Annually, nearly 7 million women and 5.5 million men experience some form of intimate partner violence, which has serious health impacts. IPV has also been shown to limit the impact of early childhood home visiting interventions. Given the positive impacts of home visiting, reducing IPV in that setting could alleviate the negative impacts of IPV and improve mother and child outcomes as well. The analysis performed are from data from a randomized trial of an intimate partner violence intervention that was embedded into the Nurse Family Partnership, an evidence-based home visiting program. The intervention focused on identifying IPV, and for women without severe IPV, improving relationship skills including communication patterns and conflict resolution. The goal of this analysis is to examine how changes in partner and history of IPV moderate the relationship skills outcomes. This study aims to fill the gap in knowledge regarding the relationship between a home visiting intervention and relationship skill outcomes in women enrolled in the home visiting program, the Nurse Family Partnership. The purpose of the study is to discover whether the relationship skills differ in participants with stable vs. unstable partnerships and with those who experienced IPV before the start of the study. Women were randomized to NFP as usual (n=105) or NFP+, which included NFP plus the IPV intervention (n=133). Participants were surveyed at baseline, and at one and two-year follow-up with 81% retention over 2 years. Standardized assessment tools assessed relationship quality, communication, problem solving, partner support, relationship decision making, and psychological maltreatment. Marginal modeling was conducted to examine whether the intervention accounted for any change in relationship variables and whether the impact is moderated by history of IPV and changes in partnership. Multilevel modeling of the outcome variables showed some main effects of time such that conflict resolution improves for the intervention group (p<0.05). There is one clinically significant three-way interaction showing reduced relationship danger in the intervention for women with a history of IPV (p<0.06). There were no significant interactions for the partnership change moderator.

Bakgrund: Våld i nära relationer är ett utbrett problem som sträcker sig över alla geografiska områden och samhällsklasser. Vårdpersonal har goda förutsättningar att känna igen signaler och ta upp frågan, men empiriska bevis tyder på att de är ovilliga eller saknar kunskap att ta upp den. Syfte: Syftet med studien var att beskriva vårdpersonalens erfarenheter av mötet med våldsutsatta kvinnor på akutmottagningen. Metod: Studien genomfördes med en kvalitativ metod. Materialet samlades in vid fem intervjuer på en akutmottagning i södra Sverige och analyserades med induktiv innehållsanalys. Studien utfördes under hösten 2016. Resultat: Resultatet visade att det finns rutiner men att det behövs mer kunskap bland vårdpersonalen. När det kom till att ställa frågan om våld så finns det delade meningar kring hur det ska ställas. Det framkom även att det är betydelsefullt för båda parter att skapa ett förtroende och att de första sekunderna i mötet spelar en stor roll. Slutsats: Att möta våldsutsatta kvinnor är ett komplext problem. Grunden till hur mötet med den våldsutsatta kvinnan blir beror mycket på de första sekunderna med vårdpersonalen. Det spelar ingen roll vilken vårdpersonal som möter kvinnan om bara hjärta och tid finns. Nyckelord: Intimate Partner Violence, Våldsutsatta Kvinnor, Vårdpersonal, Sjuksköterska, Erfarenhet / Abstract Background: Intimate partner violence is a widespread problem that crosses all geographical areas and social classes. Healthcare staff are well placed to recognize signals and address the issue, but empirical evidence suggest that they are unwilling or lack the knowledge to act. 
Aim: The purpose of the study was to describe healthcare staffs experience of meeting with women exposed to violence at an emergency department. Method: The study was conducted with qualitative approach. The material was collected with five interviews at an emergency department in the south of Sweden and analyzed by an inductive content analysis. The study was done during autumn 2016. Results: The result showed that there are routines, but more knowledge among the healthcare staff is needed. When it came to ask the question about violence, there are different opinions about how it should be done. It also emerged that it is important for both parties to create a trust and that the first few seconds of  the meeting plays a big role. Conclusion: To meet women exposed to violence is a complexed problem. The first seconds in the meeting with abused women will play a big role. It doesn´t matter which healthcare professionals meet these women as long as they have their heart in the right place and that the time exist. Keywords: Intimate partner violence, battered women, caregivers, nurse and experience

