Women in distressed relationships who had sustained severe psychological abuse and either no, moderate, or severe violence from their partner were included (N = 93). Men's and women's alcohol use did not differ with level of violence. Different patterns were found in the moderate violence group regarding women's beliefs about their partner's substance problem, men's psychological abuse, and the relationship of men's and women's quantity of alcohol use and times intoxicated. Uncertainty resulting from moderate violence may strengthen the emotional impact of psychological abuse. Even when psychological abuse is exacerbated by violence, women may use active coping techniques rather than drinking to cope with abusive relationships. The findings suggest that an inordinate focus on alcohol abuse may be ineffective in combating the problem of domestic violence.

Women are more at risk of experiencing violence involving people at home or close acquaintances, than from virtual strangers and outsiders. Domestic violence affects as many as one in two women in South Africa. Most women may keep secret abusive relationships and this might reside in a deep-seated fear of further abuse or as be frowned upon by a community that endorses social taboos which prohibit speaking about or even implying the reality of incidents of domestic violence. This phenomenological study investigates the actual experiences of women staying in physically abusive relationships. In this study a qualitative approach, involving thorough research, are presentation has been adopted in order to discuss, in a meaningful manner, the suffering of women who have experienced physically abusive relationships. The participants in the study include eight women who have been involved and suffered physically abusive relationship and these, living in Pretoria and suburbs, comprise an age category ranging from between twenty five to fifty. Data gathered and utilised has been accumulated by means of semi-structured open ended interviews. Hermeneutic phenomenological analysis was used to analyse and come to a conclusion regarding the data obtainable. The findings of the study have highlighted the role played by power and control, gender inequality and patriarchy experienced by women involved in these intimate relationships. The study further revealed the complexities surrounding the reasons and motives contributing to women staying in and suffering physically abusive relationships / Psychology / M. A. (Psychology: Research consultation)

A violência doméstica e familiar contra a mulher é um problema social recorrente, que passou a ter maior visibilidade a partir da década de 80, século XX, por influência do Movimento Feminista. É considerada atualmente como uma das formas de violação de Direitos Humanos. Com a aprovação da Lei nº 11.340/2006, a violência doméstica contra a mulher deixa de ser tratada como um crime de menor potencial ofensivo, aumentando o rigor das punições, das agressões e tipificando as situações de violência doméstica. Partindo do pressuposto de que a compreensão do fenômeno da violência doméstica e familiar pode contribuir para a formulação e implementação de políticas púbicas e, que as representações sociais auxiliam nessa compreensão, bem como a escassez de estudos no estado de Rondônia, esta tese tem como objetivo geral apreender as representações sociais de mulheres em situação de violência doméstica e familiar, de agressores e de implementadores de políticas públicas sobre a violência doméstica e familiar e, as percepções sobre os serviços de atendimento. Para a realização deste estudo, utilizou-se a abordagem qualitativa, optando pela entrevista semiestruturada, que foi realizada com mulheres em situação de violência doméstica e familiar, agressores e implementadores de políticas públicas e serviços de atendimento, totalizando 24 entrevistados. A análise da pesquisa foi realizada pelo processo de categorização e agrupamento de conteúdos semelhantes. Utilizando-se da análise de conteúdo foram elencadas as seguintes categorias de análises: representações sociais do significado da violência; os tipos de violência, fatores motivacionais e os motivos para continuar na relação violenta; a culpabilização da mulher pela violência e; percepções sobre os serviços de atendimento. Evidenciou-se que o significado da violência é distinto para cada pessoa. A maioria das mulheres em situação de violência e os agressores expressaram as formas de violência como significado. Os tipos de violência mais citados foram a física e a psicológica. O uso abusivo de álcool e outras drogas foram os fatores representados como desencadeadores da violência. Já no grupo dos implementadores aparece também o machismo, a questão cultural e a sociedade patriarcal como causas da violência. O medo da solidão, a depressão, a dependência financeira da mulher, os filhos, a esperança de mudança no comportamento do agressor, a falta de empoderamento da mulher, a religião, dentre outros, são os motivos apontados nas representações sociais para as mulheres permanecerem na relação violenta. A culpabilização da mulher pelo seu comportamento aparece em vários relatos dos agressores, como justificativa das agressões. Muitas mulheres entrevistadas também expressaram sentimentos de culpa pela violência sofrida. As mulheres percebem os serviços de atendimento como sendo insuficientes e fragmentados, não tiveram acesso a atendimento psicossocial. Os agressores que participam de um grupo de reabilitação expressaram que as reuniões lhes proporcionaram mudança no comportamento. A maioria dos implementadores aponta os serviços aos quais fazem parte, como efetivos, como o projeto que trabalha com a reabilitação dos agressores, contudo, ao falar da rede de atendimento, as percepções são negativas. / Domestic and family violence against women is a recurring social problem, which became more visible in the 1980s, influenced by the Feminist Movement. It is currently considered as one of the forms of violation of Human Rights. With the approval of Law 11.340/2006, domestic violence against women is no longer treated as a crime of less offensive potential, increasing the punishment of aggressions and typifying situations of domestic violence. Based on the assumption that the understanding of the phenomenon of domestic and family violence can contribute to the formulation and implementation of public policies and, that social representations help in this understanding, as well as the scarcity of studies in the state of Rondônia, this thesis has as general objective to understand the social representations of women domestic and family violence situations, aggressors and implementers of public policies on the domestic and family violence and, perceptions about care services. In order to carry out this study, the qualitative approach was used, opting for the semi-structured interview, which was performed with women in situations of domestic and family violence, aggressors and implementers of public policies and services, totaling 24 interviewed. The analysis of the research was carried out by the process of categorization and grouping of similar contents, using content analysis. Using the content analysis the following categories of analysis were listed: social representations of the meaning of violence; the types of violence, motivational factors and reasons to continue in the violent relationship; the blame of women for violence; perceptions about care services. It has been shown that the meaning of violence is distinct for each person. Most women in situations of violence and the aggressors expressed the forms of violence as meaning. The types of violence that were most cited were physical and psychological. The abusive use of alcohol and other drugs were the factors represented as the triggering of violence. Already in the group of implementers also appears the machismo, the cultural question and the patriarchal society as causes of the violence. The fear of loneliness, the depression, the financial dependence on women, the children, the hope for of change in the aggressor's behavior, the lack of women's empowerment, the religion, among others, are the motives pointed out in the social representations for women to remain in the violent relationship. The blame of the woman for her behavior appears in several reports of the aggressors, as justification of the aggressions. Many women interviewed also expressed guilty feelings for the violence suffered. The women perceive the services of attendance as insufficient and fragmented, they did not have access to psychosocial care. Aggressors who participate in a rehabilitation group, expressed that the meetings provided them with a change in behavior. Most implementers point out the services to which they are part, as effective, such as the project that works with the rehabilitation of the aggressors, however, when talking about the service network, the perceptions are negative.

