Domestic violence and sexual assault (DVSA) are major health issues on which medical schools across the country fail to adequately educate future physicians. According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, one in three women and one in four men will be a victim of intimate partner violence in their lifetime. The same source reports that one in five women are raped in their lifetime. Because of the widespread nature of these societal problems, the aim of this research was to evaluate the benefit of providing medical students with DVSA education. First and second year medical students at the Quillen College of Medicine attended a mandatory educational lecture on DVSA. We designed a survey to assess the attitudes and knowledge surrounding patient care for DVSA survivors. Students volunteered to complete the same survey before and after the lecture. The surveys were evaluated for statistical significance. A paired t-test showed that the 128 students who took the survey reported a significant increase in comfort level on interviewing, performing a physical exam, and explaining resources to victims of DVSA. Questions regarding knowledge of who should lead exams and the role of emergency contraception in cases of sexual assault also showed statistically significant change by paired t-test analysis following the educational intervention. These findings suggest that medical schools should integrate curriculum on DVSA survivor support in order to increase comfort and knowledge of future physicians in addressing these sensitive topics.

This study examines how demographic and attitudinal variables are associated with Black South African women's desire to marry. Data from the South African Social Attitudes Survey are used to measure the impact of age, education, living standard, religiosity, urbanicity, cohabitation, and attitudes towards woman's careers, the acceptability of cohabitation, gender roles, unwed childbearing, and the financial and emotional security marriage provides on the desire to marry. Analyses indicate the following are associated with the desire to marry among Black South African women: age, cohabitation, attitudes towards cohabitation, and attitudes towards the financial and emotional security marriage provides. Secondly, data from in-depth interviews with 13 young, college-attending, Black South African women are used to give further insight into the impact of these variables on the desire to marry. Analyses of the interview data suggest that young Black South African women desire to marry but feel constrained in choice of eligible partners by the prevalence of infidelity, AIDS, domestic violence, and economic uncertainty. Additionally, educated, young, Black South African women feel less pressure to marry than older generations due to their emerging economic power and society's increasing acceptance of cohabitation, unwed childbirth, and postponement of marriage.

Domestic violence shelters can vary greatly in the services available to victims and their families. The funding shelters receive can impact the shelter’s ability to provide specialized services. Since the availability of services might vary from shelter to shelter, victims can have different experiences based on their location. This cross-sectional study contacted representatives from nine shelters in the State of Florida and asked the representatives nine questions about the services which are available at their respective shelter. The findings from this research show that these nine shelters offer a greater number of services than the study expected. However, there is still a need to better fund domestic violence shelters so that these services can be available to every victim, no matter where the victim resides.

This study demonstrates that there is variety of treatment interventions for children exposed to intimate violence. These interventions are differentiated in design but a common ground for them all is that they strive to provide a chance for children exposed to intimate violence, to be able to speak about and process their feelings and violent experiences. The study’s aim is to, with a qualitative approach, seek understanding for the different actors who practice social work, see upon their task in the treatment interventions that are provided for children exposed to intimate partner violence. The study is based on mapping the existing treatment interventions for previously mentioned target group, in Malmö. Concerned actors for this study are socialtjänsten (the Social Services), Barnkriscentrum (Children Crisis center), Maskrosen Söder (Dandelion South), Rädda Barnen (Save the Children International) and Barn- och ungdomspsykiatrin (BUP, Children- and youth psychiatry). For a deeper understanding and analyzing of the study’s results, we will use system theory and previous research in the actual disciplinary field. The result shows that concerned treatment interventions in most cases are without aid from the Social Services, which means that the Social Services do not grant these interventions. It is shown that they only recommend treatment interventions done by other intervening actors. Only one of the totals concerned actors, work with a treatment intervention that is granted by the Social Services. When the treatment intervention is heading to its end, it is shown that the professionals usually take the initiative for this kind of decisions. But they usually pay regards to the family’s wishes and needs. The final descicision of a treatment interventions’ ending is taken by the collective consisting of three parties, which are the Social Services, the family in treatment and the actors providing the actual treatment.

