South Africa is a very violent society, where violence is often used as a social resource to maintain control and establish authority. Global and local research suggests that there is a high prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV), a facet of this violence, although little research has been conducted into the effects of IPV during pregnancy in the South African non-governmental organisation (NGO) context. NGOs globally and in South Africa have attempted to address IPV and IPV during pregnancy by providing services that aim to assist (largely female) clients emotionally and logistically. In light of this phenomenon, this qualitative study presents data generated through the use of a lightly-structured narrative interview schedule. The interviews were conducted over three sessions with eight counsellors, all based at two NGOs in South Africa and experienced in counselling women who have suffered IPV and IPV during pregnancy. This study used Taylor and Littleton’s (2006) narrative-discursive analytical lens, infused with theoretical insights from Foucault about power, discourse and narrative in order to identify the discursive resources that shape the narratives that the counsellors shared in the interviews and how these translate into subject positions and (gendered) power relations of the men and women about whom they speak. Six discursive resources emerged from the narratives, namely a discourse of ‘traditional “African” culture’, ‘patriarchal masculinity’, ‘nurturing femininity’, ‘female victimhood’, ‘female survivorhood’ and ‘human rights’. These informed the three main narratives that emerged: narratives about IPV in general, IPV during pregnancy, and the counsellors’ narratives about their intervention strategies. Within these narratives (and the micro-narratives which comprised them), men were largely positioned as subscribing to violent patriarchal behaviour whilst women were mostly positioned as nurturing and victims of this violence. The counsellors also constructed women as largely ignorant of their options about IPV and IPV during pregnancy; they constructed these phenomena as problems that require intervention and identified a number of factors that indicate what successful IPV interventions should entail. In reflecting upon this analysis, this study also aimed to address the questions of what is achieved or gained by using these narratives and discursive resources, what the significance or consequences are of constructing and using these particular narratives and discourses and whether different narratives or discourses would have been possible. Recommendations for further research includes incorporating more sites as well as interviewing perpetrators and IPV survivors themselves, perhaps in their home language where relevant rather than English, to gain a broader and more faceted understanding of the dynamics surrounding IPV during pregnancy. A recommendation for practice in intervention against IPV during pregnancy is to introduce more holistic/systemic intervention strategies and working with communities to address this issue.

Magister Artium (Psychology) - MA(Psych) / This study is about intimate femicide: The murder of a woman by a male intimate partner, namely her husband, boyfriend (dating or cohabiting), ex-husband (divorced or separated), ex-boyfriend or a rejected would-be lover. Intimate femicide has been identified as a dire social problem in South Africa. Although intimate femicide has been researched from a range of perspectives, there is a paucity of research on the discourses that women draw on to understand this crime in the context of South Africa. The primary aim of this study was to explore how women survivors of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) understand intimate femicide. This aim crystallised into the following objectives: 1) to explore how women survivors of IPV construct and understand the term intimate femicide, 2) to ascertain how women survivors of IPV understand the issue of risk of intimate femicide within an abusive relationship and 3) to investigate the discourses that women survivors of IPV draw on to understand intimate femicide. This thesis is couched in a feminist poststructuralist epistemology. Data was gathered through a qualitative approach, using in-depth semi-structured interviews. A Foucauldian discourse analysis was conducted on seven interviews with heterosexual women who had been in violent romantic relationships. In addition, ethical principles of anonymity and confidentiality were strictly adhered to. The findings of this study illuminate the immense difficulties that women experience in attempting to understand their level of risk while in an abusive relationship and the complexities experienced in attempting to understand intimate femicide. The discourse analysis revealed that fairy tale romance narratives present women with the idea that there is always hope for their relationships regardless of abusive circumstances, while dark romance discourses position romantic relationships as naturally abusive and present abuse as an invalid reason to leave a relationship. These justifications, beliefs, and understandings of the abuse hamper women’s ability to understand intimate femicide. This has significant implications for scholarship in general and feminist scholarship in particular. These findings emphasise the need for additional engagement in women’s understandings of intimate femicide - a group that has largely been consigned to the periphery. Moreover, given the excessive rates of intimate femicide in South Africa, it is critical that more research is conducted in order to increase awareness of intimate femicide amongst women in violent relationships.

