In the past few decades there has been research dedicated to understanding the roles that animals play within violent households. The American Humane Association (2010) has developed what they termed The Link. This concept examines how forms of violence, including domestic violence, child abuse, elder abuse, and animal abuse, are often intertwined. This qualitative study was facilitated using focus groups and interviews of animal service officers in Orange County, Florida to evaluate the relationship and training provided from a local domestic violence shelter. There were a total of 22 Orange County Animal Services employees who participated in four different focus group sessions, and two interviews with officers who had previously made referrals to Harbor House of Central Florida, the local domestic violence shelter. Results show that animal service officers view themselves as often being the first responders to a situation and, hence, an agent to help all victims, including both animals and humans. Participants indicated that their relationship with Harbor House of Central Florida has been weak and that many were unfamiliar with the referral program known as INVEST. They provided recommendations to strengthen their relationship with Harbor House of Central Florida that included trainings, support, and cross-reporting efforts that they felt were needed

Research in Latin America regarding interpersonal violence and adolescents is rare if not nonexistent. In a collaborative effort with the Costa Rican Ministry of Education and the National Institute of Women (INAMU), qualitative data were collected from three high schools and one after-school program from rural and urban locations of the Central Valley. The discussion groups/open-ended questionnaires were done with a total of 154 students ranging from ages 14 to 17 and grade levels 8th to 12th. Information was obtained concerning students' perceptions, definitions and opinions on issues relating to interpersonal violence and gender roles and rules. The results show that the students made distinctions between acceptable and unacceptable uses of violence, supporting the idea behind a dichotomy of deviant and non-deviant interpersonal violence behaviors. In addition, students also recognized the overarching and detrimental existence of the machismo culture in society, which, in their eyes, perpetuates interpersonal violence. They were also generally unaware of any help that existed for abused adults, adolescents or children. Results show that the machismo culture that affects the socialization of adolescents is well recognized among adolescents and perceived as a detriment to people through gender role expectations and the use and perpetuation of interpersonal violence.

Objective: The overall aim of this thesis was to investigate whether selfreported history of violence is associated with increased risk of labour dystocia in nulliparous women at term and to elucidate midwives’ awareness of domestic violence during pregnancy in southern Sweden. Design/Method/Setting/Population: Paper I utilised a population-based multi-centre cohort study design. A self-administrated questionnaire was administered at four points in time with start at 37 weeks of gestation, at nine obstetric departments in Denmark. The total cohort comprised 2652 nulliparous women, among whom 985 (37.1%) met the protocol criteria for labour dystocia. In paper II an inductive qualitative design was utilised, based on focus group interviews. Participants were midwives with experience of working in antenatal care units connected to two university hospitals in southern Sweden. Sixteen midwives were recruited by network sampling complemented by purposive sampling, and were divided into four focus groups of 3 to 5 individuals. Results: In paper I cohort of the total, 940 (35.4 %) women reported experience of violence and of these 66 (2.5 %) women reported exposure of violence during their first pregnancy. Further, 39.5% (n = 26) of those had never been exposed to violence before. Univariate logistic regression analysis showed no association between history of violence or experienced violence during pregnancy and labour dystocia at term, crude OR 0.91, 95% CI (0.77-1.08), OR 0.90, 95% CI (0.54-1.50), respectively. However, violence exposed women consuming alcoholic beverages during late pregnancy had increased odds of labour dystocia (crude OR 1.49, CI: 1.07 – 2.07) compared to unexposed to violence women who were alcohol consumers (crude OR 0.89, 95 % CI: 0.69- 1.14). In paper II five categories emerged: 1) ‘Knowledge about ‘the different faces’ of violence’, perpetrator and survivor behaviour, and violence-related consequences. 2) ‘Identified and visible vulnerable groups’, ‘at risk’ groups for exposure to domestic violence during pregnancy, e.g. immigrants and substance users. 3) ‘Barriers towards asking the right questions’, the midwife herself as an obstacle, lack of knowledge among midwives as to how to handle disclosure of violence, and presence of the father-to-be at visits to the midwife. 4) ‘Handling the delicate situation’, e.g. the potential conflict between the midwife’s professional obligation to protect the abused woman and the unborn baby and the survivor’s wish to avoid interference. 5) ‘The crucial role of the midwife’, insufficient or non-existent support, lack of guidelines and/or written plans of action in situations when domestic violence is disclosed. The above five categories were subsumed under the overarching category ‘Failing both mother and the unborn baby’ which highlights the vulnerability of the unborn baby and the need to provide protection for the unborn baby by means of adequate care to the pregnant woman. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that nulliparous women who have a history of violence or experienced violence during pregnancy do not appear to have a higher risk of labour dystocia at term, according to the definition of labour dystocia used in this study. Additional research on this topic would be beneficial, including further evaluation of the criteria for labour dystocia (Paper I). Avoidance of questions concerning the experience of violence during pregnancy may be regarded as a failing not only to the pregnant woman but also to the unprotected and unborn baby. Nevertheless, certain hindrances must be overcome before the implementation of routine enquiry concerning pregnant women’s experiences of violence. It is of importance to develop guidelines and a plan of action for all health care personnel at antenatal clinics as well as continuous education and professional support for midwives in southern Sweden (Paper II). / <p>Paper II in dissertation as accepted manuscript.</p>

