Two significant public health concerns that threaten both the physical and mental health of African-American women are Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). African-American women (AAW) in the south carry the greatest burden of HIV and disproportionately represent the region with an incidence of 71% for new HIV infections, and elevated rates of morbidity and mortality. In 2013, the murder rate among AAW was 2.5 times higher than it was among Caucasian women. Most of the published studies that explored the association between IPV and HIV had mixed populations, did not explore topics unique to AAs, or were qualitative studies. The aim of this study was to assess the associations between colorism, IPV, and high-risk sexual behaviors (HRSB)/HIV-risk among AAW and determine if colorism was a mediator in the IPV-HRSB relationship. The theory of power and gender and the social cognitive theory provided the theoretical framework of this study. The dissemination of this self-assessed quantitative, cross-sectional survey design was to a homogeneous sample of 143 women. The analysis of the variables used correlation statistics and linear regression. Findings revealed a significant relationship between IPV-HRSB (r = .882, p =.001), colorism-IPV (r2 = .371, p = .001) and colorism-HRSB (r = .377, p = .001); however, colorism did not mediate the IPV-HRSB relationship. This study has implications for positive social change in that practitioners may gain a better understanding of colorism's influence on IPV and HRSB, and may serve to modify existing programs. This knowledge may subsequently help to decrease adverse behaviors that are unique to AAW prone to IPV with an increased HIV-risk as a result of colorism.

<p>Intimate partner violence is a problem which is increasingly drawing attention in society. The authority responsible for providing care and support to victims of intimate partner violence and their children is the social services. The purpose of this study was to show how social workers deal with intimate partner violence and to create a description of how this work is currently carried out in seven municipalities in the north-west of Stockholm. This was done through a quantitative survey including all investigating social workers in the municipalities concerned. The results were analysed with concepts from organizational theory. The findings showed that there is a need for further education related to intimate partner violence. The differences observed between the municipalities were derived mainly to the presence of a coordinator for issues concerning violence against women. Furthermore, results showed that social workers believe that the best possibilities to help victims of intimate partner violence lay outside the own organization. To better fulfil their statutory responsibility regarding intimate partner violence the next step for the municipalities would be to make sure that social workers gain further knowledge about intimate partner violence.</p>

Syfte: Att undersöka i vilken utsträckning sjuksköterskor på vårdcentraler ställer frågor om våldsutsatthet i nära relationer till kvinnliga patienter och vad som påverkar sjuksköterskornas ställningstagande till att fråga. Metod: Tvärsnittsstudie i form av en enkätundersökning. Sjuksköterskor (n=81) vid 11 vårdcentraler i ett mellansvenskt län besvarade en enkät med 13 frågor. Svarsfrekvensen var 77 procent. Resultat: Sjuksköterskor inom primärvården frågar i liten utsträckning sina kvinnliga patienter om de utsatts för våld i en nära relation. Den vanligast angivna faktorn till att sjuksköterskan ställer frågor om våld var misstanke om våld. Inga statistiskt säkerställda skillnader påvisades mellan sjuksköterskors benägenhet att ställa frågor om våld och om de erhållit utbildning i ämnet eller inte. Inga statistiska skillnader kunde heller ses i jämförelsen mellan de som använde handlingsplan i det kliniska arbetet och de som inte gjorde det med benägenheten att ställa frågor. Slutsats: Sjuksköterskor inom primärvården frågar i liten utsträckning sina kvinnliga patienter om de utsatts för våld i nära relationer. Sjuksköterskor saknar tillräcklig utbildning inom ämnet och använder i liten utsträckning befintlig handlingsplan. / Aim: To examine the extent to which nurses in primary health care ask questions about intimate partner violence to female patients and factors that influence nurses tendency to raise the question. Method: Cross-sectional study in the form of a survey. Nurses (n=81) at 11 primary health care clinics in a Swedish county answered a questionnaire with 13 questions. The response rate was 77 percent. Result: Nurses in primary health care clinics ask their female patients to a small extent if they have experienced violence in an intimate relationship. The most frequently mentioned factor to a nurse asking questions about violence was the suspicion of violence. No statistically significant differences were found between the nurses' tendency to ask questions about violence and whether they had received training on the subject or not. There were no statistical differences seen in the tendency to ask questions when looking at the comparison between those who used the action plan in their clinical work and those who did not. Conclusion: Nurses in health clinics ask, to a small extent, their female patients if they have experienced domestic violence. Nurses lack adequate training on the subject and only use existing action plans to a small extent.