In response to a dearth of empirical literature concerning the mechanisms underlying female same-sex intimate partner violence (FSSIPV) perpetration, the purpose of this research is to inform intimate partner violence intervention and prevention strategies specific to sexual minority women. The research responds in particular, this research aims to inform a working intersectional model predicting FSSIPV perpetration, and to evaluate the face validity and construct coverage of existing survey measures related to gender, minority stress, and violence. Fourteen lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer women recruited from the greater Portland, Oregon area participated in a series of in-depth, semi-structured, open-ended one-on-one and focus group interviews. Participant recruitment involved a combination of purposive and convenience sampling methods aided by the involvement of multiple community partners working in violence and education related fields. Interview and focus group questions addressed participants' experiences with gender role stress and minority stress. Grounded theory analysis of participants' narrative responses informed the coverage and relevance of constructs in a working intersectional model predicting women's use of violence in their same-gender intimate relationships. In particular, findings indicate that sexual minority women's experiences of gender role stress and minority stress, particularly in combination, were especially influential on their identities. Sexual minority women's experiences with minority stressors were not confined to minority stressors specific to their gender identities and sexual orientations, but intersected with minority stressors related to race and class as well. These findings support an intersectional and contextually-minded approach to IPV intervention and prevention strategies.

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is common among refugee women, and some adulthood and childhood factors are more influencing IPV against this group of women. Generally, there is a gap in research about the different influencing factors of IPV against refugee women. There is little empirical evidence and research about influencing factors for IPV in this vulnerable population and few studies on this specific topic in Sweden. To fill in this gap, this study aims to investigate the adulthood and childhood determinants of intimate partner violence against Persian refugee women in Sweden who had intimate partners during the past year. The main theoretical framework of this study was the Socio-ecological model (SEM). I conducted a cross-sectional study using an online survey with five questionnaires and I did descriptive analysis for reaching results and final analysis for this project. I did linear regression to analyze how much two independent variables which are socio-cultural adaptation and childhood abuse victimization affect the main dependent variable. Findings show that; childhood abuse experience/victimization history as one of the main independent variables was significantly a higher predictor of the main dependent variable. According to the findings of this study, different layers of the socio-ecological model (SEM), such as individual, family, community, and society, influenced the main outcome of the study, which was emotional and economic violence against Persian refugee women in Sweden by their intimate partners. IPV can be identified, analyzed, and prevented using the SEM model and taking into account its various interconnected layers. Research on IPV and the factors that contribute to IPV victimization in women can advance knowledge in this field and aid in the development of future preventive interventions and programs to assist this vulnerable group.

Violence against women is an issue faced by women all over the world. Violence conducted by a partner or husband is the most common form of violence that women are targeted by. Intimate partner violence against women (IPVAW) is internationally recognized as a human rights violation as well as a major global health issue. Economic empowerment is sometimes presented as means to reduce this violence. However, if it generates protection or increased risk is debated and contradictory findings characterize the research field. This study aims to contribute by testing the two main theories (the marital dependency theory and the relative resource theory) within a previously unstudied setting: the national level. The Ordinary Least Square (OLS) regressions find a negative relationship between female labor force participation and physical and sexual IPV prevalence among women. Support is thereby provided for the marital dependency theory. No relationship at all is found when focusing on attitudes towards physical IPVAW and the conclusion emphasis that economic empowerment is helpful but not sufficient as a national strategy to reduce intimate partner violence targeting women.

