A research report submitted to the Family Medicine Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Family Medicine / Background: Intimate partner violence is problem world-wide and has been attributed to many factors. South Africa has one of the highest IPV statistics in the world and therefore poses a definite need to address it. For abused women the process of leaving an intimate partner is difficult and mired in an abundance of complex and entwined factors which influence the decision to leave or stay in an abusive relationship. This qualitative study explored women’s experiences of leaving abusive relationships and the critical factors that pushed them to leave their abusive relationships. Methods: In-depth interviews were conducted with eleven women (over 18 years) who had experienced partner abuse and were current residents of Ikaya Le Themba Women’s Shelter in Johannesburg. All interviews were audio-taped with consent, and translated where necessary and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis, which entails an analysis of emerging themes from the interviews, was conducted in order to understand factors that led to abused leaving abusive relationships. Results: Two themes were identified as instrumental to freeing women from abuse. These were reaching a turning point and leaving the abusive relationship. The important turning points were progression of violence, realization that the partner will not change, effect of abuse on children and women’s feelings due to abuse. Leaving the abusive, relationship was facilitated by social and family support, access to shelters and availability of an opportunity to leave. Conclusions: Findings suggest that increasing awareness about existence of shelters is crucial to facilitate early departure. Social and family support was fundamental in facilitating leaving abusive relationships.

Previous research suggests that spouse factors contribute to the course and outcomes of cardiac illness. The present study examined spouse confidence in patient efficacy, spouse psychological distress, and spouse involvement in the research project as predictors of patient participation in Phase-II cardiac rehabilitation (CR) and subsequent changes in patient health and weekly exercise in a sample of 128 cardiac patients. Spouse confidence in patient efficacy predicted the number of CR sessions attended by male patients, independent of patients' own self-efficacy ratings, and spouse psychological distress predicted CR program completion among female patients, independent of patients' own distress. Spouse confidence also independently predicted increases in male and female patients' weekly exercise at six-month follow-up. Patients whose spouses participated in the study attended more CR exercise sessions and were more likely to complete the CR program than patients whose spouses did not take part in the study. Spouse involvement in the study also predicted positive health change at six-month follow-up among female patients. Results provide preliminary evidence that spouse factors can have predictive utility in the context of Phase-II CR, and contribute to research on the behavioral pathways via which psychosocial factors are linked to cardiac health outcomes.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2002. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 84-90).

Recent interest in the area of spouse abuse has resulted in many attempts to define and understand this problem. The present study reviewed the literature addressing spouse abuse, its various definitions and presumed causes. Theories regarding the cause of spouse abuse were presented in two groups: those focussing on society as the perceived cause of abuse and those on either men or women as precipitators of abuse. The purpose of the study was threefold. The first was to explore the relationship between gender and perception of spouse abuse. The second was to examine whether attitudes toward women varied as a function of perception of spouse abuse. Third, the study explored the relationship between situational variables and perceptions of spouse abuse. Finally, although not an initial purpose of the study, differences in perceptions of spouse abuse were compared among abused and nonabused groups.

Background: In Sweden, eight percent of all people by the age of 65 years or older have a dementia disease. The healthy spouse received or unconsciously took the role as caregiver in the home which could cause psychological and physical stress. Therefore it is important that nurses have good understanding of how the healthy spouses experience their life situation. Aim: The aim of this study was to describe spouses´experiences of living with a partner with dementia disease. Methods: This literature study was performed with a qualitative method. Nine scientific articles have been quality checked and analyzed with inspiration from Friberg´s way of thinking. The databases Cinahl and PubMed were used. Results: The literature study resulted in the construction of five categories followed by 13 subcategories. The result of the literature study shows that the healthy spouses are affected physically and mentally by living with a partner with dementia disease. A change in the life situation, which entails that the healthy spouse must adapt and change everyday life for the dementia suffering partner's abilities and skills. Conclusion: Living with a partner with dementia disease means a strain for the healthy spouses. It is important for nurses to pay attention to the healthy spouses´well-being. By this study the nurses hopefully understand that it is important to focus on both partners´ needs.

Dissertation (Ph.D.).--University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at San Antonio, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--Virginia Commonwealth University, School of Nursing. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 61-71). Also available online.

This qualitative study explores spouse caregivers’ understanding of and responses to partners with dementia. Six wives who had been providing care to their husbands in the community for at least two years were interviewed. Transcripts were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) and four interconnected themes were proposed: same person or different; relational change; emotional responses to behaviours; and impact on day-to-day life. Participants’ sense of continuity with the past was suggested to influence each theme. The construct of continuity was proposed to be elastic, with both intra-psychic and inter-psychic factors impacting upon its elasticity. Broadly, a sense of continuity seemed to be associated with better adjustment to caregiving.

The adaptation to a new country is a complex and stressful process that is compounded when changes in status and identity have to be made. This exploratory study examined the adaptation of international company transferee spouses when they decide to follow the transferee on overseas assignments. Research to date indicates that the spouses’ dissatisfaction with life abroad is the leading cause of transferees breaking contract and prematurely returning home. The causes of this dissatisfaction are still not clear and this study sought greater clarification, particularly examining the experiences of male as well as female trailing spouses. The study, thus, takes gender as a main variable to consider. It explores how gendered expectations inherent in the structures of society inflect and inform the decisions, attitudes, and behaviors that affect the adaptations of trailing spouses living in a foreign habitus. The study is based on eight months of ethnographic research in two culturally different locations, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Brussels, Belgium. Forty-two American international company transferee spouses were recruited (seven males and thirty-five females). The data analysis revolved around five main themes: (1) the comparison of male with female trailing spouses’ experiences, (2) the effect of location on spouses’ adaptation, (3) the communities that spouses integrate into, (4) variations in personal work and family histories, and (5) conditions of exit. The analysis engaged multiple theories regarding gender, sociological adaptation, and psychological adaptation. Results indicate that both socio-cultural and psychological factors affect adaptation and that gender matters very significantly, particularly along two axes: (1) gendered structures in our society create different reasons why males and females become trailing spouses, (2) the gendered social constructions of role expectations make the experience of being a trailing husband different from being a trailing wife. In addition spouses’ status as parents (or not) and their “readiness for change” were found to be important predictors of positive spousal adaptation. In contrast, significant ties with families in the home country and strong professional identity with career projections were important predictors of negative spousal adaptation.

The recent economic recession has led to a large number of dual-income families losing their second income or having a smaller overall household income as a result of hourly wage cuts. Previous research has examined how job satisfaction can spill over into home life satisfaction; however, literature on how life satisfaction can affect job satisfaction is scarce. Based on theories of job satisfaction, personality, conservation of resources, and affective spillover, this study examined whether job satisfaction of the working partner was affected when the other became unemployed. Measures of job satisfaction, life satisfaction, personality, spousal status, and some demographic data were collected from 99 participants, recruited via various social media sites, who were a dual earning couple and had a significant other who had lost their job in the prior six months. Analysis of covariance was used to compare job and life satisfaction of single- versus dual-earner families, with these covariates: age, education level, income, and the personality traits of neuroticism and conscientiousness. A multivariate analysis of covariance found that the covariates did not account for any significant variance in the analyses, and there were no significant differences between single- and dual-earner family status for either life or job satisfaction. While no empirical support was found for the hypotheses, supplemental analyses revealed that having a partner who worked part-time was preferable to having one who worked full-time, suggesting that part-time work allows for more family/spouse involvement. The social change implications for individuals and organizations include the exploration of how significant life events can impact job satisfaction. Continued research in this area could assist in increasing overall job satisfaction and performance.