Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / The study assessed the linkages between HIV infection and intimate partner violence (IPV) during pregnancy and after HIV status disclosure in a context where HIV testing has become almost mandatory through the provider-initiated counselling and testing approach and non-disclosure of HIV status to sexual partners has been criminalised in many countries including Zimbabwe. The study also explored women’s experiences of and health workers’ perceptions of IPV during pregnancy.

Bakgrund: Nästan hälften av de svenska kvinnorna har blivit utsatta för våld eller hot om våld någon gång under sin livstid. Våld mot kvinnor i nära relation är ett globalt hälsoproblem och ett av de största hoten mot kvinnors hälsa. Syfte: Att undersöka patienters upplevelse av att få frågan om våldsutsatthet som en del av anamnesen. Metod: En integrativ litteraturöversikt av elva vetenskapliga artiklar. Sökningar gjordes med hjälp av databaserna PubMed och CINAHL. Resultat: Det huvudsakliga resultatet var att patienter ställer sig positiva till att rutinmässigt bli tillfrågade om erfarenheter av våld. Patienternas åsikter och upplevelser av att få frågor om våldsutsatthet som en del av anamnesen påverkas av frågeställningarnas kontext - vem som ställer frågor, hur frågorna ställs och i vilket sammanhang. Sammanfattning: Våld är ett strukturellt, organisatoriskt och individuellt problem. Våldet är ett folkhälsoproblem och ett utbrett samhällsproblem och vården misslyckas i många fall att fånga upp och hjälpa våldsutsatta. Vårdpersonal känner sig osäkra på att ställa frågor om patienters erfarenheter av våld och större kunskap inom ämnet kan stävja den osäkerhet och rädsla som finns för att beröra våld i nära relation. / Background: Nearly half of the Swedish women have been victims of abuse or threat of abuse during their lifetime. Intimate partner violence is a global health problem and one of the greatest threats to women’s health. Aim: To investigate patient’s experience of being asked about abuse as part of medical history taking. Method: A integrative review of eleven scientific articles. Searches were made using the PubMed and CINAHL databases. Results: Patients were positive about being routinely asked about experiences of abuse. Patients’ opinions and experiences of getting questions about violence as a part of medical history taking are influenced by the context of these questions – who asks, how the questions are asked and in what context. Conclusion: Violence is a structural, organizational and individual problem. Abuse is a public health problem and a widespread social problem. In many cases, healthcare fails to identify and help affected women. Healthcare professionals feel insecure about asking questions about patients’ history of abuse and larger knowledge can curb the uncertainty and fear that exist in order to deal with intimate partner violence.

Among women in Haiti, there are a number of factors, including intimate partner violence (IPV), childhood sexual abuse, and alcohol abuse that lead to increased vulnerability to STI/HIV and its sequelae. This study examined the factors associated with IPV and the associations between IPV and HIV in a sample of adult Haitian women. The current study is a secondary analysis of data collected from HIV+ and HIV- women attending the GHESKIO centers in Haiti. The measures include: Self-reported Questionnaire-20 (SRQ-20); Attitudes Towards Gender Roles; Partner Violence; Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT); Partner Support; Sexual Relationship Power Scale (SRPS); Centers for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D); the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI); and, Vaginal Episode Equivalent (VEE). Descriptive statistics were used for demographic characteristics. Pearson correlations, t-Test, Generalized linear model, Logistic regressions, and Generalized linear mixed models were used for estimating the strength of associations. The mean (SD) age of the participants was 25.5 (5.4) years. Approximately 68.4% had some secondary school education and only 0.9% had a college or professional degree. The majority of participants (82.2%) had a partner, but did not live with them. Generalized linear mixed modelling showed that lack of family support (β = 0.28, p < 0.05), history of childhood sexual abuse (β = 0.66, p < 0.05), and traditional gender-based attitudes (β = 0.10, p < 0.001) predicted major IPV. Results from logistic regression analysis showed that age at sexual debut (AOR: 0.745; 95% CI: 0.585, 0.948) and physical violence (AOR: 3.482; 95% CI: 2.316, 5.235) were significantly associated with HIV seropositive status. Generalized linear mixed modelling analysis showed that decreased relationship control subscale scores (β = -0.26, p < 0.05) and alcohol use problems (β = 0.18, p < 0.05) were significantly associated with high levels of risky sexual behaviors over time. In summary, a history of IPV was significantly associated with traditional gender based attitudes, history of childhood sexual abuse, and lack of family support. History of IPV and age of first sexual experience were significantly associated with HIV seropositive status. Finally, relationship control and alcohol use problems were significantly associated with sexual risk behavior. These findings indicate potential areas of further study and intervention among Haitian women.

Research indicates that victims of childhood abuse are at increased risk for transmitting violence in adulthood-a phenomenon known as the intergenerational transmission of abuse (ITA). Adult survivors of childhood victimization (i.e., child abuse or witnessed parental violence) are at increased risk for becoming abusive parents, perpetrators of intimate partner violence, and victims of intimate partner violence. The current study examined the latter form of ITA, in which a survivor of childhood victimization is re-victimized in adulthood by intimate partner violence. Attachment theory has been used to explain the ITA by positing that abuse is transmitted across generations via insecure attachment. The purpose of this study was to use structural equation modeling to test the attachment theory of ITA by examining the role of childhood and adult attachment in predicting re-victimization and symptoms of distress in adulthood. In the hypothesized model, childhood victimization by one's parents was hypothesized to predict adult intimate partner violence victimization through insecure attachment relationships in childhood (with one's parents) and adulthood (with one's partner). Furthermore, adult romantic attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance were hypothesized to predict different symptoms of distress. Self-report measures from 59 adult woman seeking services for intimate partner victimization at a domestic violence clinic were analyzed using a partial least squares path analysis. Results supported a reduced model in which insecure attachments in childhood and adulthood significantly predicted the ITA, but only through father-child attachment and not mother-child attachment. In addition, adult romantic attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance predicted different symptoms of distress. Results supported the attachment theory of the ITA and highlighted the importance of examining outcomes of adult attachment anxiety and avoidance separately. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

This project examined existing data that measured whether men who completed court-mandated group treatment for domestic violence have lower measures of non-physical violence and dependent/insecure personality traits than their still enrolled counterparts. The data review used two anonymous self-report instruments: The Non-Physical Abuse of Partner Scale (NPAPS) and The Dependency and Insecurity in Romantic Love Scale (DIRLS).

The objective of this study was to determine some of the effects of child protective service investigations on families, children and the workers, when the allegations are determined to be unfounded and no abuse and/or neglect is further suspected.