Kvinnor begår färre våldsbrott än män, och endast en tiondel av alla mord begås av kvinnor. Detta speglas i att relativt lite forskning om kvinnor som begår dödligt våld har genomförts. När kvinnor dödar är det ofta en nuvarande, eller före detta, intim partner som faller offer. Men varför dödar kvinnor en person som de tidigare valt att spendera sitt liv med? Finns det några likheter mellan dessa kvinnor? Denna systematiska litteraturstudie visar att en majoritet av de kvinnor som tar livet av sin partner, gör det efter att ha utsatts för fysiskt och psykiskt våld av sin partner under lång tid. Tidigare partnervåld, och den överhängande risken att utsättas för ännu en episod av grovt våld, leder till att dessa kvinnor lever med ständig skräck, rädsla och ångest. Många av dessa kvinnor upplever även en känsla av isolation, vilket förstärks av att mannen ofta förbjuder dem att arbeta utanför hemmet. Kvinnor som dödar sin partner gör det ofta i, vad de själva anser är, självförsvar. Många av dessa kvinnor menar att de dödade sin partner för att de var tvungna. Hade de inte gjort det hade de själva förmodligen blivit mördade. / Women commit fewer violent crimes than men, with only one tenth of all murders committed by females. This is reflected in the fact that relatively little research has been conducted about women who kill. When women kill, the victim is often a current or former intimate partner. But why do some women kill an individual whom they have previously chosen to spend their life with? Are there any similarities between these women? This systematic literature review shows that a majority of women who take the life of an intimate partner, do it after having been subjected to physical and psychological violence by their partner for a long period of time. Former partner violence, and the imminent risk of being subjected to yet another episode of serious violence, leads to these women living with constant fear, horror and anxiety. Many of these women also experience a sense of isolation, which is reinforced by the fact they their partner often forbids them to work outside of the home. Women who kill their intimate partner often do so in, what they feel is, self-defence. Many of these women say that they killed their partner because they had to. Had they not killed him, they themselves would probably have been murdered.

Vård av kvinnor utsatta för våld i nära relationer är en komplex och krävande del av sjuksköterskors arbete. Våldet är vanligen förenat med fysiska, psykiska såväl som sociala utmaningar och kräver kunskapsbaserad vård. Trots ökad medvetenhet om våld i nära relation finns det fortsatta brister i förståelsen av sjuksköterskors upplevelser och hantering av vården på våldsutsatta kvinnor. Syftet är att belysa sjuksköterskors upplevelser av att vårda kvinnor utsatta för våld i nära relation inom somatisk vård. Genom att få insikt i deras perspektiv kan eventuella brister i vården identifieras och förbättringar föreslås för att öka effektiviteten och stödet för både sjuksköterskor och patienter. En integrerad sammanställning av kvalitativ forskning inspirerad av metasyntes utfördes. Genom att systematiskt granska och syntetisera befintliga kvalitativa forskningsstudier kring sjuksköterskors upplevelser av att vårda kvinnor utsatta för våld i nära relationer, identifierades olika teman. Sjuksköterskor beskrev svårigheter att vårda dessa kvinnor och betonade utmaningarna med att identifiera och stödja dessa patienter. Det framgick även hur arbetet kan innebära en känslomässig påverkan på sjuksköterskan. Resultaten sammanställdes och visade på behovet av ökad utbildning och bättre samarbete mellan olika vårdinstanser. Denna metod möjliggjorde en djupare förståelse för sjuksköterskors upplevelser genom en sammanvägning av flera studiers resultat. Litteraturstudien betonar behovet av stöd och förbättringar i utbildning och samarbete mellan vårdgivare för att bättre tillgodose behoven hos sjuksköterskor såväl som för våldsutsatta kvinnor. / The care of women exposed to intimate partner violence is a complex and demanding aspect of nurses' work. Violence is often associated with physical, psychological, and social challenges, requiring knowledge-based care. Despite increased awareness of intimate partner violence, there are continued gaps in understanding nurses' experiences and management of care for abused women. The aim is to highlight nurses' experiences in caring for women exposed to intimate partner violence within somatic healthcare. By gaining insight into their perspectives, any deficiencies in care can be identified, and improvements suggested to enhance effectiveness and support for both nurses and patients. An integrated compilation of qualitative research inspired by metasynthesis was conducted. By systematically reviewing and synthesizing existing qualitative research studies on nurses' experiences in caring for women exposed to intimate partner violence, different themes were identified. Nurses described difficulties in caring for these women and emphasized the challenges in identifying and supporting these patients. It also emerged how the work could have an emotional impact on the nurse. The results were compiled, indicating the need for increased education and better collaboration between different healthcare entities to enhance care. This method allowed a deeper understanding of nurses' experiences by combining results from several studies. The literature-based study emphasizes the need for support and improvements in education and collaboration among healthcare providers to better meet the needs of both nurses and abused women.

