Childhood exposure to family violence is a risk factor for dysfunctional intimate relationships in adulthood (e.g., Fagan & Browne, 1994). Family violence research has commonly utilized Social Learning Theory to explain cross-generational patterns of family violence. However, not all individuals who experience a violent home environment become abusers or victims in their parental or marital roles (e.g., Duffy & Momirov, 1997), which illustrates resiliency - positive adaptation or development in spite of serious threats or significant adversity (Masten, 2001). Considering strengths and resources, rather than risks and vulnerabilities, is relatively new in the field of family violence. Consequently, a basic interpretive qualitative research design (Merriam, 2002) was utilized to investigate the experiences of three heterosexual women who self-identified as (a) having observed a pattern of interparental violence in childhood and (b) currently being in non-violent intimate adult relationships. The studys purpose was to describe and understand this phenomenon, with special attention given to identifying possible resiliency and protective factors. Interviews were conducted on multiple occasions and transcripts were analyzed in terms of Kearneys (2001) shared meaning and descriptive categories. The shared meaning involved the role of emotional work required, and the descriptive categories included five themes (i.e., Diverse Experiences of Family Violence, Family Violence is Always with You, Complex Daughter-Mother Relationships, Understanding and Making Sense of Healthy Relationships, and Sources of Strength and Positive Influences). Findings are described alongside implications for counselling practice and future research.

Latina survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) experience IPV at similar rates as other ethnic groups. However, the intersection of multiple cultural factors, including acculturation, can greatly influence a woman’s experience of IPV. For example, research suggests that Latinas experience unique forms of control and unique barriers to service in addition to positive coping. Nevertheless, a scarcity of culturally relevant interventions plagues the IPV field. Moreover, evaluations of such programs are remarkably scarce in the research literature. The current study evaluates an innovative peer leadership intervention, the Líderes program, which is grounded in a self-empowerment framework. The Líderes program is a peer education leadership initiative that taps into the natural leadership skills of Latinas. Although the effectiveness of similar peer leadership models addressing public and occupational health concerns, education outcomes, and nursing leadership can be found in the literature, this is the first documented attempt to include survivors of IPV as participants in such a program. The study used a mixed methods design. The quantitative component included a multiple baseline research design including nine participants. The survey measured variables related to leadership development and a facilitator rating was utilized to measure behavioral change. The qualitative component included analysis of journals written by the participants documenting their experience of the program. Results revealed that the Líderes curriculum was effective in influencing the self-empowerment of participants across the intrapersonal, interactional, and behavioral domains of leadership. The qualitative results supported this finding and provided evidence for the important role of a supportive environment for this change to occur. The Líderes training program is the first training program for Latina community leaders who are also survivors of IPV. This study highlights the advantages of a peer-intervention training program as a way to develop existing strengths among Latina survivors of IPV.

Child maltreatment is a significant public health problem that increases when children live in homes in which intimate partner violence (IPV) is present. Child maltreatment and IPV often co-occur, and the sequelae of IPV frequently appear in both the victimized mother and her children. Home visitation programs, such as SafeCare®, are used as intervention strategies to reduce the risk of child maltreatment, but rarely are these programs adapted for Latino populations. The importance of cultural sensitivity in parenting programs has been highlighted as a means of producing successful outcomes when working with Latino families. The present single-case research design study evaluated the efficacy of SafeCare's Parent-Infant Interaction (PII) module when delivered in Spanish to a Latino mother with prior experiences of IPV. Observational data were used to document changes in parenting behaviors, while self-report measures assessed exposure to IPV and changes in mental health, parenting stress, and the risk of child maltreatment. Qualitative data provided suggestions for culturally adapting PII for Latino families. Data from this study suggest that PII improves parent-infant interactions when delivered in Spanish and reduces the risk of child maltreatment. Additionally, self-report measures indicate that IPV, parent mental health distress, and the risk of child maltreatment co-occur. This study also shares with the field the importance of providing culturally adapted programs when working with Latino families.

Women who have experienced violence in their intimate partnerships have consistently reported poorer physical and mental health and higher medical care utilization than women who have not experienced intimate partner violence. Because of the many deleterious impacts of relationship abuse, investigations into coping processes among women who have experienced intimate partner violence take on heightened importance. The complexity of circumstances and the unique responses to intimate partner violence indicate that women employ as many coping strategies as are available to them at the time. Effective coping behaviours and the recovery environment are critical for battered women’s positive adjustment (Carlson, 1997; Sullivan & Bybee, 1999). This study examined the relationships between emotion-focused coping, symptoms of post-traumatic stress and exposure to intimate partner violence in a sample of 670 women across the Prairie Provinces. The Composite Abuse Scale, Emotion-Focused Coping Strategies questionnaire, and the Posttraumatic Stress Checklist were used to measure the variables. Findings confirmed a strong correlation between greater exposure to abuse and symptoms of posttraumatic stress. They also confirmed that greater use of emotion-focused coping strategies was associated with escalation of abuse and more symptoms of posttraumatic stress within this group of women. This study adds to the current body of literature on ways women cope with intimate partner violence.

