Each year there are approximately 589,000 nonfatal violent victimizations (e.g., aggravated assault, simple assault) committed by an intimate partner (US Dept. of Justice, 2003). Of that, roughly 85% of these violent victimizations were committed against females (US Dept. of Justice, 2003). Even with this large amount of violence against women, only about 33% of the perpetrators of those crimes are brought to trial in state courts (US Dept. of Justice, 2005). Even a cursory look at the literature indicates that extra-legal factors, including the personal views of the police, judges, and prosecutors, have an effect on which cases are brought to trial. Mandatory prosecution laws attempt to overcome these extra-legal factors. I will investigate if these laws succeed in reducing prosecutorial discretion and result in a greater percentage of domestic violence cases going to trial or if the views of the prosecutors' offices still determine which cases are brought to trial. / Master of Science

This systematic literature review was conducted to gather a better understanding of screening for intimate partner violence (IPV) among older adults. IPV affects millions of people every year. Many screenings are conducted with women of reproductive age in medical settings, not older adults. This study focused on ways to improve screenings for older adults by addressing topics including elder abuse and IPV and the lack of resources/knowledge for IPV survivors who are older adults. This study was a literature review conducted with the University of Central Florida’s PRIMO database to find articles on IPV among older adults over the last 20 years. The search resulted in 123, with only 14 meeting the criteria, including a focus on older adults, for the results. The results demonstrated ways to improve screening, screening barriers, and information about what should occur after screening, including providing resources to survivors of IPV. The data from this study can be used to help older adults who are experiencing IPV .

Intimate partner violence (IPV; psychological, physical, and sexual abuse) victimization is prevalent among college women and is linked to alcohol-related problems. Theory and prior data suggest that women may be more likely to drink after IPV if they have difficulty regulating their emotions; yet the moderating effect of daily emotion dysregulation on the proximal IPV-alcohol use association remains unexamined. This study investigated the hypothesis that daily IPV victimization would positively and prospectively associate with same-day alcohol use (any drinking, number of drinks, and heavy episodic drinking [HED]), and that higher levels of daily emotion dysregulation would strengthen this association. College women (N = 161) completed daily reports of emotion dysregulation, alcohol use, and IPV over 60 consecutive days. Multilevel modeling did not support hypotheses. IPV victimization did not significantly associate with odds of subsequent, same-day alcohol use, number of drinks consumed, or HED, regardless of daily emotion dysregulation level. Main effects revealed that daily emotion dysregulation positively associated with alcohol use across all models. The effects of IPV on alcohol use may accumulate over time rather than having a subsequent, proximal effect. Enhancing college women’s ability to regulate emotions may mitigate alcohol use and HED, regardless of women’s IPV experiences. / Master of Science / Intimate partner violence (IPV), including physical, psychological, and sexual abuse is common amongst college women and is often linked with alcohol use problems. Previous research suggests that women may be more inclined to consume alcohol following IPV victimization, particularly if they struggle with regulating their emotions. However, the specific role of daily emotion dysregulation in moderating the relationship between IPV victimization and subsequent alcohol use has not been thoroughly investigated. This study aimed to investigate whether daily experiences of IPV victimization would positively associate with same-day alcohol consumption, evaluated through overall drinking, the amount consumed, and the occurrences of heavy episodic drinking (HED), and whether greater levels of daily emotion dysregulation would intently this relationship. A sample of 161 college women completed daily assessments over 60 consecutive days, reporting their experiences with IPV victimization, alcohol use, and emotion dysregulation. The findings did not support the initial hypotheses. IPV victimization did not significantly increase odds of same-day alcohol use, the number of drinks consumed, or HED, irrespective of the levels of daily emotion dysregulation. However, the data revealed that emotion dysregulation was positively associated with alcohol use across all models. This suggests that the effects of IPV victimization on alcohol use may accumulate over time rather than wield an immediate influence. Improving emotion regulation skills among college women could potentially mitigate alcohol use and instances of HED, independent of their experiences with IPV victimization.

