This qualitative study explored the lived experiences of male victims of intimate partner violence (IPV). Few studies exist about the experiences of men who are victims of female-perpetrated IPV and there are not many studies about these men's experiences in seeking and receiving psychological help. Maslow's hierarchy of needs and Peck's gender role strain paradigm guided this study to understand victimology and perceptions of gender roles. Research questions attempted to understand the lived experiences of male IPV victims of female-perpetrated IPV, accessing supportive and psychological services, and their experiences of these services. Seven male individuals were recruited through flyers in community centers, law enforcement agencies, and social media sites; 5 participants were interviewed via Skype and 2 responded via e-mail. Data from interviews were analyzed and coded following an interpretative phenomenological method. Five themes were identified from 2 research questions including: male victimization is seen as less severe than female victimization, family is not easy to talk to about experience, therapy and hospitalization were used, law enforcement officers are biased, and mental health workers are routine. Findings were evaluated with existing literature and suggestions are made for help-seeking option accessibility for male victims. This study promotes social change by discussing how supporting survivors may decrease negative gender roles and social norms while promoting the betterment of professionals who work with male victims. Victim-centered services, patient-centered approaches, and treatment and support for survivors of IPV will help to improve awareness about male victims in society while offering insight to decrease negative stigma.

Indigenous women experience intimate partner violence (IPV) at a disproportionate and epidemic rate. A common thread among indigenous women's experiences is that of colonization, which has been linked to both IPV and other social ills. Many tools of domination and control used throughout colonization to subjugate and oppress indigenous peoples are consistent with the tactics of power and control used in IPV. Given the distinct history of colonization along with the absence of research on indigenous women from the Southeastern portion of the United States, the purpose of this critical ethnography was to understand the culture and context of IPV for women from a Southeastern tribe across the life course. Because they complimented and supplemented each other in their ability to increase understanding about indigenous women' experiences with IPV, critical theory, historical trauma, life course theory, and resilience theory guided this qualitative inquiry. Paulo Freire's vision of critical theory was used to conceptualize this dissertation within the specific historical context. Using Carspecken's critical ethnographic method, the relevant data collected for this study included 28 participant observation sessions with indigenous community members and 28 life histories with indigenous women. Data analysis followed Carpsecken's method of reconstructive analysis. The patterns of power and domination at the societal, community, and interpersonal levels were identified with the broader beliefs that might perpetuate IPV across generations. Results included key factors within the specific historical context of indigenous women that had salient linkage to IPV. The potential symptoms of historical loss and trauma, including alcohol abuse, IPV, and family breakdown, were highlighted. Women's emergent pattern of violence that occurred across the life course was delineated within the culturally specific family structure. Women's perceptions of experiences with the formal and informal support systems were explored. Likewise, the various coping strategies of women who experienced IPV were identified along with the culturally specific protective and risk factors across multiple levels. Women's suggestions for emancipation from oppression were highlighted along with the implications for social work practice and policy.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) against women is a major public health issue worldwide. The purpose of this dissertation is to characterize violence perpetrated by an intimate partner against a "high-risk" group of pregnant women who sought elective abortion services at a family planning clinic. Analyses were based on the Iowa Women's Health Experience Survey (IWHES), a cross-sectional study of 519 abortion patients who completed an anonymous, self-administered questionnaire over a period of seven months. IWHES eligibility criteria were 'Seeking pregnancy termination'; 'Age ≥ 18 years'; 'Iowa resident' and 'Fluent in English or Spanish'. The survey instrument covered physical, sexual and psychological types of violence, health correlates of violence as well as demographic, socioeconomic and lifestyle characteristics of participating women and their current intimate partners. Aim I examined the prevalence of physical, sexual and/or psychological abuse by employment characteristics of elective abortion patients and their current intimate partners. Aim II examined associations of substance use, depression and social support with physical, sexual and/or psychological abuse perpetrated by current intimate partners against women seeking pregnancy termination. To achieve the analytic goals of Aims I and II, the study sample was restricted to women who had a current partner and valid IPV data. The overall prevalence of physical, sexual and/or psychological abuse perpetrated by a current partner was 12.3%, with some overlap between the different IPV sub-types. In general, the prevalence of IPV did not differ significantly by employment status or by broadly defined occupational groups of women and their partners. However, a trend was noted whereby a woman's employment and a partner's unemployment were associated with greater likelihood of IPV. Specifically, the prevalence of IPV was highest among couples where the woman was employed and the partner was unemployed. Consistently positive associations were noted between the partner's (but not the woman's) substance use indicators (alcohol intake, binge drinking, recreational drug use) and IPV. Higher levels of depressive symptoms and less perceived availability of social support were noted among women who had experienced IPV versus those who had not experienced IPV. The association between depressive symptoms and IPV was stronger for women who reported having children in their homes compared to those did not report having children in their homes. Implications for policy and future research are discussed.

