovery process of 261 Israeli JUO survivors. In particular, it tested whether the normalization of violence and women's endorsement of Jewish religious norms that justify violence would be directly and negatively associated with women's well-being and positively associated with psychopathology. Additionally, it examined whether women's normalization of violence and support of religious norms would positively predict women's negative trauma-related cognitions. In turn, these cognitions were expected to negatively predict women's engagement in recovery actions, help-seeking behaviors, and faith-based responses but positively predict disengagement responses. The model further posited that women's engagement in steps toward recovery, help-seeking behaviors, and faith-based responses would positively predict women's well-being and negatively predict psychopathology. In contrast, women's disengagement responses would negatively predict women's well-being and positively predict their psychopathology. Bootstrap results indicated that supporting religious norms positively predicted women's trauma-related cognitions, which then negatively predicted women's recovery actions, help-seeking behaviors, and faith-based responses but positively predicted women's disengagement responses. Women's recovery actions and faith-based responses positively predicted women's well-being, while disengagement responses positively predicted women's psychopathology. Contrary to expectations, help-seeking behaviors positively predicted psychopathology.
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Shubina O, Mshana G, Sichalwe S, Malibwa D, Mosha N, Hashim R, Nahay F, Ayieko P, Kapiga S, Stöckl H. The association between alcohol consumption and intimate partner violence in young male perpetrators in Mwanza, Tanzania: a cross-sectional study. Glob Health Action 2023; 16:2185967. [PMID: 36927456 PMCID: PMC10026741 DOI: 10.1080/16549716.2023.2185967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/18/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although alcohol consumption is a well-known risk factor for intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration, few studies have been conducted among young males in low- and middle-income countries. Alcohol consumption and IPV are both complex phenomena, whose association requires more in-depth exploration regarding drinking patterns and the alcohol-related manifestation of five different forms of IPV. OBJECTIVE In this study, we sought to explore the relationship between alcohol use and IPV in young Tanzanian men and to identify differences in the magnitude of past-year IPV perpetration among alcohol drinkers and abstainers. Furthermore, we aimed to assess the association between various drinking patterns with the perpetration of different forms of IPV. METHODS A cross-sectional survey of 1002 young males residing in Mwanza, Tanzania, was conducted in 2021-2022. Data on alcohol consumption were collected using the alcohol use disorder identification test. IPV perpetration was assessed using an index total of 19 items on acts of physical, sexual, economic, emotional abuse, and controlling behaviour. Logistic regression models were conducted to estimate the relationship between alcohol use and the perpetration of each form of IPV. RESULTS Among partnered respondents currently consuming alcohol (n = 189, 18.8%), the most and the least prevalent IPV forms in the past 12 months were controlling behaviour (84.1%) and physical IPV (25.4%), respectively. Those reporting recent alcohol consumption reported higher rates of all forms of past-year IPV perpetration compared to abstainers. While no form of IPV was associated with low-risk consumption versus abstention, all forms of IPV were associated with hazardous drinking. CONCLUSION Young men who drink alcohol, especially those drinking hazardously, are also more likely to report perpetrating IPV. An understanding of the different drinking patterns and manifestations of forms of IPV can contribute to better-tailored alcohol-related interventions and has the potential to improve young adults' health and reduce IPV perpetration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olena Shubina
- Institute for Medical Information Processing, Biometry and Epidemiology, Medical Faculty, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany
- Pettenkofer School of Public Health, Munich, Germany
| | - Gerry Mshana
- National Institute for Medical Research, Mwanza, Tanzania
- Mwanza Intervention Trials Unit, Mwanza, Tanzania
| | | | | | - Neema Mosha
- Institute for Medical Information Processing, Biometry and Epidemiology, Medical Faculty, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany
- Pettenkofer School of Public Health, Munich, Germany
- Mwanza Intervention Trials Unit, Mwanza, Tanzania
| | | | - Fauzia Nahay
- Mwanza Intervention Trials Unit, Mwanza, Tanzania
| | - Philip Ayieko
- Mwanza Intervention Trials Unit, Mwanza, Tanzania
- Department of Infectious Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Saidi Kapiga