The theory of rejection sensitivity, suggests that early experiences of rejection (e.g. parental rejection, peer rejection) can result in the tendency to anxiously expect, readily perceive, and overreact to rejection by significant others in future relationships. An abundance of quantitative research has suggested that rejection sensitivity has significant implications regarding one’s thoughts and actions within intimate partnerships (e.g. Downey & Feldman, 1996); however, little is known about the lived experience of the women who are sensitive to rejection. The present research sought to move beyond the developmental perspective of the theory of rejection sensitivity (as presented in the first two chapters) by aiming to gain an understanding of how women experience rejection sensitivity within their intimate partnerships and how their thoughts, feelings, and behaviours have impacted their romantic lives. Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to explore the lived experience of women who identified with rejection sensitivity. Data generated during two interviews with three participants was transcribed and analyzed using an interpretive phenomenological analysis approach. An over-arching theme of I won’t let it happen again: a journey of self-protection emerged that was representative of the women’s shared experience of protecting themselves from experiencing further rejection in their romantic relationships and was further illustrated throughout three secondary themes: I can control things so I won’t let it happen again, Wait…is it happening anyway?, and A continuous journey. Based on the present findings, considerations for further research and practice are offered. Given lack of research aimed at understanding the experiences of women who identify with rejection sensitivity, the value of the present study is twofold: This research makes a notable contribution to current literature, but also encourages women, and those devoted to helping them, to understand their own unique relationships with rejection sensitivity and navigate their own journeys with a sense of hope for mutually satisfying and beneficial romantic relationships in their futures.

Abstract Introduction. Approximately 88.000 cases of assault were reported to the Swedish police during 2010. Twenty-five percent of these cases were considered as violence against women. Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a worldwide issue and poses a major threat to women’s health. In Sweden, 17 women are killed each year by an intimate partner. This study aimed at increasing the knowledge of perpetrators of intimate partner homicide (IPH), in terms of type of mental disorder and type of deadly violence exerted. Method. A total of 49 forensic psychiatric investigations were obtained from the Swedish National Board of Forensic Medicine in Huddinge. Eighteen perpetrators of IPH were compared to 31 perpetrators of deadly violence in a non-intimate relationship. Comparisons were made by coding principal diagnoses as described in the forensic psychiatric investigations, and type of deadly violence exerted using the Cornell coding guide for violent incidents. Results. Perpetrators of IPH were, to a greater extent, diagnosed with a dysphoric or borderline personality disorder (BPD), whereas perpetrators of deadly violence in a non-intimate relationship were significantly more often diagnosed with an antisocial personality disorder (ASPD). Perpetrators of IPH used more deadly violence with reactive features, whereas perpetrators of deadly violence in a non-intimate relationship used significantly more deadly violence with instrumental features. Discussion. The results of this study are in agreement with previous research. In conclusion, perpetrators of IPH are more reactive in their deadly violence and less antisocial, in terms of being diagnosed with ASPD and previous convictions, compared to perpetrators of deadly violence in a non-intimate relationship. This may be helpful in terms of preventing future risk for IPV and IPH.

Childhood exposure to family violence is a risk factor for dysfunctional intimate relationships in adulthood (e.g., Fagan & Browne, 1994). Family violence research has commonly utilized Social Learning Theory to explain cross-generational patterns of family violence. However, not all individuals who experience a violent home environment become abusers or victims in their parental or marital roles (e.g., Duffy & Momirov, 1997), which illustrates resiliency - positive adaptation or development in spite of serious threats or significant adversity (Masten, 2001). Considering strengths and resources, rather than risks and vulnerabilities, is relatively new in the field of family violence. Consequently, a basic interpretive qualitative research design (Merriam, 2002) was utilized to investigate the experiences of three heterosexual women who self-identified as (a) having observed a pattern of interparental violence in childhood and (b) currently being in non-violent intimate adult relationships. The studys purpose was to describe and understand this phenomenon, with special attention given to identifying possible resiliency and protective factors. Interviews were conducted on multiple occasions and transcripts were analyzed in terms of Kearneys (2001) shared meaning and descriptive categories. The shared meaning involved the role of emotional work required, and the descriptive categories included five themes (i.e., Diverse Experiences of Family Violence, Family Violence is Always with You, Complex Daughter-Mother Relationships, Understanding and Making Sense of Healthy Relationships, and Sources of Strength and Positive Influences). Findings are described alongside implications for counselling practice and future research.