Mäns våld mot kvinnor är ett globalt problem och förekommer i alla samhällsklasser. Sjukvården har ett stort ansvar gällande identifiering och omvårdnad av dessa kvinnor, men många utsatta kvinnor går obemärkt förbi sjukvården. Syftet med denna litteraturstudie var att belysa mötet mellan sjuksköterskan och fysiskt misshandlade kvinnor. Metoden var en systematisk litteraturöversikt bearbetad utifrån en forskningsprocess enligt Goodmans sju steg. Resultatet grundade sig på 12 vetenskapliga artiklar, både av kvalitativ och kvantitativ art. Artiklarna togs fram ur databaserna PubMed, CINAHL och PsycINFO. Resultatet visade att det fanns ett flertal hinder för sjuksköterskan vid identifiering av misshandlade kvinnor, där de mest framträdande var bristfällig kunskap och tidsbrist. Vikten av att skapa trygghet och förtroende till kvinnan var centralt för att hon skulle våga anförtro sig. Resultatet har tolkats utifrån Kari Martinsens omvårdnadsteori som bygger på beroendet av andra människor i speciella situationer och inlevelse i patientens situation. Det är tydligt att mer utbildning inom ämnet behövs liksom nationella handlingsplaner. / Violence against women is a global problem and occurs in all social classes. The healthcare system has a great responsibility, relating to identification and nursing of these women. Many vulnerable women go unnoticed by the healthcare system though. The aim of this study was to highlight the meeting between the nurse and the physically abused women. The method was a systematic literature review using the science process according to Goodman’s seven steps. The results were based on 12 scientific articles, with both qualitative and quantitative research. The articles were collected from the databases PubMed, CINAHL and PsycINFO. The result showed several barriers in identifying physically abused women. The most significant factors were lack of knowledge and time constraints. The importance of creating a sense of security and confidence between the nurse and the woman was crucial to disclose the abuse. The result has been interpreted from Kari Martinsens nursing theory based on the dependency of other people in special situations and empathy in the patient's situation. It is obvious that more education in this area is necessary as well as national guidelines.

Bakgrund: Våld i nära relation är ett globalt problem och det är fler kvinnor än män som drabbas, framför allt av våld från en partner. Det medför konsekvenser för deras välbefinnande. Det finns ett ökat behov av sjuksköterskor att vårda offer, som erfarit fysiskt och psykiskt våld. Den svenska hälso- och sjukvården har en skyldighet att stödja och vårda personer utsatta för våld i nära relation. Detta innebär således att sjuksköterskor har som ansvar att identifiera personer som fallit offer för våld i partnerskap. Syfte: Syftet med denna litteraturstudie var att beskriva sjuksköterskors upplevelser i vårdmöten med kvinnor utsatta för våld av sin partner. Metod: Det utfördes en litteraturstudie med kvalitativ ansats. Databaserna Cinahl och PubMed användes för att identifiera studier som var peer-reviewed. Följande granskades titlar och abstrakt varav tolv studier kvalitetsgranskades. Därefter analyserades tolv studier med en induktiv innehållsanalys. Resultat: Litteraturstudien presenterar tre huvudkategorier med medföljande underkategorier. De tre huvudkategorierna benämns: Känslor kring medmänniskan, Att vara beroende av arbetsvillkor och Utmaning i att etablera tillit. Konklusion: Sjuksköterskor upplevde varierande känslor i möten med kvinnor utsatta för våld av sin partner. Det råder även kunskapsluckor kring omvårdnad för kvinnor utsatta för våld i nära relation. / Background: Domestic violence is a rising global public health problem and more women than men are affected, especially by violence from a partner. This affects their well-being. There is an increased need for nurses to frequently care for the victims that experience physical and psychological violence. Swedish healthcare has an obligation to support and help people exposed to domestic violence. This also implies that nurses have a responsibility to identify people who are victims of domestic violence. Aim: The aim with this literature review was to describe nurses experiences in care meetings with women exposed to violence by their partner. Method: A literature review with a qualitative approach was performed. The databases Cinahl and PubMed were used to identify peer-reviewed studies. Following title and abstract review 12 studies were subjected to quality assessment. Twelve studies were then analyzed with an inductive content analysis. Result: The literature review presents three main categories with accompanying under categories. The three main categories are: Feelings towards the fellow human, To be dependent on work conditions and Challenge in establishing trust. Conclusion: Nurses experienced varying feelings while meeting with women exposed to violence by their partner. There are also knowledge gaps around nursing care for women exposed to domestic violence.