- Mwanza Intervention Trials Unit, Mwanza, Tanzania
- Department of Infectious Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Heidi Stöckl
- Institute for Medical Information Processing, Biometry and Epidemiology, Medical Faculty, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany
- Pettenkofer School of Public Health, Munich, Germany
- Department of Global Health and Development, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK
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Meneses Meneses AY, Fernandez-Gonzalo S, Jodar Vicente M. Clinical Neuropsychological Profile and Quality of Life in Women Who Have Suffered Gender-Based Violence. WOMEN'S HEALTH REPORTS (NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y.) 2023; 4:448-460. [PMID: 37645587 PMCID: PMC10460961 DOI: 10.1089/whr.2023.0019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/19/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
Background This research characterizes the clinical and neuropsychological profiles and the quality of life in a group of Ecuadorian women who suffered physical violence, psychological violence, or sexual violence, exploring their relationships with sociodemographic factors. Methods A battery of tests were used to explore the clinical and neuropsychological functions and quality of life in 120 participants who were selected from a population affected by violence. Results Sixty percent of the participants showed clinical anxiety, 26.7% clinical depression, 40% post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms, 15% moderate personality disorder, and 51.7% a low quality-of-life index. Their Z-scores in the neuropsychological domains evaluated were verbal memory (Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test = -1.35), working memory (Digits = -1.67), attention (D2 = -1.24), processing speed (Coding = -1.33; Trail Making Test A = 1.81), and executive function (Trail Making Test B = -1.15; Stroop = -0.20; verbal-semantic fluency test = 0.05; verbal fluency test = -1.23). Conclusions The majority of women who suffered gender-based violence presented clinical levels of anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic symptoms. The cognitive functions with lower scores (Z < -1.5) were working memory and processing speed, mediated by education factor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Yakeline Meneses Meneses
- Arts and Humanities Area, Psychology, Israel Technological University of Ecuador, Ecuador
- Department of Psychology, Health District 17D10, Cayambe - Pedro Moncayo, Ecuador
- Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Sol Fernandez-Gonzalo
- Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación e Innovación Parc Tauli-I3PT, Sabadell, Spain
- CIBERSAM, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Mercè Jodar Vicente
- Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación e Innovación Parc Tauli-I3PT, Sabadell, Spain
- CIBERSAM, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
- Neurology Service, Hospital Universitario Parc Tauli, Sabadell, Spain
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Hammett JF, Halmos MB, Parrott DJ, Stappenbeck CA. COVID Stress, socioeconomic deprivation, and intimate partner aggression during the COVID-19 pandemic. BMC Public Health 2022; 22:1666. [PMID: 36056310 PMCID: PMC9437411 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-022-14093-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2022] [Accepted: 08/29/2022] [Indexed: 03/12/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Intimate partner aggression (IPA) is a prevalent public health concern that is associated with multiple negative consequences. Rates of IPA in the U.S. have increased since the onset of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, likely due to stress associated with the pandemic. Socioeconomic deprivation is associated with COVID-19 outcomes as well as IPA. However, whether socioeconomic deprivation interacts with COVID-19 stress in predicting IPA remains unclear. METHODS Using a sample of 510 individuals recruited via Qualtrics Research Services in April 2020, the present study tested whether socioeconomic deprivation moderates the association between COVID-19 stress and IPA perpetration and victimization. Participants completed a questionnaire battery that included measures of COVID-19 stressors and physical and psychological IPA perpetration and victimization. In addition, participants reported their residential zip codes, which were subsequently matched with scores on the Social Deprivation Index, a composite measure of seven demographic variables from the 5-year American Community Survey. RESULTS Sequential generalized linear models in Mplus Version 8.7 showed that the effects of COVID-19 stress on physical IPA perpetration and psychological IPA victimization can be best understood through its interactive effects with socioeconomic deprivation. Higher COVID-19 stress was associated with higher levels of physical IPA perpetration