Våldsutsatta kvinnor kan vända sig till kvinnojourer för att söka hjälp, stöd och skydd. Där arbetar kvinnor som har en anställning men även kvinnor som arbetar ideellt. Att arbeta med människor kan upplevas emotionellt påfrestande. Syftet med studien är att undersöka vad som motiverar kvinnor att arbeta ideellt på kvinnojourer, samt om de upplever emotionell påverkan till följd av arbetet med våldsutsatta kvinnor. Semistrukturerade intervjuer med 12 ideellt arbetande kvinnor genomfördes, som sedan analyserades med tematiskanalys. Resultatet påvisade viljan att göra något meningsfullt, engagemanget i samhällsfrågan våld mot kvinnor och att tro på framtiden motiverar till ideellt arbete på kvinnojourer. Känslor till följd av uppdraget påvisades vara styrkan i gemenskapen, känsla av frustration och otillräcklighet samt känslan av att uppdraget är en större känslomässig vinst än förlust. Resultat av studien kan bidra till att motivera flera kvinnor att arbeta ideellt och främja välbefinnandet på arbetsplatser vid möten med våldsutsatta.

Background: It may be difficult for nurses to identify women who are victims of domestic violence, because the violence is hidden. When violence isn't addressed, it can lead to physical and mental illness and societal costs. It is the health care responsibility to pay attention to health needs and create a safe environment for patients. It requires knowledge and training to facilitate the identification of women who are subjected to violence. Aim: The purpose is to describe nurses' experiences when meeting women victims of domestic violence. Method: A literature based study with qualitative approach. Articles were read, reviewed and analyzed according to Fribergs analysis method. Results: This study presents two main themes and seven sub themes. The first theme is presented as Inability to help – related to lack of time, ignorance and how the woman handles the situation. The second theme is presented as Emotional impact – related to anger and frustration, sadness, fear and concern and joy, sympathy and meaningfulness. Conclusion: Nurses need increased training about domestic violence when screening, as well as the causes and consequences of violence. Education on violence can give more understanding of how the nurse should act in the meeting and what questions should be asked. Knowledge can also help the nurses to deal with the lack of time, as it enables the nurse to prioritize. Emotional support is needed so the nurse should not be negatively affected personally or professionally.

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No / During the last two decades the judiciary has come to play an increasingly important political role in Latin America. Constitutional courts and supreme courts are more active in counterbalancing executive and legislative power than ever before. At the same time, the lack of effective citizenship rights has prompted ordinary people to press their claims and secure their rights through the courts. This collection of essays analyzes the diverse manifestations of the judicialization of politics in contemporary Latin America, assessing their positive and negative consequences for state-society relations, the rule of law, and democratic governance in the region. With individual chapters exploring Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, Peru and Venezuela, it advances a comparative framework for thinking about the nature of the judicialization of politics within contemporary Latin American democracies.

no / This study discusses the experiences of women who participated in a program for partner-violent women by understanding their views of the treatment process, outcomes and the meanings they attached to it. This study followed a Husserlian descriptive phenomenology. Interviews were conducted with seven English women who used physical intimate partner violence in heterosexual relationships. The data were analyzed using by the method developed by Colaizzi (1978). The qualitative findings suggest the women experienced the treatment as positive and meaningful and experienced personal transformations. Deeper analysis of the data, showed that there were two key areas of benefit to the women, one involving the connections and bonds formed with other women in the group and the facilitators, and the second including the skills and strategies the women learned for managing anger and negative emotions.