Introduktion: Våld i nära relation är ett utbrett problem som existerar globalt. Våldet utgör ett hot mot de mänskliga rättigheterna och sjukvårdspersonal är en grupp som ofta möter de kvinnor som blivit utsatta. För att kvinnorna ska kunna erhålla god vård är det därav viktigt att sjukvårdspersonalen besitter rätt kompetens i handläggning och bemötande. Syfte: Syftet med studien var att beskriva hur våldsutsatta kvinnor upplevde vårdpersonalens bemötande.  Metod: Studien var en deskriptiv litteraturöversikt där kvalitativa studier undersöktes. Artiklar söktes via databaserna PubMed och CINAHL. Resultat: Resultatet visade både positiva och negativa erfarenheter då kvinnor mött sjukvårdspersonal under tiden de varit våldsutsatta. Tre kategorier framkom efter analys av studierna: positiva erfarenheter, negativa erfarenheter samt önskad vård. De positiva upplevelserna kunde bero på att vårdpersonalen frågade om våldsutsatthet och gav en hjälpsam respons. Viktigt var även att vårdpersonalen bekräftade kvinnornas känslor, brydde sig samt tog sin tid för att lyssna på dem. Negativa upplevelser kunde bero på ignorering av våldsutsattheten, en stressad framförhållning eller osympatisk attityd, samt att frågan ställdes i allmänna utrymmen. Många kvinnor önskade att frågan ställdes upprepade gånger, och att åtgärder och stöttning erbjöds trots nekande av våld.  Slutsats: Det är viktigt att frågan om våldsutsatthet ställs och att tecken på detta uppmärksammas oavsett metod. För att vårdpersonalen ska våga ta upp våldet behöver de erhålla adekvat undervisning i ämnet. Tills detta sker bör vårdpersonal att våga beröra frågan även vid osäkerhet kring det optimala tillvägagångssättet. / Introduction: Intimate partner violence is a widespread problem that exists globally. The violence poses a threat to the human rights of the person’s affected by it, mostly women. Healthcare professionals often meet the women who have been exposed to such violence.  Purpose: The aim of the study has been to describe how abused women experience treatment from healthcare professionals.  Method: The study has been a descriptive literature review where qualitative studies have been examined. The articles were searched through the databases PubMed and CINAHL. Results: The results of the study showed both positive and negative experiences during the meetings between abused women and healthcare professionals. Three categories were developed after analysing the studies: positive experiences, negative experiences and desired care. The positive experiences described depended on the healthcare professionals asking about exposure to violence and giving helpful response. Healthcare professionals affirming the abused women’s feelings and taking time to listen was also a part of the positive experience. Negative experiences were characterized by health care professionals ignoring the violence, a stressed encounter or unsympathetic attitude, as well as the fact that the question was asked in public spaces. Many women expressed that they wished that the questions were asked repeatedly, and that different measures and support were offered despite denial of violence.  Conclusion: It is crucial that the exposure of violence gets addressed regardless of the method used. In order to feel comfortable raising the issue, healthcare professionals must receive appropriate training in the subject. Until this occurs, it is important to have the courage to broach the subject, even if there is uncertainty regarding the optimal approach.