<p>Abstract</p><p>Intimate partner violence (IPV) is highly prevalent in Pakistan. Social support is associated with a reduced risk for violence and adverse mental health. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between social support and the occurrence of IPV and adverse mental health among Pakistani women exposed to IPV, along with exploring help-seeking behaviour using qualitative interviews. Data from a cross-sectional survey of 759 women, aged 25–60, were analyzed using logistic regression. The results demonstrated that informal social support was associated with fewer occurrences of all forms of IPV and less likelihood of adverse mental health when exposed to psychological violence, whereas formal social support was associated with more occurrences of all forms of IPV and more likelihood of adverse mental health when exposed to psychological violence. The qualitative result showed that fear of social stigma and low autonomy were, among others, obstacles for seeking help. Suggestions for future interventions include strengthening informal social networks and expanding formal resources, as well as raising awareness of IPV in order to address the issue.</p><p><strong> </strong></p> / This thesis was made possible by a Minor Field Study grant from the Swedish International Developmental Agency (SIDA) distributed by the department of Psychology at Stockholm University and we would like to express our gratitude for assisting us financially. / PhD project by Tazeen Saeed Ali, School of Nursing, Aga Khan University, called, “Living with violence in the home - a normal part of Pakistani women's life or a serious transgression of human rights.”

<p>Intimate partner violence against women has gone from a concealed family affair to a public issue. The health care services are often those who first come in contact with abused women, despite this many women are not identified as victims of domestic violence. The purpose of this study was to describe nursing care of abused women and factors influencing the care. The study was conducted as a literature review where 18 articles were analyzed. The result showed the importance of the nurses’ role in screening for abused women. Knowledge and understanding of domestic violence was of importance in the meeting with abused women. More education about care for abused women during formal nursing program and continuing education on domestic violence for nurse practitioners was considered necessary. Better developed guidelines are required and should be accessible in all health care services. No Swedish research on intimate partner violence was found and further research should focus on nurses’ care of abused women in Swedish health care.</p>

<p>Men abuse women every day. It has become a Health Problem which we affects all of us. Help is available for those women who have the strength to seek it. Health care personnel are often these women’s only contact with the surrounding world. As professionals, health care personnel need the right knowledge and resources in order to help abused women. Our aim with this study was to describe abused women’s experiences when they seek health care, and also to document health care experiences and attitudes towards these women. A literary review of 14 scientific articles was conducted. The result was then divided into two sections: women’s perspectives and health care personnel’s perspectives. Abused women felt a lack of confidence with the health care personnel. They had been violated, and felt that the health care personnel did not listen. The health care personnel felt that they needed more training and resources in order to work with abused women and help them. The lack of health care personnel’s ability to create a safe and confident environment where women feel that they can open up and ask for help is a major social problem. In order to correct these flaws, people need to take a stand in the matter.</p> / <p>Dagligen misshandlas kvinnor av män. Det är ett folkhälsoproblem som alla har ansvar för att lösa. Hjälp finns att få för de kvinnor som har styrkan att söka den. Oftast är vården enda kontakten som kvinnorna har med omvärlden. Vårdpersonal möter dessa kvinnor i sin yrkesroll och de behöver ha den rätta kunskapen och de rätta verktygen för att kunna hjälpa kvinnorna. Syftet med studien var att med aktuell litteratur beskriva hur kvinnor som blivit misshandlade av sin partner upplever mötet med vården, samt vårdpersonalens erfarenheter och inställningar till mötet med misshandlade kvinnor. 14 internationellt vetenskapliga artiklar granskades och sammanställdes sedan i två delar . I den ena fokuseras på kvinnornas perspektiv och i den andra vårdpersonalens. Misshandlade kvinnor upplevde att de hade lågt förtroende för vårdpersonalen. De kände sig kränkta och inte hörda. Vårdpersonalen å sin sida kände att de inte hade adekvat utbildning, resurser och verktyg för att kunna möta misshandlade kvinnor. Det finns brister hos vårdpersonalens kompetens för att skapa en trygg och förtrolig plats där kvinnorna upplever att de kan söka stöd och råd. För att häva dessa brister krävs det att alla människor tar ställning i frågan om kvinnomisshandel.</p>

