Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal.

Mémoire numérisé par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.

Mémoire numérisé par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.

June 2016 Submitted to the faculty of Humanities University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology by Dissertation only. / Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is the most prevalent form of violence experienced by women in South Africa. It is estimated that 31.8% of young men aged 15-26 years perpetrate sexual and physical violence against their intimate partner. Studies with women also report high incidents of IPV victimisation from adolescents. The subtle and nuanced social dynamics of IPV are less understood owing to little qualitative research on IPV with youth in Black South African townships. Research aim and objectives: This study explored how young people aged 15-20 years from Soweto, Johannesburg perceive and experience IPV. The proposed objectives were: To obtain young people’s views on IPV, to explore young people’s understandings of their experiences of IPV, and to analyse discourses of IPV. Research methods: Thirteen participants were recruited through snowballing from different townships in Soweto including Pimville as an entry point. In-depth, face-to-face and semi-structured interviews were used to collect audio-recorded data. Thematic Analysis (TA) process assisted to group themes together to enable the researcher to execute the discourse analysis. Discourse analysis was used to analyse the data. To begin the analysis the researcher read each transcript carefully to achieve data immersion. The researcher re-read the transcripts with the aim of coding. The researcher analysed each transcript manually. The supervisor and researcher then went through the codes and agreed on codes to develop the codebook that answer the research aim and objectives. For this study data were analysed separately by gender because the researcher wanted to compare young men and women’s similarities and differences about their understanding of IPV and be able to understand social construction of IPV. Findings: The research contributed to fill a knowledge gap on perceptions and experiences of IPV among young people from a black South African township. Participants reported direct and indirect experiences of IPV. Young men and women perceived violence differently. Men were mostly perpetrators and women the victims. Traditional and cultural beliefs and values of femininity and masculinity seemed to precipitate violence in relationships, as men and women are modelled and ascribed gender roles by their parents and society. Alcohol and drug abuse contribute towards violence in relationships. In this study young people’s narratives reported similar findings where men after drinking used violence towards their partners. Victim assistance from onlookers depended on the relationship with the victims. Women with multiple partners or women who confront their partner about their infidelity were reported to fuel violence. Discussions: This study indicated that young people are exposed to violent behaviour as it was reportedly common to see boyfriends beating their girlfriends either publicly or privately. In addition, young people’s exposure to violence was either directly or indirectly. Young people also reported women as victims of violence and men as perpetrators of violence. This was evident as few participants themselves report exposure to partner violence. Through exposure to violence during childhood, young people witness and learn the same patriarchal behaviour that their fathers use when chastising their mothers. Men, who grew up having been exposed to their fathers using violence to discipline their partners, might also use violence in their own relationships. These behaviours legitimise the use of violence against women in relationships. It is possible that young people hold on to the behaviour while transitioning into adulthood. The violent behaviour is precipitated by the construction of hegemonic masculinity. Young people recognised that violence against women is an unacceptable behaviour and in order to eliminate IPV the constructed harmful ideas of masculinity will have to be challenged. Recommendations: Young people should be educated on reproductive health, and gender-based violence and intimate partner violence. The implementation of youth friendly facilities by department of health that assist young people in violent relationships by empowering them with education about violence. Encouragement of young people to speak about their violent experiences to eliminate perceptions of IPV as a private matter. Modelling of culture and traditions beliefs by parents and society that promote gender quality and awareness of violence through school curriculums. Young people should be educated about implications of substance use such: contracting HIV and sexual transmitted infections related diseases, unplanned pregnancy and gender based violence. Implementation of police empowerment programmes that deals with intimate partner violence. Conclusions: This study evidently shows that young people are aware of IPV happening amongst them. Young people indicated that IPV is not acceptable and distanced themselves from the behaviour. This study contributed an understanding of how young black people from the townships perceived and experienced IPV. Key words: Qualitative research design, discourse, gender-based violence, intimate partner violence, Soweto Johannesburg, townships, young people, dating violence, social learning theory, patriarchy, socially constructed, adolescence, perpetration and victimisation of intimate partner violence, violence against women, gender roles, inter-personal violence, intimate relationships.