The news media are powerful purveyors of culture in North America. Crime news reporting particularly is an influential means by which the news media define the boundaries of deviant and non-deviant behaviour. For the purposes of the present research, I examined the ways that the print news media constructed cases of male-perpetrated Intimate Partner Homicide (IPH) in Alberta. Using a social constructionist theoretical orientation grounded in an Ethnographic Content Analysis methodology, I examined 381 newspaper articles that discussed four separate incidents of male-perpetrated IPH. Approaching these data from the perspective of media reciprocity and a social constructionism epistemology, I considered the various ways that the print media presented these cases for their audience, but also the various ways that the audiences expectations and the general zeitgeist of the culture may have affected this presentation. Much of the dominant discourse in the cases I studied was consistent with previous research examining IPH presentations in the news media, namely that the media present victims and perpetrators in stereotyped ways according to their gender and ethnicity. However, I also examined some less prominent themes, including those that were pro-feminist, ambivalent, fictionalized, and constructed for the purpose of audience titillation and voyeurism. Additionally, owing to the qualitative nature of the methodology, I was able to examine discussions that subverted the stereotypical representation of victims and perpetrators in the news media and examine how these presentations could affect audience understanding of the phenomenon of IPH. Overall, the present project led to a discussion of how the media construct various facets of psychology and feminism and how these facets are in turn constructed by society in a reciprocal process whereby the media influence culture and culture correspondingly affects the media.

The news media are powerful purveyors of culture in North America. Crime news reporting particularly is an influential means by which the news media define the boundaries of deviant and non-deviant behaviour. For the purposes of the present research, I examined the ways that the print news media constructed cases of male-perpetrated Intimate Partner Homicide (IPH) in Alberta. Using a social constructionist theoretical orientation grounded in an Ethnographic Content Analysis methodology, I examined 381 newspaper articles that discussed four separate incidents of male-perpetrated IPH. Approaching these data from the perspective of media reciprocity and a social constructionism epistemology, I considered the various ways that the print media presented these cases for their audience, but also the various ways that the audiences expectations and the general zeitgeist of the culture may have affected this presentation. Much of the dominant discourse in the cases I studied was consistent with previous research examining IPH presentations in the news media, namely that the media present victims and perpetrators in stereotyped ways according to their gender and ethnicity. However, I also examined some less prominent themes, including those that were pro-feminist, ambivalent, fictionalized, and constructed for the purpose of audience titillation and voyeurism. Additionally, owing to the qualitative nature of the methodology, I was able to examine discussions that subverted the stereotypical representation of victims and perpetrators in the news media and examine how these presentations could affect audience understanding of the phenomenon of IPH. Overall, the present project led to a discussion of how the media construct various facets of psychology and feminism and how these facets are in turn constructed by society in a reciprocal process whereby the media influence culture and culture correspondingly affects the media.

Women’s use of aggression in intimate partner relationships is consistently debated by researchers of intimate partner aggression. One tenet suggests women use aggression within intimate relationships at similar rates as men. Conversely, a second tenet acknowledges women’s use of aggression but suggests that the meaning and consequences associated with women’s aggression is not coercive or severely injurious, which are typical characteristics of men’s use of aggression. The current study evaluated incarcerated women in order to build upon an integrative approach that suggests that women’s use of aggression is related to the relationship dynamics generated from variations in coercive and conflictual behaviors. Further, the current study evaluated the moderating relation of childhood abuse history and posttraumatic stress symptoms between relationship dynamics and women’s use of aggression. Ninety-six women, who participated in a larger research project that investigated incarcerated women’s life experience, reported on the dynamics of their most recent abusive heterosexual relationship, their own use of aggression (minor and severe) and childhood abuse history and posttraumatic stress symptoms. Findings suggest that incarcerated women involved in intimate relationships characterized as highly conflictual use significantly more minor and severe aggression toward their partners than women involved in relationships with low levels of conflicts. The finding is significant regardless of the level of coercion present in the relationship. Lastly, neither childhood abuse history nor posttraumatic symptoms moderated the relation between intimate partner relationship dynamics and women’s use of aggression. Various reasons for the lack of support for the moderating effect of history on women’s use of aggression are discussed.

Syftet med denna studie var att generera ökad förståelse för hur ett urval heterosexuella män som har blivit utsatta för våld av sin partner upplever att våldet påverkat dem. För att uppfylla detta syfte använde vi oss av semistrukturerade intervjuer som spelades in, transkriberades och kodades och därefter analyserades med hjälp av tidigare forskning på området, maskulinitetsteori, teorin om det ideala offret samt hermeneutisk meningstolkning. Resultaten från vår studie visade att informanterna upplevde ångest, självskadetankar, rädsla och skuld- och skamkänslor. Skamkänslorna var relaterade till den manliga identiteten och skador på denna, genererade av erfarenheten av att vara offer för en kvinnlig förövare. Männen upplevde också att samhället varken ville eller kunde hjälpa dem. Resultaten indikerade att män som utsätts för partnervåld av kvinnor kan drabbas hårt psykiskt, att föreställningar om ”manlighet” riskerar att bidra till deras dåliga psykiska mående, samt att myndigheter behöver bli bättre på att möta dessa män. / The purpose of this essay was to contribute to an improvement in knowledge of the experiences of a selection of heterosexual men regarding female violence in intimate partner relationships and its consequences. In order to fulfill this purpose we used semi structured interviews which were recorded, transcribed, coded and thereafter analyzed using previous research in this field, masculinity theory, the theory of the ideal victim and hermeneutics. The central findings in our study were that the men experienced anxiety, fear, thoughts of harming themselves, guilt and shame as results of the violence. The shame was linked to their male identity. They also experienced a lack of willingness and ability to help from government agencies. These findings indicated, among other things, that government agencies need to improve their strategies in order to help men who are victims of violence from a female partner.