<p><strong>Bakgrund:</strong> Våld mot kvinnor i partnerrelationer är ett stort samhällsproblem och varje år dör ungefär 17 kvinnor till följd av våldet. När kvinnorna besöker hälso- och sjukvården kan en unik möjlighet ges att upptäcka partnervåldet. <strong>Syfte: </strong>Syftet med litteraturstudien var att beskriva hur kvinnor som blivit våldsutsatta av en manlig partner upplever vårdpersonalens bemötande. <strong>Metod: </strong>En allmän litteraturstudie gjordes som baserades på 14 vetenskapliga artiklar. <strong>Resultat: </strong>Kvinnorna upplevde att vårdpersonalen inte vågade ställa frågan om partnervåld, dock hade de flesta positiva upplevelser av att vårdpersonalen satt ner och lyssnade på dem. Upplevelser av att integriteten och autonomin inte respekterades förkom och även att fokus låg på de fysiska skadorna och att det psykiska välbefinnandet glömdes bort. <strong>Diskussion: </strong>Diskussionen belyser fyra centrala fynd; att vårdpersonalen inte vågade ställa frågan, positiva bemötanden gällande att vårdpersonalen var närvarande och lyssnade på kvinnorna, att kvinnorna inte blev respekterade och tagna på allvar samt att kvinnornas psykiska välbefinnande glömdes bort. <strong>Slutsats: </strong>De flesta kvinnor som blivit utsatta för partnervåld upplevde att vårdpersonalen inte bemötte dem på det sätt de önskade och kvinnorna fick därmed inte den hjälp de var i behov av.</p> / <p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Intimate partner violence (IPV) against women is a big public health problem and every year about 17 women die in Sweden as a consequence of this. When the women seek healthcare, there can be a unique opportunity to discover IPV. <strong>Aim: </strong>The aim was to describe how women subjected to IPV experience how they were handled by healthcare professionals (HCP). <strong>Method: </strong>An overview based on 14 scientific articles was made. <strong>Result:</strong> The women experienced that the HCP did not have the courage to question about IPV but they had positive experiences regarding that the HCP sat down and listened. The result also showed a lack of respect for the integrity and autonomy and that the HCP often only treated the injuries and forgot about their psychological well-being. <strong>Discussion: </strong>Four central findings were highlighted; the HCP do not have the courage to ask about IPV, positive handling regarding the HCP were presence and listened, the lack of respect and not to be taken seriously and that the psychological well-being was forgotten. <strong>Conclusion: </strong>Most of the women experienced that the HCP did not handle them in the way they wanted, which resulted in the women not getting the help they needed.</p>

