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The discourse about intimate partner violence often centers around men’s homicide against women, whereas women’s homicide against men is a topic that rarely receives attention. Hence, this study aims to investigate how female perpetrators of intimate partner homicide rationalize their reasons for committing the act. To address the purpose of the study, the following research questions have been formulated: How do women rationalize committing intimate partner homicide? Which accounts do women use in the court in their reasonings of committing intimate partner homicide? The study does not intend to explain influencing factors but rather to understand the women’s reasonings. The empirical data consists of preliminary investigation protocols. Womens interrogations have been analyzed through qualitative text and thematic analysis. Scott & Lyman’s (1968) theory of accounts and a feminist perspective consisting of Hunnicutt’s (2009) approach to patriarchy within the context of criminology has made up the theoretical framework of the study. Some key findings concern the women’s intimate relationship with the victims. Common in all but one case is that the intimate relationship was characterized by violence, control, and dominance, which urged the women to find a way out of the situation. In most cases, the act was not intentional in the sense that the violence would have a deadly outcome, but rather that the women felt the need to use violence in different situational contexts. The result suggests that the woman, as a victim of intimate partner violence committed homicide in self-defense, as revenge, or as an accident caused by fear. The results also include a case that stands out from the rest, where the relationship was not characterized by any violence or dominance, but where the woman rationalized the homicide as a humanitarian deed.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Family Studies and Human Services / Sandra Stith / Recent literature has highlighted the importance of considering personal and relationship factors in predicting IPV perpetration. The present study sought to investigate whether trait mindfulness is associated with IPV, as well as the mechanisms by which mindfulness might predict IPV. Utilizing longitudinal data collected from 247 undergraduate students, the study tested a hurdle model of IPV occurrence and frequency at Time 3 being predicted by trait mindfulness at Time 1 and other known risk factors at Time 2. Results indicated that trait mindfulness at time 1 was associated with IPV perpetration at Time 3; however, when controlling for other known risk factors at time 1, the association between mindfulness at Time 1 and IPV at Time 3 was no longer significant. Finally, results from the mediational analysis revealed a significant indirect effect of trait mindfulness on IPV through relationship satisfaction and conflict resolution while all variables were measured at the same time point, but no indirect effect of trait mindfulness at time 1 on IPV at time 3.These results indicate that although mindfulness might not be a significant direct predictor of IPV when other known risk factors are controlled for, it is important since mindfulness indirectly predicts IPV through other relationship processes when measured at the same time point. Suggestions for future research and clinical intervention are offered.

Doctor of Philosophy / School of Family Studies and Human Services / Jared Anderson / This meta-analysis used data from 285 studies (yielding 983 effect sizes and a combined sample size of 627,726) to quantitatively evaluate the link between substance use and physical intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration and victimization. Results indicated that overall substance use, alcohol use, and drug use were significantly related to both IPV perpetration and victimization, with mean effect sizes ranging from r =.18 to .23. Moderator analyses also compared males and females for overall substance use, alcohol use, and drug use; subcategories of alcohol use and drug use; and different types of drugs, for males and females, and for IPV perpetration and for victimization. This is the first meta-analysis to compare alcohol versus drug use for IPV perpetration and IPV victimization. The analyses revealed drug use to be a significantly stronger risk marker for victimization, and a non-significantly stronger risk marker for perpetration, compared to alcohol use. Alcohol consequence measures (i.e., abuse and dependence) were significantly stronger risk markers than consumption measures for IPV victimization, but non-significantly different for IPV perpetration. Furthermore, more frequent alcohol use (few times a week, almost daily, and daily) was a significantly stronger risk marker for perpetration compared to other alcohol frequency measures. Drug consequence measures (abuse/dependence) were significantly stronger risk markers for perpetration than simply drug use measures. There were no significant differences between different drug types, and no significant difference between stimulants versus non-stimulants for IPV perpetration and victimization (though these smaller comparisons may have been underpowered, and thus unable to detect differences). The findings of this study are important because they provide the most comprehensive and detailed analysis of the link between substance use and IPV to date.

This thesis approaches 'trauma' in theatre and performance from the perspective of communication studies. Since 'trauma' is an unspeakable and unrepresentable inner state, I thus conceptualize the term 'the traumatic/spectrum' to refer to layers of reality, meaning and experience that can be expressed, represented and/or spoken about in relation to a traumatizing encounter. Through practice-led research, I propose a multi-sensorial devising tool for theatre & performance makers primarily, and artists of all disciplines, to facilitate a performance process for individuals who have walked through a traumatic or post-traumatic journey ('journeyers'), and have a desire, need or purpose to communicate to an audience. Based on a syncretism in journalism, ethnography, psychology, and art therapy techniques, this methodology draws out the form and the content through which individuals desire to communicate about their experiences. Conceptualized here as the re-creation process, this methodology tackles different types of communication predicaments or 'distance' between audiences and 'journeyers' when addressing the traumatic, including: disbelief, voyeurism or sensationalism, and the tendency to habituate, fatigue, de-sensitize, avoid, avert and/or alienate from the traumatic and those who journey with this reality. In response, I endorse the interrelation of two aesthetic manifestations that can 'bridge' different types of psychological, emotional, sociocultural and physical 'distance': one is a realm of theatre & performance which renders semantic and somatic forms of expression indivisible, and the other is Magical Realism. These aesthetics are applied as channels and strategies to engage participants in a meaningful, empowering, and pleasurable 'shared' experience beyond the therapeutic. Finally, I propose the term traumagical realism to further identify and explore the parallels between Magical Realism and the traumatic. Traumagical Realism is a liminal territory that can offer a deeper understanding of the traumatic, and catalyze a social, aesthetic and affective force of engagement or 'commun(e)ication' between 'journeyers' and all participants involved in the devising process and culmination of a performance.