Previous research shows that women who are victims of intimate partner violence and also have asubstance abuse have difficulties getting access to services to aid with their experience of violence.This study has examined social workers experiences of working with women with these problems,what types of services are provided and how their service needs are assessed. The study has ahermeneutical approach and the data consists of interviews with nine social workers in lines ofwork that come into contact with women in the previously described client group. The data hasbeen analyzed using content analysis. The result of the study indicates that women who are victimsof intimate partner violence and also have a substance abuse do not get their needs provided forthrough the current services in the field of social work. These women are described as havingcomplex problems and are therefore in need of more and other services than those currentlyprovided. The result suggests that these women need long-lasting and coordinated services and thatthere is a need for a shelter where this group of client is welcome. To get there work is needed fromthe social services, in part by reaching out to these women and in part by providing services toalleviate the feeling of guilt and shame these women are experiencing. The result indicates that thesocial services are not good at identifying both sides of the multi problematic these women haveand therefore have difficulties offering services adapted to the needs of these women. Instead eitherside of the problem is prioritized regarding services in the line of social work. Continued work isneeded to give this client group a higher priority because they are discriminated against based ontheir gender. / Tidigare forskning visar att våldsutsatta kvinnor med en missbruksproblematik har svårt att fåtillgång till insatser för sin våldsutsatthet. Denna studie har undersökt socialarbetares erfarenheterav att arbeta med kvinnor med denna problematik, vilka insatser som ges och hur deras insatsbehovbedöms. Studien har en hermeneutisk ansats och studiens datamaterial består av intervjuer med niosocialarbetare inom verksamheter som kommer i kontakt med kvinnor inom den ovan beskrivnaklientgruppen. Intervjumaterialet har analyserats med hjälp av innehållsanalys. Studiens resultatantyder att våldsutsatta kvinnor med ett missbruk inte får sina behov tillgodosedda genomnuvarande insatser inom socialtjänsten. Dessa kvinnor beskrivs ha en komplex problembild ochdärför behövs fler och andra insatser än vad den nuvarande insatsrepertoaren kan erbjuda. Resultatetpekar på att dessa kvinnor behöver långvariga och samordnade insatser samt att det finns behov avett eget skyddat boende där denna klientgrupp kan vistas. För att nå dit krävs ett arbete frånsocialtjänsten, dels med att nå ut till dessa kvinnor och dels med olika insatser för att minska denskuld och skam dessa kvinnor känner. Resultatet indikerar också att socialtjänsten är dålig på attidentifiera båda sidorna i dessa kvinnors multiproblematik och har därför svårigheter med atterbjuda insatser anpassade till dessa kvinnors behov. Istället prioriteras antingen den ena eller denandra delen i problemet när det gäller insatser i det sociala arbetet. Ett fortsatt arbete krävs med attge denna klientgrupp en högre prioritet då de diskrimineras utifrån sin könstillhörighet.

The news media are powerful purveyors of culture in North America. Crime news reporting particularly is an influential means by which the news media define the boundaries of deviant and non-deviant behaviour. For the purposes of the present research, I examined the ways that the print news media constructed cases of male-perpetrated Intimate Partner Homicide (IPH) in Alberta. Using a social constructionist theoretical orientation grounded in an Ethnographic Content Analysis methodology, I examined 381 newspaper articles that discussed four separate incidents of male-perpetrated IPH. Approaching these data from the perspective of media reciprocity and a social constructionism epistemology, I considered the various ways that the print media presented these cases for their audience, but also the various ways that the audience’s expectations and the general zeitgeist of the culture may have affected this presentation. Much of the dominant discourse in the cases I studied was consistent with previous research examining IPH presentations in the news media, namely that the media present victims and perpetrators in stereotyped ways according to their gender and ethnicity. However, I also examined some less prominent themes, including those that were pro-feminist, ambivalent, fictionalized, and constructed for the purpose of audience titillation and voyeurism. Additionally, owing to the qualitative nature of the methodology, I was able to examine discussions that subverted the stereotypical representation of victims and perpetrators in the news media and examine how these presentations could affect audience understanding of the phenomenon of IPH. Overall, the present project led to a discussion of how the media construct various facets of psychology and feminism and how these facets are in turn constructed by society in a reciprocal process whereby the media influence culture and culture correspondingly affects the media.

Men who experience abuse in their relationships can undergo emotional hardships, suffer injuries, and can experience various psychological problems. Cultural gender norms create barriers in receiving the appropriate help men need. Large population based studies show that men do in fact experience incidents of physical and emotional abuse yet men are often overlooked in the domestic violence literature. Intimate partner violence (IPV) is an important societal problem that needs to be evaluated and addressed for both genders, even if women are the primary victims of IPV. This report will present research regarding the prevalence of female-perpetrated abuse and discuss implications within the literature. The impact and consequences IPV has on men will be reviewed as well as barriers men face in getting help. New questions will be posed that need addressing and practical implications will be provided for researchers and mental health practitioners. / text