Objectives To examine the associations of Intimate partner violence (IPV) with stress-related sleep disturbance (measured using the Ford Insomnia Response to Stress Test [FIRST]) and poor sleep quality (measured using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index [PSQI]) during early pregnancy. Methods This cross-sectional study included 634 pregnant Peruvian women. In-person interviews were conducted in early pregnancy to collect information regarding IPV history, and sleep traits. Adjusted odds ratios (aOR) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs) were calculated using logistic regression procedures. Results Lifetime IPV was associated with a 1.54-fold increased odds of stress-related sleep disturbance (95% CI: 1.08–2.17) and a 1.93-fold increased odds of poor sleep quality (95% CI: 1.33–2.81). Compared with women experiencing no IPV during lifetime, the aOR (95% CI) for stress-related sleep disturbance associated with each type of IPV were: physical abuse only 1.24 (95% CI: 0.84–1.83), sexual abuse only 3.44 (95%CI: 1.07–11.05), and physical and sexual abuse 2.51 (95% CI: 1.27–4.96). The corresponding aORs (95% CI) for poor sleep quality were: 1.72 (95% CI: 1.13–2.61), 2.82 (95% CI: 0.99–8.03), and 2.50 (95% CI: 1.30–4.81), respectively. Women reporting any IPV in the year prior to pregnancy had increased odds of stress-related sleep disturbance (aOR = 2.07; 95% CI: 1.17–3.67) and poor sleep quality (aOR = 2.27; 95% CI: 1.30–3.97) during pregnancy. Conclusion Lifetime and prevalent IPV exposures are associated with stress-related sleep disturbance and poor sleep quality during pregnancy. Our findings suggest that sleep disturbances may be important mechanisms that underlie the lasting adverse effects of IPV on maternal and perinatal health.

An extensive review of the existing literature makes apparent that academics who study intimate partner violence focus primarily on physical violence in heterosexual relationships. Non-physical forms of abuse receive secondary attention, despite reported claims from survivors that non-physical forms of abuse are more common, more painful, and have longer lasting effects than physical forms of abuse. The dominant focus on intimate partner violence as a social problem enacted by males on their female partners results in a lack of sufficient literature or conversation pertaining to abuse that exists outside these parameters. Members of sexual minority groups are deliberately excluded from the mainstream movement to protect and support survivors of intimate partner violence. Influenced by these realizations, this research explores the dynamics of non-physical forms of intimate partner violence in lesbian relationships; particularly the ways survivors frame the abuse and their experiences with seeking help.

Thesis advisor: Natana DeLong-Bas / The Syrian Civil War and its displacement of individuals has led to a dramatic increase in intimate partner violence (IPV) among refugee women. Statistics display that 99% of IPV survivors undergo financial control and exploitation, making it difficult to leave these toxic relationships. In 2016, UN Women created a cash-for-work initiative in the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan intended to provide Jordanian and Syrian refugee women with protection through financial empowerment. The initiative was quickly successful, showing a 20% decrease in intimate partner violence. My research over the past year builds on this logic to explore digital social entrepreneurship as a manner of addressing IPV within the Syrian refugee population in Jordan. I argue that digital social entrepreneurship, ICT startups with a greater social mission, is key to addressing many of the MENA region’s most pressing issues post Arab Spring, as well as beneficial to empowering women. My analysis culminated in a policy recommendation for a cross sectional program to give refugee women in Jordan the resources they need to establish their own digital, socially conscious firms and establish a place for themselves and their families in both the Jordanian and Syrian post civil war economy. / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2018. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Departmental Honors. / Discipline: Islamic Civilization and Societies.

Thesis advisor: V. Paul Poteat / Intimate partner violence (IPV) occurs in LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer) relationships at rates equal to or even higher than cisgender heterosexual relationships (Walters, Chen, & Breidig, 2013). The health consequences of IPV are well documented (Kwako et al., 2011). Trauma-informed care (TIC) is one service approach receiving increasing support for use with IPV survivors (Warshaw, Lyon, Phillips, & Hooper, 2014). Nevertheless, there is little research exploring the association between TIC and health among LGBTQ IPV survivors. Immobilization is prevalent for IPV survivors for whom fight or flight may increase risk of violence during traumatic situations (van der Kolk, 1989). TIC might be well-positioned to counter these immobilizing effects in effort to facilitate mobilization and better health for IPV survivors. The relationship between TIC and health through mobilizing mechanisms has not yet been tested. This study examined several mobilizing mechanisms as mediating the relationship between TIC and health including: 1) lower social withdrawal; 2) lower shame; 3) greater emotion regulation; and, 4) greater empowerment. Among 227 LGBTQ adults, structural equation modeling analyses tested the relationship between TIC and health, and the mediating effects of lower social withdrawal and shame, and greater emotion regulation and empowerment on the relationship between TIC and health. Results indicated that the direct effects of TIC on mental and physical health were not significant. Indirect effects of TIC on mental and physical health through the set of mobilizing mechanisms were not significant. However, TIC did predict greater empowerment and emotion regulation and lower social withdrawal. Lower social withdrawal and lower shame also predicted better mental health, while lower shame and emotion regulation predicted better physical health. Practitioners need to uncover additional services and resources beyond TIC that could improve health among LGBTQ IPV survivors. Research should continue to examine the potential effects of TIC in addition to how it is applied in the context of evidence-based treatment programs that are adapted for sexual and gender minorities. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2018. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Counseling, Developmental and Educational Psychology.