Aims: Recently, empirical literature exploring cognitive characteristics of intimate partner violence offenders has received considerable attention with both theory and practice historically focusing on victims of the abuse. Qualitative exploration has proposed implicit theories (ITs), that is distinct sets of schemas that offenders hold in relation to themselves, the world and others. In relation to cognition in intimate partner violence offenders, this thesis had two aims: to systematically analyse qualitative literature exploring cognition in intimate partner violence offenders and to implement interpretative phenomenological analysis to explore cognition in intimate partner violence sex offenders. Methods: Aims are addressed separately in two journal articles. A systematic review of qualitative literature exploring cognition in intimate partner violence offenders is presented in journal article 1. Journal article 2 utilises interpretative phenomenological analysis to explore cognition in 11 intimate partner sex offenders. Results: In relation to journal article 1, systematic searches of bibliographic databases in addition to hand-searches of various articles in the domain of intimate partner violence were conducted to identify eight empirical papers qualitatively exploring cognition in intimate partner violence offenders. Synthesis of the papers resulted in 10 themes being extrapolated thought to be representative of cognition in intimate partner violence males: “violence is normal”; “policing partner”; “women are provoking” “need for control”; “grievance/revenge”; “external factors responsible”; “rejection/abandonment”; “minimisation/denial”; “entitlement” and “remorse”. Journal article two utilised interpretative phenomenological analysis of 11 transcripts of IPV offenders. This revealed five superordinate and 14 subthemes which are proposed as implicit theories present in this specific offender group. These are: “violence is acceptable”; “grievance/revenge”; “dangerous world”; “need for control”; “real man”; “entitlement/women are objects”; “male sex drive/policing partner”; “women are provoking”; “rejection/abandonment”; “women are supportive”; “uncontrollability”; “nature of harm”; “the new me” and “I‟m not like them”. Conclusions: Cognitions identified from the systematic review are discussed in addition to limitations of the synthesis and clinical and empirical utility. The implicit theories identified in journal article 2 are discussed in relation to other offending behaviour groups in addition to their clinical implications in the development of effective interventions and risk assessment tools.

Bakgrund: Våld i nära relation är ett samhällsproblem. Genom att utföra screening kan vårdpersonalen identifiera och stödja kvinnor som utsatts för våld, vilket är viktigt för att kunna erbjuda adekvat vård och främja en god hälsa. Syfte: Syftet med litteraturöversikten är att kartlägga kvinnliga patienters upplevelser av att vårdpersonal frågar om våld i nära relation. Metod: Litteratursökning gjordes i databaserna PubMed och CINAHL. Efter kvalitetsgranskning kvarstod 15 artiklar, varav 14 med kvalitativ ansats och en med mixad metod som därefter analyserats. Resultat: Kvinnor upplevde att det var positivt att bli tillfrågade då de inte ansåg att de var kapabla till att be om hjälp. Det ansågs viktigt att vårdpersonalen hade rätt kompetens. Att vårdpersonal frågade regelbundet, på en säker plats samt erbjöd information och rådgivning var viktigt. Det var också viktigt hur vårdpersonal ställde frågan, deras beteende, samt om de verkade intresserade. Kvinnor kunde dock uppleva att bli tillfrågade upplevdes som ett hot mot deras säkerhet. Brist på information ansågs som ett hinder för att få hjälp. Slutsats: Det finns en efterfrågan hos kvinnor att vårdpersonal måste kunna tillgodose deras behov av information och ha kompetens inom ämnet, samt att kvinnorna vill uppleva att de är säkra om de berättar om våldsutsatthet. Ytterligare forskning behövs för att utreda vilka förhållanden som är optimala för att kvinnor ska vilja anförtro sig åt vårdpersonalen. / Background: Intimate partner violence is a public health problem. By performing screening, health care professionals are able to identify and support women who have been exposed to intimate partner violence. This is important in order to provide women with health care that is appropriate for their needs. Aim: The aim is to survey patient's experiences of health professionals asking about intimate partner violence. Method: Systematic searches were performed in the databases: PubMed and CINAHL. After the qualitative review, 15 articles were chosen, fourteen of which were qualitative studies and one of mixed method for analyzing. Findings: Women felt it was good to be asked about intimate partner violence as they were not able to ask for help themselves. It was considered important that the health care professionals had the knowledge and qualification to ask about it. It was also important that health care professionals asked regularly, in a safe place and offered information and advice when needed. It was also important how health professionals posed the question, and how they acted while doing it. Women, however, could experience to be asked as a threat to their safety. Lack of information was also seen as an obstacle for help. Conclusions: According to women, health care professionals must be able to meet their needs for information and have expertise in the subject. Women also want to feel safe when disclosing about intimate partner violence. Further research in the topic is encouraged. This is needed to probe favorable conditions for asking women about intimate partner violence.

