Intimate partner abuse has been and remains a pervasive problem that has been documented in every race, religion, class, and level of education. This study presented the rationale for achieving positive social change by examining the problem through prevention rather than reaction and intervention. Although many theories of causation have been presented at various times, none has been proven or offers a complete explanation. Social ecological theory examines the interaction of individual, community, relational, and societal influences on the development of attitudes and behavior acceptance. This pre and post-survey group, quasi-experimental study examined the effects of an intervention on attitudes about intimate partner abuse, specifically in young adults. The intervention was a 30-minute drama about dating abuse. Seventy-nine young adults from an online participant pool completed the Domestic Violence Myth Acceptance Scale (DVMAS) just prior to and after the intervention. Cronbach's alpha test of reliability was conducted on the 4 subscales of the DVMAS. Demographic data were presented on age, marital status, gender, and church attendance. A MANOVA did not demonstrate a significant difference between the overall scores on the DVMAS or the 4 sub scales before and after the intervention (p = .230). This research contributes to social change by adding to the body of knowledge about applications of social ecological theory to intimate partner abuse prevention. Attitudes and behaviors that lead to the perpetration or acceptance of intimate partner abuse do not arise from a single incident, discussion, or point in time. Multiple levels of exposures and multiple exposures contribute to the behavior and ultimately will be necessary for its prevention.

Batterer intervention programs (BIPs) were developed to address high recidivism rates and low treatment completion rates in domestic violence offenders. Segregation between these offenders and their victims has been traditional in BIPs, but there has been no research exploring if this separation is related to treatment outcome. This research explored the relation between offender contact with their children or victims and outcomes including recidivism and treatment completion. Most domestic violence interventions are psychoeducational in nature and are based on the cognitive behavioral theory premise that if an individual'€™s thinking process can be changed, a change in actions can result. This was a quasi-experimental study using archived data including 213 individuals who participated in a BIP in Oregon between 2010 and 2012. Nonparametric analyses were used to investigate the relations between categorical variables. There were no significant associations between victim-partner contact and/or child contact and treatment outcomes. There was also no statistically significant association between victim-partner and/or child contact and the treatment outcomes of general recidivism, person-on-person recidivism, or treatment completion. The null hypothesis was retained for all of the research questions, as there was no apparent relation between victim family contact and any of the dependent variables. The findings may be used to guide social change in that they may help inspire future research on the topic and may also be used to help BIPs re-examine policies of segregating domestic violence perpetrators from their victim families.

The complex social issue of domestic violence is a global problem. Its multifaceted impacts are devastating to those far beyond the immediate victim and perpetrator. On the islands of Trinidad and Tobago, domestic violence incidences are frequent. While customary, reactive intervention and research initiatives in Trinidad have focused mainly on women and children, curbing this social ill has been unsuccessful. This dissertation sought to balance the domestic violence equation by exploring Trinidadian men’s perspectives on this social issue and also sought to examine their perspectives on the concept of male marginalization in relation. Using a qualitative method of inquiry, the researcher collected data from a sample of twelve Trinidadian men; seven took part in one-on-one open-ended interview sessions, and the remaining five participated in a focus group. Two central research questions guided the study: (1) What are men’s perceived reasons about why Trinidadian men perpetrate domestic violence against women in Trinidad? (2) What are men’s perspectives on male marginalization and its influence on why men perpetrate domestic violence against women in Trinidad? The study found that the participants perceived Trinidadian men’s domestic violence perpetrating habits to be a result of several factors such as: a need to be in control, feel powerful and to demand respect; men’s inability to communicate feelings and emotions; childhood socialization experiences and lack of consequences for perpetrators. Additionally, male marginalization was perceived to be a result of women’s upward mobility in education, employment and income earning capabilities. Participants perceived male marginalization as contributory to men’s perpetration of domestic violence in Trinidad.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / The dissertation consists of three essays which attempt to capture causal relationships between shocks during childhood and before birth, and later health outcomes. Exogenous shocks such as the experiences of war and political upheaval are treated as natural experiments which minimize problems of endogeneity and selection that are present in most association studies. The first essay examines how exposure to civil war during childhood affects females’ outcomes including age at first marriage, fertility, and second generation infant mortality using the Biafra war which took place in Nigeria between years 1967 and 1970. The study uses difference-in-difference analysis to show that females that witnessed war during early adolescence got married younger than their peers not exposed to the war, and were more likely to have higher fertility and second-generation infant mortality. The second essay uses the same shock, the Biafra war, to test if males’ and females’ exposure to community-level violence results in higher risk of experiencing domestic violence in their marital relationships in the long-run. The study conducts difference-in-difference analysis on females and males separately to show that the males’ exposure to the war at ages 13 and older is the main mechanism behind females being victims of domestic violence in the long-run. The third essay examines the impact of acute prenatal stress on birth weight using the 2011 Egyptian revolution fatalities as an indicator for exposure to violence and stressful events. Results show that higher prenatal stress resulting from political conflict during the first and second trimesters of pregnancy has a significant negative impact on birth weight. This finding is robust to restricting the sample to siblings’ data and using mother fixed effects, suggesting that neither observable nor unobservable characteristics of mothers are driving the results.