and psychological IPA victimization when socioeconomic deprivation was low but not when socioeconomic deprivation was high. Importantly, however, overall rates of IPA were higher among individuals with higher socioeconomic deprivation than among individuals with lower socioeconomic deprivation, regardless of the amount of COVID-19 stress they experienced. CONCLUSIONS The present analyses implicate COVID-19 stress as a critical correlate of IPA and show that the association between this stress and physical IPA perpetration and psychological IPA victimization may be particularly salient among individuals who live in areas of lower socioeconomic deprivation. Furthermore, our results clearly pinpoint the detrimental effects of socioeconomic deprivation more broadly, showing that individuals who live in more deprived areas tend to have high levels of IPA regardless of their level of COVID-19 stress. These findings call for public health policies at the community and societal level that target not only COVID-related stress but also the impacts of socioeconomic inequality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia F Hammett
- Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation, Arizona State University, 500 N. 3rdSt, Phoenix, AZ, 85004, USA.
| | - Miklós B Halmos
- Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Dominic J Parrott
- Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
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Moreira A, Moreira AC, Rocha JC. Randomized Controlled Trial: Cognitive-Narrative Therapy for IPV Victims. JOURNAL OF INTERPERSONAL VIOLENCE 2022; 37:NP2998-NP3014. [PMID: 32755265 DOI: 10.1177/0886260520943719] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The objective is to test the efficacy of cognitive-narrative therapy in the treatment of depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), complex posttraumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) and borderline symptoms on a sample of women who suffered from intimate partner violence (IPV). Trial design is a longitudinal randomized controlled trial with a sample of 19 battered women allocated in two groups, a control group and treatment group, assessed twice at baseline before intervention, and at follow-up. The outcome measures were the Patient Health Questionnaire, International Trauma Questionnaire, PTSD and CPTSD Diagnostic Interview Schedule for International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-11, Conjugal Violence Exposure Scale (CVES), Life Events Checklist and Intervention Program Satisfaction Assessment Instrument. The treatment group received a four-session cognitive-narrative manualized intervention. There were no statistically significant differences between groups at baseline and follow-up, however, positive effect sizes ranging between 0.04 and 0.43 were found in depression, PTSD, and borderline, as well in some CPTSD dimensions when analyzing baseline-follow-up deltas between groups. There was also a negative effect size of -0.28 in the CPTSD total. This intervention is effective in the treatment of depression, PTSD and borderline and is an important tool in the treatment of these disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- André Moreira
- Instituto de Investigação e Formação Avançada em Ciências e Tecnologias da Saúde, Gandra, Portugal
| | | | - José Carlos Rocha
- Instituto de Investigação e Formação Avançada em Ciências e Tecnologias da Saúde, Gandra, Portugal
- Centro de Psicologia do Trauma e do Luto, Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal
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Pierce ME, Fortier C, Fonda JR, Milberg W, McGlinchey R. Intimate Partner Violence Predicts Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Severity Independent of Early Life and Deployment-Related Trauma in Deployed Men and Women Veterans. JOURNAL OF INTERPERSONAL VIOLENCE 2022; 37:2659-2680. [PMID: 32659158 DOI: 10.1177/0886260520938514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Intimate partner violence (IPV) refers to emotional, physical, and/or sexual abuse perpetrated by a current or former partner. IPV affects both genders, though little is known about its effects on men as victims. The aims of this study were to determine if IPV is a factor contributing to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) severity independently of deployment-related trauma, and to determine if there are gender differences in these associations. Participants were 46 female and 471 male post-9/11 veterans. Four sequential regressions were employed to examine the independent contribution of IPV among multiple trauma types on PTSD severity in men and women at two epochs, post-deployment (participants were anchored to deployment-related PTSD symptoms) and current (within the past month). Models were significant for both epochs in men (ps < .001) but not in women (ps > .230). In men, IPV independently predicted PTSD severity in both epochs (β > .093). However, in women, early life trauma (β = .284), but not IPV was a significant and independent predictor for current PTSD. Thus, there are distinct gender differences in how trauma type contributes to PTSD symptom severity. Although the statistical models were not significant in women, we observed similar patterns of results as in men and, in some cases, the β was actually higher in women than in men, suggesting a lack of power in our analyses. More research is clearly needed to follow-up these results; however, our findings indicate that IPV is a contributing factor to PTSD severity in veterans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meghan E Pierce