Bakgrund: Hot och våld är en bidragande faktor till kvinnors ohälsa världen över. Syfte: Studiens syfte var att undersöka i vilken utsträckning sjuksköterskor ställer frågor om våld i nära relation (intimate partner violence, IPV) till sina patienter samt, om det finns skillnader mellan olika grupper sjuksköterskor angående benägenhet att ställa frågor om våldsutsatthet. Ytterligare ett syfte var att undersöka faktorer som påverkar huruvida frågan ställs eller inte, samt om frågor ställs i lika stor utsträckning till båda könen. Metod: Studien är deskriptiv och ett studiespecifikt frågeformulär användes. Sjuksköterskor (n=41) vid fyra olika avdelningar på ett sjukhus i en mellanstor stad i Sverige besvarade en enkät som innehöll 13 frågor. Den totala svarsfrekvensen var 44 %. Resultat: Av sjuksköterskorna ställde 7,2 % alltid frågor om IPV. Cirka 30 % uppgav att de ställde frågor om IPV ibland. Sjuksköterskor äldre än 35 år tenderade att oftare ställa frågor om IPV än de som var yngre. På den geriatriska avdelningen togs frågor om IPV oftare upp. Det mest förekommande svaret var att frågor endast ställdes vid misstanke om våldsutsatthet (45 %). Ett annat vanligt hinder var språkbarriärer mellan sjuksköterska och patient (41,5%). Ytterligare faktorer som påverkade var att en relation inte hunnits skapa till patienten (34,1%) eller att det inte var relevant att ställa frågan (34,1%). Av studiedeltagarna svarade 41 % att de var osäkra på hur de skulle gå tillväga i de fall det uppdagas att en patient är utsatt för IPV. Fler sjuksköterskor (59 %) ställde oftare frågor om IPV till kvinnor än till män. Slutsats: Få sjuksköterskor ställer alltid frågor om IPV. Många känner sig osäkra hur de ska gå tillväga när våldet uppdagas, att de upplever att de har bristfällig kunskap i ämnet och att det finns hinder som påverkar att frågor om våld inte ställs. Med hjälp av utbildning och tydliga handlingsplaner kan sjuksköterskor troligen öka sin kunskap och beredskap kring identifiering och hantering av de våldsutsatta patienterna. / Background: Threats and violence are contributing factors to women's illhealth worldwide. Objective: The aim was to investigate the extent to which nurses ask questions about domestic violence to their patients, and if there are differences between different groups of nurses regarding the tendency to ask questions about exposure to violence. Another aim was to investigate the factors that affect whether the question is asked or not, and if the questions are asked equally to both sexes. Method: The study is a descriptive study and a questionnaire made for this study was used. Registered nurses (n = 41) at four different departments in a hospital in a medium-sized city in Sweden answered a questionnaire containing 13 questions. The overall response rate was 44%. Result: Of the participants 7,2 % always asked questions about intimate partner violence (IPV). Approximately 30 % asked questions periodically. Nurses older than 35 years tended to ask questions more frequently than those who were younger. At the Geriatric Department questions were asked more regularly about IPV. The most common answer was that questions about IPV only were asked based on suspicion of exposure to violence (45%). Another common obstacle was language barriers (41, 5%) between nurse and patient. Additional factors that influenced was that a relationship had not been made with the patient (34,1%) or that it was not relevant to ask the question (34, 1%). Of the study participants, 41 % reported that they were unsure of how to proceed in cases where it was found that a patient was exposed to domestic violence. More nurses (59%) asked women questions about IPV more frequently than men. Conclusion: Few of the nurses always ask questions about IPV to their patients. There are obstacles to screen about IPV and many feel unsure how to proceed when violence is revealed. The nurses feel they have too little knowledge of the subject. With the help of training and clear action plans nurses can probably increase their knowledge and preparedness in the identification and management of abused patients.

The present experiment investigated the role of gender stereotypes in cases in which a battered person kills his or her abuser. Regression analysis revealed an overall gender bias such that mock jurors were more likely to convict a man defendant who had killed his abusive wife than they were when a woman defendant who had killed her husband. Mediational analyses indicated that the relationship between abuser gender and verdict was partially mediated by sympathy toward the victim, and fully mediated by sympathy toward the defendant. Regression analysis also revealed an effect of abuser height, such that conviction rates were higher when an abuser was taller than his or her partner, regardless of abuser gender. Though not significant, trends suggested the act of killing an abusive partner was perceived as a protective act toward the child. Overall, the present study provides evidence that gender biases exist in cases in which a battered person kills his or her abuser.

Research has consistently shown that intimate partner homicide (IPH) rates have been on a steady downward decline over the past two decades. A relatively recent movement in IPH research, however, has emphasized the need for further dissecting the aggregate trends by factors such as gender, race, and victim-offender relationship. In response to these issues, this study looks at the relationship between IPHs and factors such as gender, race, and age. The present study explores officially reported IPH cases in Dallas, Texas between the years 1990-1997. Specific attention will be paid to the victim's and suspect's age, race, and gender. The findings of the study will assist in identifying significant characteristics of these IPH incidents which may lead to a greater understanding of the types of relationships in which IPH is more likely to occur. Studying the relationship between IPHs and these factors, as this research aims to do, is important to understanding what IPH incident characteristics need more attention to help prevent future incidents from occurring. As a result of this research, a better understanding of whether IPH may occur in certain types of relationships will be reached and then can be further utilized to educate.

The aim of this diploma thesis is to map out the consequences that experience with intimate partner violence can leave in the period of adolescence on the mental and physical condition of its victims, or generally on the quality of their life. The aim of the theoretical part of the thesis is to acquaint readers with the phenomenon of intimate partner violence in a broad- spectrum. However, the most important passage is a chapter focusing on the consequences of intimate partner violence on the psychological and somatic manifestations and behaviour of its victims and development of their subsequent partnerships. This chapter is followed by realized quantitative research,which is divided into three separate thematic sections. The first part of the research finds out whether the research group of respondents with experience with violent partnership in the period of adolescence experienced significantly more of the selected consequences compared to the research group of respondents without experience with the violent relationship in this development period. As part of the complementary data analysis 1, it is discussed whether certain aspects, which are characteristic for the consequences of intimate partner violence, could also be experienced by individuals because of problematic peer relationships and,...