The aim of this thesis is to introduce the topic of domestic violence in same-sex relationships with a focus on victims' help-seeking. First, it defines domestic violence, describes its cycle, forms and consequences for the victim. Second, it expands on this topic in the context of same-sex relationships, its prevalence, correlates, theories and myths. Third, it deals with the phenomenon of help-seeking of domestic violence victims and the specifics of this process regarding victims of same-sex domestic violence. Eventually, it briefly describes the situation in the Czech Republic and introduces selected examples of good practice. The empirical part of this thesis presents a qualitative research project in the form of interviews aiming to explore factors affecting the help-seeking process of victims of same- sex domestic violence in the Czech Republic. The data were analysed using the method of thematic analysis. Several factors emerged from the analysis, some of which are common in domestic violence victims in general and others are characteristic for victims in same-sex relationships. These are specific barriers in the help-seeking process related to victims' non- heterosexual orientation and to the fact that they experienced domestic violence in a same-sex relationship. Keywords domestic...

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This research attempted to gain insight into the perspectives of Orthodox, Jewish women regarding the abuse of women in heterosexual relationships, in their community. Feminist theory and social constructionism were utilised in order to facilitate in greater insight into the roles of women in Judaism and the manner in which Jewish doctrine and ideology influences women who are abused by their husbands. The research focused on specific principles that are intrinsic to Jewish faith and identity. It also explored Jewish persecution and its influence on the formation and perpetuation of many of the Jewish customs and traditions as a means of preserving or upholding Jewish faith. The sample comprised of nine women who fell within an age range of 25-35 years. Jewish women from Orthodox backgrounds were utilised. A qualitative paradigm was applied in order to gain access to information thereby ensuring that the content obtained was of a more personal nature involving the private perceptions of this study’s participants. The following themes were identified from the data and formed the basis upon which the analysis and discussion took place. The themes include: Jewish men treat women according to what men are taught, marriage precipitates acknowledgement of women and the Jewish community is not immune to social ills. The results of the research support the argument that Jewish religious and cultural values appear to influence women’s choices in abusive relationships. Furthermore, the roles that women typically assume in Jewish society seemingly perpetuate existing gender stereotypes in relation to women.

Sweden is a country with high levels of trust in both state and the criminal justice system and also the most prominent country in the EU in regard to gender equality. This essay aims to examine the paradox of high female trust in the Swedish criminal justice system in contrast to the low propensity to report domestic violence and crimes of which women are the majority of victims. This is done by answering three main frames of questions; What factors can explain and therefore influence trust towards the justice system? What factors can explain and therefore influence the propensity to report domestic crime and how do these factors pertain to trust? How can factors that affect trust and propensity to report crimes in close relationships be affected and remedied by the state? To answer these questions, we utilise established theories of trust, feminist political theory, research about propensity to report and models of agency and a historical account of the Swedish government's policy in regard to the safety of women and domestic violence. This is utilised to examine 10 official documents regarding different aspects of propensity to report domestic violence and trust. The high levels of trust could be explained by a combination of high levels of basic trust owed to Sweden's universalistic welfare model, high conceptions of police availability and good treatment and also a symbolic value of the justice system as bearer of societal norms and of being good willed in nature. The low propensity to report crimes could in part be explained by the conflict of interests between the women and the government. The government's responsibility and governing works through their definition of women's encapsulated interests. These are shown to differ from a majority of the affected women's definition of their own interests which could invite a feminist critique.

The World Health Organization states that violence against women in intimate relationships is a serious threat to women's health. There is a substantial amount of research regarding the consequences of domestic violence. However, less is known about the emotional challenges that women face as a result of the violence and the strategies used to cope with distressing feelings. This scoping review aimed to explore and unfold common emotional challenges women may encounter after the end of a violent relationship as well as the strategies that they might use to cope with their feelings. Painful emotions such as anger, desire for revenge, shame and guilt were found to challenge women emotionally. Many women were also prone to create a wall of protection in relation to others. The challenge to trust men and the need for constant control made it difficult to nurture existing relationships. In addition, women used strategies such as positive thinking, support from peers and professionals, deeper understanding and refocusing to manage these distressing feelings. A problematization of the concept of recovery appeared because of its implication that there is an end date to when the women should have "recovered" from the violence. This false image created an additional feeling of guilt and shame for the women because of the sense of failure if they needed help again later in life. A greater understanding of what can promote as well as hinder the journey towards well-being among battered women is seen as substantial for professionals in order to meet their needs in recovery.