- VA Boston Healthcare System, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Catherine Fortier
- VA Boston Healthcare System, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jennifer R Fonda
- VA Boston Healthcare System, MA, USA
- Boston University School of Medicine, MA, USA
| | - William Milberg
- VA Boston Healthcare System, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Regina McGlinchey
- VA Boston Healthcare System, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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Shaheen A, Ashkar S, Alkaiyat A, Bacchus L, Colombini M, Feder G, Evans M. Barriers to women's disclosure of domestic violence in health services in Palestine: qualitative interview-based study. BMC Public Health 2020; 20:1795. [PMID: 33243196 PMCID: PMC7691108 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-020-09907-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2020] [Accepted: 11/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Domestic violence (DV) damages health and requires a global public health response and engagement of clinical services. Recent surveys show that 27% of married Palestinian women experienced some form of violence from their husbands over a 12 months' period, but only 5% had sought formal help, and rarely from health services. Across the globe, barriers to disclosure of DV have been recorded, including self-blame, fear of the consequences and lack of knowledge of services. This is the first qualitative study to address barriers to disclosure within health services for Palestinian women. Methods In-depth interviews were carried out with 20 women who had experienced DV. They were recruited from a non-governmental organisation offering social and legal support. Interviews were recorded, transcribed and translated into English and the data were analysed thematically. Results Women encountered barriers at individual, health care service and societal levels. Lack of knowledge of available services, concern about the health care primary focus on physical issues, lack of privacy in health consultations, lack of trust in confidentiality, fear of being labelled ‘mentally ill’ and losing access to their children were all highlighted. Women wished for health professionals to take the initiative in enquiring about DV. Wider issues concerned women’s social and economic dependency on their husbands which led to fears about transgressing social and cultural norms by speaking out. Women feared being blamed and ostracised by family members and others, or experiencing an escalation of violence. Conclusions Palestinian women’s agency to be proactive in help-seeking for DV is clearly limited. Our findings can inform training of health professionals in Palestine to address these barriers, to increase awareness of the link between DV and many common presentations such as depression, to ask sensitively about DV in private, reassure women about confidentiality, and increase awareness among women of the role that health services can play in DV. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-020-09907-8.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amira Shaheen
- Division of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, An Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine
| | - Suzy Ashkar
- Division of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, An Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine
| | - Abdulsalam Alkaiyat
- Division of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, An Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine
| | - Loraine Bacchus
- Faculty of Public Health & Policy, Department of Global Health and Development, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, 15-17 Tavistock Place, London, WC1H 9SH, UK
| | - Manuela Colombini
- Faculty of Public Health & Policy, Department of Global Health and Development, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, 15-17 Tavistock Place, London, WC1H 9SH, UK
| | - Gene Feder
- Centre for Academic Primary Care, Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, Faculty of Health Sciences, Canynge Hall, 39 Whatley Road, Bristol, BS8 2PS, UK
| | - Maggie Evans
- Centre for Academic Primary Care, Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, Faculty of Health Sciences, Canynge Hall, 39 Whatley Road, Bristol, BS8 2PS, UK.
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