Mothers as Victims of Intimate Partner Violence: The Decision to Leave or Stay and Resilience-Oriented Intervention

Understanding what shapes the priorities of women who are mothering in the context of intimate partner violence: A qualitative study

AIM

To explore the priorities of women mothering children in the context of intimate partner violence and to understand what shapes those priorities.

DESIGN

A qualitative study using interpretive description, informed by Feminist Intersectionality adhering to the COREQ guidelines.

METHODS

Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data.

DATA SOURCES

Dialogic, semi-structured interviews were conducted with a community sample of 20 adult Canadian women who were mothering dependent children (under 18 years) in the context of recent intimate partner violence from a current or former partner.

RESULTS

Women's main priorities focused on their own and their children's well-being and creating stability related to housing and finances. Three themes identified: it's all about the kids; my safety…totally disregarded; and I have to take care of him. Multiple external factors (coercive control, structural inequities, assumptions about mothering) shape priorities and the tensions arising from competing priorities women felt compelled to address simultaneously.

CONCLUSION

Priorities of women mothering in the context of intimate partner violence are complex, shaped not only by what they want but by the limited options available to them given constraints such as income, employment, housing and service responses. Coercive control, structural inequities and assumptions about mothering are important factors influencing mothers' priorities and experiences. Better understanding mothers' priorities can support better tailored policies, services and nursing practice.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING

Structural inequities that negatively impact health and well-being by limiting access to resources and the supports needed to enhance health can be better recognized and addressed through a trauma and violence informed care approach.

IMPACT

This study addressed understanding the priorities of women mothering in the context of intimate partner violence. This research will impact women mothering in the context of intimate partner violence who receive care from nurses and other providers as well as those who provide care.

REPORTING METHOD

This study adhered to relevant EQUATOR guidelines (the COREQ checklist).

NO PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION

The women who took part in the interviews for this study did not participate in the study design, analysis or manuscript preparation.

Mental health trajectories of women experiencing differing patterns of intimate partner violence across the first 10 years of motherhood

Intimate partner violence is commonly experienced by women and associated with poor mental health outcomes. Evidence regarding the patterns of IPV across time, and the associated long term course of depressive symptoms is lacking. The current study aimed to (a) identify patterns of physical and emotional IPV experienced by women over the 10 years since having their first child, and (b) identify trajectories depressive symptoms across the 10-year period for each pattern of IPV exposure. Data was drawn from the Mothers' and Young People's Study (MYPS), a longitudinal study of 1507 mothers and their first born child. Data was collected during pregnancy and at one, four, and ten years postpartum. Using Latent Class Analysis, four distinct classes of IPV were identified: (1) Minimal IPV, (2) Early IPV exposure, (3) Increasing IPV, and (4) Persistent IPV. Latent growth modelling revealed that all classes characterised by some IPV exposure experienced elevated trajectories of depressive symptoms in comparison to the minimal IPV class. Those experiencing increasing and persistent IPV experienced the most severe course of depressive symptoms.

Intimate partner violence, substance use, and health comorbidities among women: A narrative review

Exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV), including physical, sexual, and psychological violence, aggression, and/or stalking, impacts overall health and can have lasting mental and physical health consequences. Substance misuse is common among individuals exposed to IPV, and IPV-exposed women (IPV-EW) are at-risk for transitioning from substance misuse to substance use disorder (SUD) and demonstrate greater SUD symptom severity; this too can have lasting mental and physical health consequences. Moreover, brain injury is highly prevalent in IPV-EW and is also associated with risk of substance misuse and SUD. Substance misuse, mental health diagnoses, and brain injury, which are highly comorbid, can increase risk of revictimization. Determining the interaction between these factors on the health outcomes and quality of life of IPV-EW remains a critical need. This narrative review uses a multidisciplinary perspective to foster further discussion and research in this area by examining how substance use patterns can cloud identification of and treatment for brain injury and IPV. We draw on past research and the knowledge of our multidisciplinary team of researchers to provide recommendations to facilitate access to resources and treatment strategies and highlight intervention strategies capable of addressing the varied and complex needs of IPV-EW.

Child and Adolescent Multiple Victimization and/or Polyvictimization: A Portuguese Comparative Study

Worldwide, children and adolescents are exposed to violence every day and in countless contexts, whether in the family, at school, or in the community. Child multiple victimization has been the subject of extensive international research because of the impact on child and youth development. A quantitative and comparative study aiming to understand child multiple victimization and/or polyvictimization from the perspective of children is presented. Two groups were studied, with and without psychological counselling, with 20 children each, aged 12–18 years old. All the participants answered to juvenile victimization questionnaire (JVQ). The study was approved by the University Ethics Committee responsible for the study in Portugal, and it was initiated after the obtained consent of the children’s legal guardians. The results indicated that young people frequently experience violent situations, with particular emphasis on conventional crimes, e.g., theft, robbery, vandalism, and assault with or without a weapon, with sexual victimization being less common. The results also show that there is a cumulative experience of violence, which evidences multiple victimization and polyvictimization of the child/adolescent throughout their life. These phenomena are not necessarily more common between populations with clinical follow-up. When the types of violence were compared, multiple victimization and polyvictimization, this study found no differences between the samples with and without psychological counselling. It can be concluded that the multiple victimization or polyvictimization problem is not unusual among the population in the studied age range. It is important to alert to the phenomenon of child/adolescent multiple victimization, aiming at a more effective assessment and intervention among these populations. Raising awareness of the phenomenon of multiple child and youth victimization or polyvictimization is of particular importance for preventing violence at all stages of development.