A violência doméstica e familiar não é fenômeno novo na realidade brasileira, entretanto a forma como vem sendo enfrentado tem se modificado ao longo dos anos. A Lei Maria da Penha (11.340/2006) reflete um processo de passagem da indiferença do Estado à absorção das demandas feministas no âmbito da formulação de uma política nacional para o enfrentamento da violência doméstica. A Lei estabelece diversas políticas para a prevenção, a orientação e o encaminhamento de mulheres e homens que se encontrem em relações violentas. Esse artigo se inclui no debate sobre enfrentamento da violência de gênero a partir de uma perspectiva feminista crítica de gênero, direcionando o olhar às intervenções com autores de violência. Para tal, é analisada a produção acadêmica nacional sobre o tema a partir das teses e dissertações da Biblioteca Digital Brasileira de Teses e Dissertações do Instituto Brasileiro de Informação em Ciência e Tecnologia (IBICT) no período de 2006 a 2015. Os textos foram analisados e interpretados conforme a técnica da Análise de Conteúdo, utilizando o software Nvivo como suporte informacional. O trabalho teve dois objetivos: explorar como os conceitos de violência e gênero são articulados nos fenômenos estudados, e sistematizar as análises e considerações dos textos sobre intervenções com autores de violência. Os resultados dos estudos sugerem a possibilidade de transformações nas relações sociais e flexibilizações nos discursos dos autores de violência. Entretanto, trazem à tona fragilidades na estruturação das políticas de enfrentamento à violência doméstica e familiar como um todo, que podem reduzir as intervenções com autores de violência a novos processos de conciliação forçados ou limitá-los a rearticulações pontuais de comportamento. / Domestic and familiar violence is not a new phenomenon in Brazil’s reality. However, the way it has been confronted has changed over the years. The Maria da Penha Law (11.340/2006) reflects a process of transition between the State’s indifference towards the absorption of feminist demands within the formulation of a national policy to confront domestic violence. The law establishes several policies addressing prevention, orientation and guidance of women and men who find themselves in violent relationships. This article participates in the debate on tackling gender violence from a feminist critical gender perspective, directing its focus towards interventions with perpetrators of violence. To this end, it analyzes the national academic research on the topic from theses and dissertations of the Brazilian Digital Theses and Dissertations of the Brazilian Institute of Information Library for Science and Technology (IBICT) from 2006 to 2015. The texts were analyzed and interpreted according to the Content Analysis technique and using the software NVivo as informational support. The study had two objectives: to explore how the concepts of violence and gender are articulated in the studied phenomenon and systematize the analysis and considerations of the texts on interventions with perpetrators of violence. The study results suggest the possibility of changes in social relations and flexibilities in the speeches of perpetrators of violence, which nevertheless bring out weaknesses in the structure of policies to cope with domestic and family violence as a whole.