This qualitative study conducted in Johannesburg and Pretoria, explores the effect of migration on domestic violence. Drawing on the social constructionist and feminist theory, the study investigates how migrant women understand and explain the effect of migration on domestic violence. Participants were identified using purposive and snowball techniques and narratives of fifteen migrant women were employed in data collection using a semi-structured interview guide. Data for this study was analysed using a combination of content, narrative and discourse analysis. Analysis of the data revealed that the context in which domestic violence is experienced greatly shaped how urban migrant women understood and explained domestic violence. Participants explained the meaning and effect of migration on domestic violence mainly drawing on discourses related to their experiences of migration. In addition, their definitions of domestic violence differed from the classical definitions that group domestic violence in categories; given that they drew on actual experiences in the context of migration as opposed to their home country to explain what domestic violence meant and how migration affected it. Further analysis, shows that broader factors in the context of migration including migrant women’s legal status, xenophobia, poverty, unemployment as well as immigration policies, intersected broadly with gender and unequal power relationships to increase migrant women’s vulnerability to domestic violence. Migrant women in this case, drew mainly on such migration related discourses to explain reasons that they felt led to increased domestic violence and to show how and why they endured domestic violence for survival in the absence of love for their spouses. 2 Factors including being migrants, women’s legal status, xenophobia, lack of networks, dependency caused by poverty and high crime rates in South Africa were also seen by migrant women as heightening their fear of public violence leading to the tolerance and preference of private violence as the only available option. Migrant women also idealised their home country as safer from domestic violence to show the negative consequences of migration on women and how it increases domestic violence. In doing so, they drew on the discourse of culture which they understood as tied to place to explain its role in prohibiting and minimising domestic violence, and to justify not using available services for responding to domestic violence in South Africa. In employing such discourses, they intended to show how services for responding to domestic violence in the host country1 were culturally inappropriate for migrant women and the attachments they held towards their home country and culture.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Medicine in the branch of Surgery Johannesburg, 2012 / Trauma and intentional injury form a major burden of disease in South Africa. This study examines the patterns of injury resulting from interpersonal violence presenting at a Level One trauma centre serving an urban population. This was a cross-sectional analysis of patients attending the Johannesburg Hospital Trauma Unit, over a period of forty-one consecutive days. In keeping with the worldwide experience of trauma care, the study showed the burden of trauma rests heavily upon young males. A majority of the incidents involved a weapon, used for penetrating or blunt injury. In cases where the weapon was documented, it was more commonly a weapon carried by one of the individuals involved such as a firearm or knife, than an item obtained spontaneously during the conflict. Patients subjected to weapon-based violence were significantly more likely to require advanced or invasive radiology, admission and operation. Weapon type influenced the pattern of injury sustained and the need for specialist consultation. It did not significantly affect admission or operation rates. Although blunt assault without a weapon may cause multiple injuries, they tended to be superficial injuries either allowing for discharge from the emergency room immediately or following a period of observation. This study showed the presence of a weapon greatly increases the morbidity resulting from the event for the patient and increases the subsequent cost to the healthcare system.

Thesis advisor: Lisa A. Goodman / Intimate partner violence (IPV) and its substantial consequences remain widespread for LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer) individuals (Balsam, Rothblum, & Beauchaine, 2005; Walters, Chen, & Breidig, 2013). LGBTQ IPV survivors are particularly vulnerable to identity abuse: tactics leveraging heterosexism and cissexism (FORGE, 2014; NCDSV, 2014). Past research has documented the existence of LGBTQ-specific identity abuse as a unique dimension of victimization (Balsam & Szymanski, 2005; FORGE, 2014; NCDSV, 2014), with limited attention to those at greatest risk despite the diversity of the LGBTQ community. Participants who identified as LGBTQ (n = 734; 53% cisgender women; 39% queer or pansexual; 84% White; Mage = 33.48) completed surveys that assessed their exposure to identity abuse (7-items; α = .79), physical and sexual abuse (20-items; α= .89) and psychological abuse (14-items; α = .87), and other demographics. The data were analyzed to determine 1) whether there were demographic differences in exposure to identity abuse, 2) whether identity abuse contributed to variance in PTSD or depression scores; and, 3) whether the relationships between identity abuse and PTSD and depression scores were moderated by affirmative LGBTQ identity. Findings indicated that there were significant differences in identity abuse exposure by gender and sexual orientation. With regard to gender, ANOVA analyses revealed transgender or nonbinary-identified individuals reported higher rates of past year identity abuse exposure than cisgender males and cisgender females. Also, cisgender females were most likely to report adult exposure to identity abuse compared to transgender or nonbinary-identified individuals and cisgender males. Queer-identified individuals were most likely to report adult exposure to identity abuse compared to lesbian, bisexual, and gay-identified individuals. Identity abuse contributed to the variance in symptoms of PTSD and depression. This relationship remained significant even after accounting for exposure to other forms of violence (e.g., psychological abuse and physical abuse). Further, an affirmative LGBTQ identity indeed weakened the relationship between exposure to past year and adult identity abuse, respectively, and depressive symptoms. However, there was no moderating effect found for symptoms of PTSD. These results add to existing IPV literature by identifying particular subgroups within the LGBTQ community who are at greater risk of identity abuse exposure within intimate partner relationships, suggesting that exposure to identity abuse contributes to poorer mental health outcomes, and indicating that affirmative LGBTQ identity is a protective factor that could be utilized in intervention and prevention efforts. As a whole, these results highlight the need for increased awareness of identity abuse within the LGBTQ community, as well as routine and comprehensive assessment for identity abuse exposure by service providers. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2016. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Counseling, Developmental and Educational Psychology.

The purpose of the present study was to determine whether there are any differences between college students 1) who have received violence 2) who have received threats of physical violence, and 3) who have not received threats or physical violence from their partners. The study examined ways in which these three groups describe their own and their partners' self-esteem and personality. Significant findings indicate that perceptions of one's self esteem and partner's self esteem are affected by the level of violence received. Surprisingly, those who received threats of violence, for both perceptions of self and partners, had the lowest self esteem. No significant relationship was found between vilence and perceptions of personality. Additional findings suggest that those in violent relationships have lower relationship satisfaction that those who receive threats or no violence at all.

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