For centuries women have experienced domestic violence from men they know, as a consequence of which many turn to public services for support. Traditionally, these services have failed to provide adequate support, yet it is through these interactions with the services that abused women's lives are shaped and defined. Service providers therefore need to hear their voices in order to develop effective support services that enable survivors to 'move on' with their lives. A government initiative ¬- the Supporting People Programme (SPP) - has the potential to ensure that housing support providers develop their services in this manner. The main aim of the SPP is to place service users at the 'heart' of the system through user participation. Whilst this is certainly a step in the right direction, my concern is whether this actually happens or whether services adopt a tokenistic approach to user participation that marginalises and silences women survivors. My primary research question, therefore, is: 'What is the impact of the SPP on women survivors of domestic abuse?¿ Using a research design that included document analysis, observation and semi-structured interviews, I argue that the SPP has the potential to improve the lives of survivors and even to ameliorate, if not eradicate, domestic abuse. However, far from achieving this, the SPP through lack of commitment to ensuring that services actually meet the funding requirement of user participation continues to marginalise and silence the voices of women survivors.

The study’s purpose was to investigate how Family Law appraises the Children´s Rights Conventions principle "the best interests of the child" when assessing visitation in cases with domestic violence, moreover, how the approaches can impact the children. Four family law caseworkers were interviewed through a combined interview and vignette study. The empiricism was analysed with a thematic analysis. Results indicated that the interviewees take the child's best interests into account by acknowledging their opinions. The results showed an inherent problem with a family-oriented stance in investigations. The child's relationship with parents is highly valued, which can be against the child's best interests. Ultimately, violence was seen as a serious risk factor in visitation proceedings, this contributes to negative consequences on the child. Despite that the Convention now is law, the results showed contradictions regarding what the best interest of the child is, therefore continued research is needed on the issue. / Syftet med studien var att undersöka familjerättens förhållningssätt till Barnkonventionens grundprincip om barnets bästa vid bedömningar av umgänge i ärenden där det förekommer våld i hemmet, samt vad förhållningssätten kan innebära för barnet. Fyra familjerättssekreterare intervjuades genom en kombinerad intervju- och vinjettstudie. Empirin analyserades med en tematisk analys. Studiens bärande resultat visade på att familjerättssekreterarna beaktar barnets bästa genom att låta barnet få komma till tals. Resultatet fann även ett inneboende problem med ett familjeorienterat synsätt i umgängesutredningar. Det framkom att barnets relation till båda föräldrarna värnas högt vilket kan strida mot barnets bästa. Slutligen fann studien att våld utgör en allvarlig riskfaktor i umgängesutredningar och bidrar till negativa konsekvenser för barnet. Trots att Barnkonventionen är lag påvisade resultatet motstridigheter om vad barnets bästa innebär, och därför behövs fortsatt forskning i frågan.

Thesis (M. (Social Work) -- University of Limpopo, 2022 / Several studies show that domestic violence is a global problem that the police deal with daily. Police officers are mostly being called upon to intervene during domestic violence occurrences. The police are considered first responders to domestic violence and other emergencies because of their broader scope. This study aimed to explore the lived experiences of police officers who are dealing with domestic violence matters in Mankweng, Limpopo Province, South Africa. This study was qualitative and employed an exploratory case study to get insight into the lived experiences of police officers who are assigned to handle domestic violence cases. Five police officers were sampled from Mankweng Police Station using purposive and snowball sampling techniques. To stay in line with Covid-19 national regulations, data was collected via individual telephone interviews. Data was collected until saturation was reached and analysed thematically. The study found that police officers require the necessary skills and resources to deal with victims and survivors of domestic violence, especially those who have experienced emotional abuse. Furthermore, the study revealed a need for inter-professional collaboration between the police and social service agencies. Dealing with domestic violence presents complications for police officers, especially when they have to make an informed decision. The study recommends that more social workers should be hired in the police stations to assist police officers in handling domestic violence cases.