The mental health field lacks an array of effective interventions designed to assist women victims of intimate partner violence (IPV). Moreover, treatment modalities responsive to the needs of racially and ethnically diverse populations are under researched. This presents a significant challenge to serving ethnic minority women who are known to experience more crime, violence victimization, and psychological trauma than their dominant-ethnic group counterparts. This study integrated research and theory of trauma with current IPV literature and tested the utility of a brief trauma-based approach in reducing trauma related symptomatology in a predominantly Latina and African American clinical sample. Traumatic Incident Reduction (TIR) is a time limited intervention that seeks to resolve trauma and psychological symptoms through various memory-based methods, guided exposure techniques, and the use repetitious story-telling of traumatic event(s). By taking this approach, this research sought to add to the emerging literature on the effects of TIR in alleviating symptoms associated with trauma exposure. Treatment effects in 106 survivors of IPV were examined (age = 36, SD=9, 80.2% Latina, 19.8% African American, mean hours spent in TIR treatment M = 6.4, SD = 5.28). Paired t-tests supported the hypotheses that TIR significantly (p < .001) reduced symptoms of PTSD, anxiety, and depression and increased self-concept. Multiple regression analyses found that as the hours in TIR increased so did the participants self-concept (R2 = .179, F(4, 75) = 4.08, p = .005). Multiple regression analysis also supported the hypothesis that as the total number of crimes as a victim increased Depression increased significantly (R2 = .125, F(4, 76) = 2.72, p = .036). Chi squares and t-tests found no differences between those who remained in treatment versus those who terminated prematurely.

Bakgrund: Våld mot kvinnor i partnerrelationer är ett stort samhällsproblem och varje år dör ungefär 17 kvinnor till följd av våldet. När kvinnorna besöker hälso- och sjukvården kan en unik möjlighet ges att upptäcka partnervåldet. Syfte: Syftet med litteraturstudien var att beskriva hur kvinnor som blivit våldsutsatta av en manlig partner upplever vårdpersonalens bemötande. Metod: En allmän litteraturstudie gjordes som baserades på 14 vetenskapliga artiklar. Resultat: Kvinnorna upplevde att vårdpersonalen inte vågade ställa frågan om partnervåld, dock hade de flesta positiva upplevelser av att vårdpersonalen satt ner och lyssnade på dem. Upplevelser av att integriteten och autonomin inte respekterades förkom och även att fokus låg på de fysiska skadorna och att det psykiska välbefinnandet glömdes bort. Diskussion: Diskussionen belyser fyra centrala fynd; att vårdpersonalen inte vågade ställa frågan, positiva bemötanden gällande att vårdpersonalen var närvarande och lyssnade på kvinnorna, att kvinnorna inte blev respekterade och tagna på allvar samt att kvinnornas psykiska välbefinnande glömdes bort. Slutsats: De flesta kvinnor som blivit utsatta för partnervåld upplevde att vårdpersonalen inte bemötte dem på det sätt de önskade och kvinnorna fick därmed inte den hjälp de var i behov av. / Introduction: Intimate partner violence (IPV) against women is a big public health problem and every year about 17 women die in Sweden as a consequence of this. When the women seek healthcare, there can be a unique opportunity to discover IPV. Aim: The aim was to describe how women subjected to IPV experience how they were handled by healthcare professionals (HCP). Method: An overview based on 14 scientific articles was made. Result: The women experienced that the HCP did not have the courage to question about IPV but they had positive experiences regarding that the HCP sat down and listened. The result also showed a lack of respect for the integrity and autonomy and that the HCP often only treated the injuries and forgot about their psychological well-being. Discussion: Four central findings were highlighted; the HCP do not have the courage to ask about IPV, positive handling regarding the HCP were presence and listened, the lack of respect and not to be taken seriously and that the psychological well-being was forgotten. Conclusion: Most of the women experienced that the HCP did not handle them in the way they wanted, which resulted in the women not getting the help they needed.

Intimate partner violence against women has gone from a concealed family affair to a public issue. The health care services are often those who first come in contact with abused women, despite this many women are not identified as victims of domestic violence. The purpose of this study was to describe nursing care of abused women and factors influencing the care. The study was conducted as a literature review where 18 articles were analyzed. The result showed the importance of the nurses’ role in screening for abused women. Knowledge and understanding of domestic violence was of importance in the meeting with abused women. More education about care for abused women during formal nursing program and continuing education on domestic violence for nurse practitioners was considered necessary. Better developed guidelines are required and should be accessible in all health care services. No Swedish research on intimate partner violence was found and further research should focus on nurses’ care of abused women in Swedish health care.