Thesis (M.A. (Clinical Psychology)) -- University of Limpopo, 2019 / Intimate partner violence (IPV) poses a major challenge for social workers worldwide, as well as in South Africa. In light in the above, the present study aimed to explore the lived experiences of social workers dealing with victims of IPV at Ehlanzeni District, Mpumalanga Province. A qualitative study was conducted among social workers working with victims of IPV. The study had anticipated using 10 participants but, due to data saturation, only six participants were interviewed. Each interview took 45–60 minutes, depending on each participant’s responses. A total of six participants, all females between the ages of 24 and 39 years, were selected using purposive sampling. The data were collected using semi-structured interviews, and interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) was applied for data analysis. Four major themes emerged from the analysis of the data: a) emotional and psychological distress experienced by social workers; b) impact on personal and professional lives; c) coping strategies; and d) vicarious posttraumatic growth. Importantly, some themes and subthemes not included in the interview guide emerged from the data. These included subthemes such as family involvement and societal pressure. The findings of the study highlighted that it is quite rare for men to report IPV, although at times they do. There is greater IPV prevalence among females of different ages. Secondary traumatisation is one of the negative effects that social workers experience when working with cases of traumatic IPV. However, social workers have found effective ways of coping with the demands of their work. Some of the identified coping mechanisms included choosing to spend time with family, trying to forget about the day’s work, travelling, being strong and resilient, consulting a psychologist, playing games, praying (spirituality) and reading the Bible, sharing their experiences with a more experienced social worker, spending time with friends, laughing, singing and remaining professional. The study found that these coping strategies helped the social workers to deal with burnout and compassion fatigue. The present study recommends that effective coping methods and support for mental health care workers are needed to assist with secondary trauma stress and the negative effects that comes with the job.

The present study constitutes the qualitative part of a project with aim to evaluate the implementation of Region Skåne’s care program to prevent intimate partner violence. Due to the increasing awareness of youth intimate partner violence in Sweden, the study aim was to evaluate the extent to which the care program has been implemented, as well as what the perceptions of the care program were, in three care settings specialized in young patients. A qualitative focus group study with an inductive approach was chosen. Four focus groups with 12 participants recruited from three care settings specialized in young patients within the region of Skåne county were held. Three of the participants were not explicitly governed by regional guidelines due to working in units which constituted a partnership between the region and the municipality. The data was analysed by using thematic analysis. Two main themes appeared in the findings, with the first being organizational leadership. Factors associated was that the care program had not been fully communicated and/or implemented in any regional unit. Further, the extent to which the professionals had obtained extensive training and/or perceived themselves as supported from the management varied. The second main theme, the clinical practice, reflected the clinical experiences of various types of violence, tasks that could appear challenging such as documenting IPV, screening for IPV online and making reports of concern. The main conclusion is that there are gaps between policy and practice in all contexts where the program is to be used. Recommendations are that organizational leaders should ensure the program to be sufficiently communicated to all professionals, and be responsive to requests for local adjustments and/or insecurities in relation to following the program, in order for neither screenings, nor documentation, nor making reports to fall between the cracks. / Den ingår i en ännu pågående utvärdering av Region Skånes vårdprogram mot våld i nära relationer. Projektet är finansierat av BRÅ.

The social problem of intimate partner violence affects approximately one-half to two million individuals each year in the United States (Catalano, 2007; Tjaden & Thoennes, 2000). Commonly the criminal justice system mandates completion of a group-based intervention intended to prevent violent behavior (Dalton, 2007). These groups are typically referred to as a batterer intervention program (BIP). Despite the popularity of this intervention approach, research findings examining the efficacy of these programs remain inconsistent (Babcock, Green & Robie, 2004). Nonetheless, 45 U.S. states including the District of Columbia, have implemented standards that aim to proscribe and regulate elements of program functioning. To gain insight regarding the effects that standards implemented in the state of Oregon in 2006 have had on the functioning and characteristics of BIPs, this study examined survey data collected in 2001, 2004, and 2008 from a total of 76 BIPs functioning in Oregon. Several hypotheses were tested. First, it was hypothesized that program compliance with state standards would increase from 2001 to 2004 and from 2004 to 2008. Overall compliance did increase, though this change was not statistically significant. Consistent with this hypothesis, a statistically significant increase in one component of compliance, program length, was found between 2004 and 2008. Additionally, some components, such as collaboration with community partners, did not change in the expected direction. Second, the analyses tested whether programs that began functioning after the creation of the standards in 2006 would be more compliant with the standards than those operating prior to 2006. This was not the case; there was not a significant difference in the compliance ratios for programs that began functioning before and after 2006. Third, it was hypothesized that program characteristics of program size, location, and barriers to compliance would predict program compliance. This hypothesis was not supported; program size, location and barriers did not predict program compliance. These results indicate that some portions of the standards are being met by programs regardless of their program characteristics, while other components are not. Understanding which components of state standards programs are and are not in compliance with provides valuable insight into which components of standards may be difficult for programs to adhere. This information is important for understanding how programs may need assistance to comply with specific components and whether enforcement or formal monitoring of programs is necessary.