The effects of childhood exposure to parental intimate partner violence (EPIPV) on dating violence (DV) were examined through two layers of mediations. Based on attachment theory, individuals who are exposed to parental intimate partner violence are less likely to experience secure parent-child attachment, which in turn transfers to insecure adult attachment that is prone to perceive significant others as less trustworthy and less reliable as well as higher likelihood of over-reacting and/or staying in an unhealthy relationship. In the second layer of mediation, insecure adult attachment would lead to biased SIP which in turn, would result in an increase of DV. A total of 327 university students participated in the study by voluntarily completing the research questionnaires. Among them, 253 reported having experienced mild to severe DV and were included in the final data set. The data analyses procedures included examinations of the measurement models and structural equation modeling (SEM) analyses. Findings from the final models best supported by the data indicated that EPIPV predicted both dating violence perpetration and victimization and that EPIPV predicted adult attachment anxiety and avoidance, both of which are consistent with existing literature. However, findings revealed that EPIPV did not predict SIP and SIP was not predictive of DV perpetration. In addition, neither adult attachment anxiety nor attachment avoidance was predictive of DV perpetration and victimization. For DV victimization SEM model, adult attachment anxiety predicted SIP, however, SIP did not predict DV victimization. Findings are discussed based on DV literature and attachment theory. Limitations, clinical implications, and future research directions are also outlined.

Many studies on intimate partner violence often focus on men as perpetrators and women as victims, but this study shifts the focus to men's experiences of being victims of violence. Using the theories of stigma, masculinity, and script theory, the authors aimed to address the study's purpose, which was to investigate how men articulate their experiences of violence in close relationships. Additionally, the study explored the strategies employed by professionals working with abused men to effectively counteract the stigma associated with the challenges posed by ideals of masculinity. A qualitative approach was employed, involving the analysis of self-narratives from podcasts where abused men shared their experiences. Simultaneously, two interviews were conducted with welfare professionals specializing in assisting abused men, combining primary and secondary data. The authors concluded that the issue described by both men and welfare professionals is highly complex. Stigmatization and societal norms of masculinity present significant obstacles to men being open about their experiences of being victims of violence and seeking help. By fostering awareness of these norms among professionals and adapting support strategies accordingly, conditions are created for abused men to feel validated during the help-seeking and treatment processes.

Thesis (M.A. (Criminology and Criminal Justice)) -- University of Limpopo, 2022 / This study intended to explore Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) against women in the Seshego Zone 1 area, which is situated in the Polokwane Municipality of the Limpopo Province. The different types of IPV against women, the prevalence of IPV against women, the causes of IPV against women, the reasons for not reporting IPV against women, as well as the available measures taken to combat this scourge guided this study. This study followed a qualitative research approach, where 17 participants were purposively selected, and this was coupled with snowball sampling. Face-to-face in depth semi-structured interviews were utilised to collect data to explore the IPV against women. The collected data was analysed by means of Inductive Thematic Content Analysis (TCA). The responses were audio recorded and written down to add value to the study findings. Themes and sub-themes were solicited from the participants’ verbatim expressions. This study established that the rate of IPV against women cases are high and has been increasing during the period of study because the victims are not taken seriously when reporting. It was also confirmed that jealousy and poverty are the major causes of IPV against women in the area. The victims often fail to seek support and do not report to the police when the violence takes place. It was also evident that most people seem to lack exposure on the issues of IPV against women and the lack of economic and employment opportunities in the area hinder women empowerment against violence and this should be urgently addressed. This study recommends that the local police should learn to take the cases of IPV against women seriously so that the rate of violence can decrease and the victims of IPV against women should be able to identify the signs and prevalence of this practice to effectively prevent it. Moreover, the victims should be encouraged to report cases to the police, and they must demand progress reports on the cases. As a result, the women continue to suffer due to violence in the study area. Moreover, this study suggests that there must be local support groups for women who experience violence in the community to help in detailing the consequences of IPV against women. This should be aided by various awareness campaigns to alert men that IPV against women is a criminal offence, and it is punishable. The government should also support women to start small businesses to reduce full dependence on their partners, thereby reducing the risks of IPV.