Submitted by Filipe dos Santos (fsantos@pucsp.br) on 2017-11-14T11:11:38Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Veronika Sousa Pereira.pdf: 510361 bytes, checksum: b7fc61972c0115956a3e5110f3661b61 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-11-14T11:11:38Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Veronika Sousa Pereira.pdf: 510361 bytes, checksum: b7fc61972c0115956a3e5110f3661b61 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-09-22 / Conselho Nacional de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico - CNPq / The current study is part of Fundamental Psychopathology, based on the narrative of a patient’s clinical care. The patient, through the sessions, reports that he grew up in a violent environment and in several occasions he witnessed aggressions committed by his parents. In his childhood, he described the mother as invasive although it provided fear and intense inhibition, felt controlled and submissive to avoid punishment. In his adolescence the patient describes episodes of sexual abuse committed by his mother, and affirms that these experiences were ambivalence causing conflicts in his sexuality. Thus, the importance of investigating the impact caused by situations of abuse committed within the family context, emphasis on the intrusive and violent relationship between mother and child, considering the multiple violations suffered by the patient / O presente trabalho, esta inserido no campo de estudo da Psicopatologia Fundamental, e tem como base a narrativa de um atendimento clínico. No decorrer das sessões, o paciente descreve um ambiente violento, em que por diversas vezes assistiu agressões entre os membros de sua família. Durante a infância sua mãe era invasiva, e os cuidados por ela ofertados geravam medo e uma intensa inibição, sentia-se vigiado e atendia as solicitações maternas para evitar punições. Na adolescência o paciente foi alvo de abusos sexuais cometidos por sua mãe, e afirma que estas experiências ocasionaram conflitos em relação a sua sexualidade e repercutem na maneira com que ele se relaciona com as demais pessoas. Por isso, a importância de investigar o impacto causado por episódios de abuso em âmbito familiar, articulado a relação intrusiva e violenta que se estabeleceu entre mãe e filho, considerando as múltiplas violações por ela cometidas em relação ao paciente

One of the most common community responses to intimate partner violence is batterer intervention programs (BIPs), which are aimed at ending perpetrators' violent behavior. Unfortunately, however, the success rates of BIPs are questionable (Aldarondo, 2002; Gondolf, 2002) and we do not know what factors of the program facilitate decreases in abusive behavior when this does occur. Specifically, it is unknown whether and how individual characteristics interact with intervention group dynamics to facilitate change. To better understand this gap in the literature, this study investigated the relationship between social support, group majority-minority status, and interpersonal dependency in predicting intimate partner violence. The study utilizes data collected for a larger study sampling 180 men enrolled in a batterer intervention program in Portland, Oregon. It was hypothesized that partner violence is positively related to interpersonal dependency and negatively related to group social support. Furthermore, it was hypothesized that majority-minority group status moderates the relationship between group social support and intimate partner violence. As predicted, men who were more dependent on their partners also reported higher levels of psychological aggression perpetrated against their partners during the past 6-months. However, this relationship did not exist between interpersonal dependency and conflict tactics related to physical assault, injury, or sexual coercion. Further, perceived social support in the group did not predict partner violence as hypothesized. However, among men who had attended nine or fewer BIP sessions, both group social support and interpersonal dependency were positively associated with psychological aggression. Finally, among men who were involved in an intimate relationship at the time of data collection, interpersonal dependency was positively related to psychological aggression and physical assault.