Globala undersökningar visar att en av tre kvinnor har någon gång upplevt våld i nära relation under sin livstid. Våld i nära relation inkluderar fysiskt, psykiskt och sexuellt våld eller tvång samt frihetsinskränkningar. Våld i nära relation är inte bara ett problem för den enskilda kvinnan, utan även för samhället. Det är tydligt att många kvinnor drabbas, och hälso- och sjukvården har en viktig roll i upptäckt, behandling och stöd till kvinnan. / Global investigations show that one in three women has experienced intimate partner violence at some point during her lifetime. Intimate partner violence includes physical, psychological and sexual violence or coercion as well as limitations of freedom. Intimate partner violence is a societal issue as well as one for the woman exposed. It is clear that many women are affected, and that healthcare and it´s providers share an important role in disclosure, treatment and support for the women.

The present study investigated why communities differing in culture and resources are willing and able to implement gun confiscation as part of a protective order. Specifically, this study explored whether the perceived risk of intimate partner homicide and gun violence, benefits to engaging in gun confiscation, barriers to gun confiscation, community norms about guns, and community readiness to implement gun confiscation: (a) differ in urban and rural communities, (b) are perceived differently by victim service and justice system key professionals within urban and rural communities, and (c) are related to if a community is able and willing to consistently implement procedures that mandate gun confiscation of abusers as part of a protective order. Interviews, guided by an adapted guiding conceptual framework, were conducted with key professionals (N = 133) who work both in victim services and the justice system from a targeted urban community and four Appalachian communities in Kentucky. First, implementing gun confiscation procedures to disarm abusers in rural communities does not seem likely or feasible compared to the urban community given the lower perceived risk-benefit of gun confiscation, importance of gun culture, and limited resources in the selected rural communities. Second, urban justice system professionals, in comparison to urban victim service professionals, reported fewer barriers to enforcing the gun confiscation policy and were more likely to downplay law enforcement limitations in the community and attribute the ineffectiveness of the gun confiscation policy to reasons outside their control. Third, the perceived risk of intimate partner gun violence was associated with consistently implementing in gun confiscation at the emergency protective order (short-term) level, and the perceived community approval of the policy was associated with engaging in consistent gun confiscation at the domestic violence order (longer-term) level. Fourth, both urban and rural professionals pointed out potential unintended negative consequences to implementing the gun confiscation policy, such as violation of second amendment rights and increased danger for victims who seek protective orders. The results have implications for developing more effective strategies for increasing a community’s ability and motivation to enforce gun policy that keep guns out of the hands of dangerous abusers.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a critical public health problem that has a broad range of negative consequences on not only the individuals in the relationship but also on their children. Although Latino adolescents experience dating violence at a higher rate than White adolescents, little research has investigated the risk and protective factors associated with this group. Witnessing domestic violence has been associated to an increased risk in experiencing dating violence as adolescents. The pattern of IPV exposed youth to later experience violent relationships has been described as the intergenerational transmission of violence (ITV). Although youth exposed to IPV are at an increased risk for experiencing and perpetrating violence in their own relationships, not all do. This dissertation moves research on ITV beyond a deficit focus by using a resilience framework to investigate parenting relationships as protective factors for dating violence. A subsample of data Latino adolescents and their mothers’ were analyzed from a larger Welfare, Children, and Families (WCF) study. This study extends previous cross-sectional research by using longitudinal data to assess risk and protective factors when youth were 10-14 years old and its relationship to their own use of violence seven years later. Latent class analysis was conducted to understand the contextual and cultural factors related to the development of adolescent dating violence: acculturation, gender, and positive parent-child relationships were examined as influencing ITV. Three classes emerged that indicate unique combinations of risk and resilience. Two of these classes predicted differential associations with adolescent dating violence. A class indicating moderate-risk/low-protection and mothers with high acculturation was significantly related to increased odds of adolescents experiencing dating violence, both as victims and as perpetrators. A class indicating low-risk/high-protection and mothers with low acculturation significantly predicted increased odds of perpetrating dating violence but no significant relationship was found with victimization. Findings suggest that holistic family based approach to dating violence and adult domestic violence may be most effective for Latino adolescents and their IPV exposed mothers.