¡@¡@The study was undertook the engineers who involved in speed dating from technology industries, in an attempt to understand the masculinities and lifestyles shaped by workplace how to influence engineers from the workplace to speed dating domain, as well as the establishment of heterosexual relationships and management of intimate relationships. The researcher took masculinities as a way to analysis, from the male power and masculinities of the organization as a starting point, by interviewed with engineers to understand how the workplace shaped particular masculinities qualities in the organizations power, control, decision-making and payments. ¡@¡@In Taiwan, the high-tech industrial¡¦s engineers defined as the representatives of hegemonic masculinity by Connell (1995), they enjoyed a privileged position of cultural dominance as well as the relationships of gender order. Also, their professional identity was considered to be welcomed in the marriage market. The study¡¦s interviewers was based on engineers who has been participated in a speed dating activities, and found that engineers were lack of the ability to do intimate, and not good at dominant the topic. Therefore, they have to memorize a joke or to learn a talent so as to narrow the distance with the opposite sex, and then develop the special atmosphere of ¡§pick up a girl and fight side by side, ¡§and abandon the competence of masculine ranking between each other. ¡@¡@Finally, Giddens mentioned that in the discussion of heterosexual relationships and intimacies, the intimacy of modernity are becoming more and more plasticity and fluidity. However, to those busy on the work called ¡§High tech millionaires,¡¨ the ideal image for equal intimacy relationships was inappropriate. To high tech millionaires, the management of intimate relationships of the expectations and awareness in the public and private sector did not develop into so-called pure relationships by Giddens, corresponding to Jamieson¡¦s questioned that there are many changes or unchangeable factors which affect the management of intimate relationships in real life. Therefore, the researcher tries to analysis the attitude and imagination of the high tech millionaires to heterosexual relationships and management of intimate relationships, to understand how engineers from the masculine workplace and rational dominance transition to the fields of intimate relationships.

The current study focused on the challenging task of providing treatment to male batterers and the various factors that may positively affect the outcome of treatment. Group treatment has been shown to be a successful modality to working with partner abusers, due to the unique environment that is created where males interact with and establish relationships with other males. This male-male socialization may have potential positive effects on the course and outcome of therapy. This study sought to provide support for Jennings and Murphy’s theory of domestic violence that malefemale disrupted relationships have roots in disrupted male-male relationships and male identity issues and rigid gender role ideals. This study predicted that over the course of a 15-week court mandated domestic violence group, improving male-male relationships would be correlated with improvements in male identity issues and rigid sex role attitudes and improvements in male-female relationship issues. These expectations were supported by the research data. Additionally, it was expected that an improvement in same sex relationships would be related to an overall dimensional change in their attachment system. This hypothesis was not supported by the data. Moreover, process variables such as group climate and working alliance were also examined throughout the course of the group to shed light on any changes that were found. The results showed steadily increasing reports of positive working alliance ratings by counselors and clients, and increasing levels of group cohesion among the group members. The discussion and conclusions focus on the clinical significance of the study’s findings and include specific examples from the groups in this study. Implications for treatment with this population, limitations of the study, and suggestions for future research are also addressed.

The internet has been proved to be a main media to develop interpersonal relationship, especially for adolescents. Moreover, in terms of three characteristics of internet, which are anonymity, accessibility, and affordability, internet makes sexual friendship popular in the present society. Although this kind of sexual relationship generates many social problems reported by the print media . The thesis bases on the interpersonal relationship theory on the internet; and further, it investigates the development of the intimate relationship among them. The purpose is to realize whether they are different from general internet friend-making clubs in demographic characteristics, motives, self-exposure, and requirement standards. This research uses purposive sampling approach to select objects from BBS, and analyzes 754 messages by content analysis. The results are as following: 1. Demographic characteristics: (1) Males are more than females, but the latter have more power to choose the former. (2) Regional adjacency is also a key requirement. (3) Like realistic situation, appearance, figure, and educational background are main external conditions. 2. Motives: Sexual passion is the main motive, and pressure-releasing and time-killing is in the next place. 3. Self-exposure: The average self-exposure lines of males are 7.55, and females are 10.3. Generally, they use specific demographic data to describe themselves instead of profound profile. Otherwise, there are almost positive and neutral terms to establish self-image. 4. Requirement standards: As same as realistic world, most of them have stereo-type on appearance. They decide whether to have relationship with others or not after seeing each other, and the feeling is also important to them. In short, internet sexual friendship group doesn¡¦t differentiate from general friend-making one, and they are consistent in the requirements of partners. But the main purpose of internet sexual friendship group is having sexual relationship. They just remove the appointment place from realistic world to virtual space.