A Research report submitted to the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of the Witwatersrand in partial fulfillment of Master of Medicine in Emergency Medicine Johannesburg, 2016 / Objective Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant social and health concern in South Africa, with far reaching consequences. One in three South African women will experience IPV, and many of the survivors of IPV will have contact with Emergency Care Practitioners (ECPs), either for treatment related to the direct sequelae of the abuse or for other health issues. ECPs already play a role in identifying and managing IPV but current knowledge, attitudes and practices were not known. The aim of the study therefore was to describe current levels of knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding IPV amongst ECPs, including doctors, nurses and paramedics in South Africa and to describe differences according to the respondent's reported prior training and profession. Methods A prospective, cross sectional study was performed using an online survey administered anonymously to ECPs in South Africa. Information regarding demographic data, qualification, prior IPV training, knowledge, attitudes and practices towards IPV were obtained. Results One hundred and fifty three respondents completed the survey. Of those 56% were doctors, 33% paramedics and 9.8% nurses. In total 65% reporting having received no training on IPV. There was a significant association between respondents reporting having received any IPV training and improved self-reported knowledge (p=0.0001), and actual knowledge (p=0.011). Of the respondents in clinical practice 75% had diagnosed IPV in the last six months, although the frequency of diagnoses being made is lower than would be suggested by the South African prevalence rates. Those respondents who reported any prior training on IPV were more likely to have diagnosed IPV in the last 6 months (p= 0.0076) Most of the ECPs who diagnosed IPV counselled the patients on options and/or referred to police and/or social workers. Conclusion Although ECPs are diagnosing and managing IPV, training in this important health concern is inadequate. Any reported training on IPV for ECPs improves self-reported knowledge, actual knowledge and practices regarding IPV. / MT2017

Thesis advisor: Natana DeLong-Bas / This thesis analyzes intimate partner violence (IPV, also referred to as domestic violence) in Muslim communities in the U.S. from a legal, psychological, and theological perspective. IPV is a global issue—it is in no way confined to one ethnicity or religion. However, every community has its own set of challenges to face when dealing with IPV. This thesis assesses the risk factors that may be present in Muslim communities in the U.S.— risk factors include behaviors and beliefs that may harm victims of IPV as they seek help, support, and safety. It is equally important to assess sources of strength found within the community that help victims fight oppression, re-gain self-esteem, live in safety, and face their experiences of IPV with a resilient spirit. This thesis is a resource for all advocates who work with Muslim IPV victims and will enable them to use an Islamic framework to help bring healing and restoration to survivors of IPV. / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2016. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Arts and Sciences Honors Program. / Discipline: Theology.

Thesis advisor: Lisa Goodman / As domestic violence (DV) shelters have proliferated across the country over the last three decades, there has been a corresponding increase in the number of rules to which shelter residents must adhere. This qualitative content analysis study represents the first research to explore IPV survivors' experiences living with emergency DV shelter rules. Eight clusters emerged from interviews with 11 survivors: 1) Entering the shelter in a vulnerable state; 2) Perceiving staff-resident relationships as empowering or disempowering; 3) Making sense of the rules in the context of these relationships; 4) Experiencing staff enforcement as collaborative or hierarchical; 5) Experiencing the rules' impact on daily life; 6) Coping with rules; 7) Coping in the shelter generally; and 8) Making recommendations. Results suggest that less boundaried staff-resident relationships, less restrictive rules, and flexible, consistent, and collaborative enforcement lead to more positive experiences for residents. Recommendations are made for shelter practice and future research. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2010. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Counseling, Developmental, and Educational Psychology.

Thesis advisor: Lisa A. Goodman / For survivors of intimate partner violence, the very act of seeking help from a domestic violence (DV) shelter can incur enormous costs. One such cost involves what this study calls “parenting surveillance:” that is, DV advocates can observe, monitor, evaluate, and sometimes control survivors’ parenting—activities given added weight through their mandated reporter role. Although parenting surveillance has long been a feature of state intervention into family life, particularly for low-income women of color, it is largely unexplored in the DV shelter system. This is a striking gap for several reasons: First, most DV programs are committed to supporting survivors’ autonomy and empowerment, seemingly at odds with surveillance. Second, shelter surveillance may echo abusive dynamics from which survivors are attempting to escape. Third, survivors consistently cite fears of losing control of their parenting as a barrier to help-seeking. It is critical to understand the extent to which parenting surveillance prevents programs from achieving their own goals, potentially harming survivors, and obstructing their ability to seek help. Using a community-based participatory research approach, this qualitative-descriptive study aimed to explore survivor-mothers’ experiences of parenting surveillance among 12 residents of four shelters. Qualitative content analysis of the data that drew upon constant comparison techniques yielded six clusters: survivor-mothers (1) want and find support in their programs; (2) experience and witness parenting surveillance; (3) describe negative psychological responses to surveillance; (4) report varying effects on parenting and help-seeking related to surveillance; (5) cope with and resist surveillance; and (6) offer recommendations for improvements to DV shelters. Results suggest that although surveillance is a structural phenomenon, survivors perceived and experienced it differentially, based on their own identities and prior experiences, and the nature of their relationships with advocates. For advocates, ameliorating the damaging effects of surveillance involves both pragmatic and relational shifts grounded in empathy for survivor-mothers’ subjective experience of parenting in the context of their histories, identities, strengths, and vulnerabilities. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2019. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Counseling, Developmental and Educational Psychology.