Teen dating violence is more prevalent among African Americans than any other racial group in the United States leading to serious health consequences for victims. However, limited data exists on how African American adolescents' attitudes and perceptions regarding dating violence are formed, and whether they are influenced by family members. The purpose of this nonexperimental correlational study was to determine whether nonverbal or verbal communication from family members predicted adolescents' attitudes and perceptions toward dating violence. Survey data from 84 African American men and women ages 18 to 24 were collected using the Normative Beliefs About Aggression Scale, the Acceptance of Couple Violence Scale, the Revised Family Communication Patterns Questionnaire, and a demographic questionnaire. Although past studies have shown that communication related to dating violence is important because it is essential to adolescents understanding and finding ways of coping with violence, this study could not confirm that conversation orientation, conformity orientation, discussion of dating violence, conversation types, facial expressions, hand gestures, and direct verbal communication were significant predictors of approval of aggression. In future research, conducting a mixed methods study or using a larger age range could provide more understanding about adolescents' attitudes and perceptions related to dating violence. Additionally, research on behaviors outside of the modes of communication measured in this study, is warranted. This study contributes to social change by helping to fill a gap in the research literature pertaining to African American teen dating violence and attitudes toward approval of aggression. Future researchers can use the results of this study to help formulate new research on this topic.

Research indicates children's exposure to family violence results in long-term negative consequences, hindering social skill development and impacting on the ability to function as healthy, productive adults. Also, there exists a widely accepted theory, called the 'cycle of violence', which hypothesises that children who have experienced violence at the hands of their parents tend to grow up to become violent parents themselves. Some evidence for this theory has been found following research with groups of abusive parents and people who have committed crimes, This study explores the specific impacts of childhood exposure to family violence on the subsequent mothering of a group of women drawn from the general population. A qualitative approach using a methodology that combined feminist and narrative approaches was used. Nine women who have been exposed to family violence in childhood including physical, emotional/psychological, sexual abuse and witness to violence between parents participated in interviews which explored their experiences of mothering Each woman was interviewed twice to collect stories of childhood and of mothering experiences. These were analysed revealing that the women's mothering was affected by their childhood exposure to family violence in several ways, ranging from direct emotional impacts to indirect impacts of conceptualisations formed in the light of childhood experiences. This study adds to the existing knowledge of the long-term impacts of childhood exposure to family violence by focussing specifically on subsequent mothering. The findings encourage social work and health care personnel to appreciate that women exposed to family violence in childhood have specific issues with their mothering and there is a need to address these issues. It also challenges the weight given to the cycle of violence theory in intervention and prevention strategies in child abuse and family violence sectors

The term femicide was used to refer to the murder of women. Intimate femicide referred to the murder of women by men with whom they had an intimate love relationship. The purpose of this research was to make visible the intimate and domestic nature of femicide by describing all femicides in Saskatchewan between 1988 and 1992 inclusive. A second purpose of this research was to learn about prevention both from committed femicides and from two women who had survived an attempted intimate femicide. This research was feminist in nature and utilized elements of both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies. Data were gathered on all women known to be murdered between 1988 and 1992 from sources such as newspaper searches, coroners' reports, and police files. Based on these data, femicides were classified as intimate or non-intimate femicides and as possibly preventable or not preventable within the femicidal incident itself. Further data were gathered from interviews with two women who had survived an attempted intimate femicidal attack. Both sets of data were then reviewed and themes relating to the prevention of femicide were elicited. These themes focussed on failures of the communities in which these women resided or were murdered, failures of the medical community to correctly identify femicidal men, failures of the judicial system in their dealings with femicidal men, failures of the organized church, and failures of the institution of the family. Ten femicides were classified as possibly preventable within the femicidal assault itself. In addition, the interviews with both survivors identified many areas of possible intervention relating to prevention over a longer period of time. The study concludes with my reflections on the process of engaging in research on femicide, discussions about areas for further research and the identification of possible implications for public policy.

The purpose of this study was to inquire how social workers perceive and describe financial abuse of older persons. Six qualitative interviews were carried out and the assembled data was then categorized and analyzed using a theory considering exercise of power and ageism as a theoretical frame. Previous research has shown that at least 10% of older persons have been exposed to some form of abuse or violence; however, there is a lack of research carried out in a Swedish context regarding financial abuse specifically. The six persons interviewed in this study all presented financial abuse as some kind of violence and as previous research has shown the study suggests that this is an increasing problem. Further research ought to be carried out to increase the awareness of this particular form of abuse and to facilitate discovery and development of measures to prevent financial abuse of older persons. The result of this study as well as previous research indicates that there is a high amount of unrecorded cases; therefore, it is hard to define financial abuse since the use of the term varies among different contexts and that the term consists of very differing examples.