This thesis includes four studies investigating the experiences of abused women. According to ecological approaches different systems should be considered when conducting research into abused women and their experiences. The first study involved women who successfully left an abusive relationship. An ecological approach was used to investigate the experiences of the women in the different phases of their relationship, including the initial attraction to the partner, the development and sustaining of the abuse and her attempts to leave until her final decision to leave permanently. An important finding was the importance of considering and investigating all systems and levels when dealing with abused women, including those who have left and those who are contemplating leaving this relationship. The second study found that women who experienced physical abuse were often hurt in anatomical locations that were indicative of impulsive violence. The abuser used any object in the heat of the moment to attack the victim and no premeditated planning was evident in the type of injuries sustained. The women further reported that medical practitioners did not investigate the causes of injuries and that they were not referred to social services or organisations dealing with abused women, although they were recognised as suffering from abuse. The intersection of abuse of women and HIV was the topic of focus of the third study. A review of the records of abused women revealed that many abused women were subjected to risk factors for contracting HIV, with counsellors focussing only on abuse issues. Longitudinal case studies, of women exposed to both conditions, revealed that they lacked social support and were often secondarily victimised by the social welfare systems. An environmental scan found that social and health care services were not accessible to these women. The final study investigated intervention strategies to combat burnout in workers at an organisation dealing with abused women. The importance and effectiveness of creative exercises and art sessions were determined in combination with debriefing and supervision sessions. The studies all considered systems that are important in service delivery to abused women. A holistic and systemic investigation and treatment of abused women is shown to be essential, as is the importance of grass roots research. / Psychology / D. Phil. (Psychology)

Emotional abuse is a problem experienced worldwide, crossing all economic, educational, social and ethnic segments of all societies. Overtime, many empirical researchers concentrated on studying the occurrence and impact of physical abuse on women but neglected to study the effects of emotional abuse on the woman's physical and mental health. But with time, researchers began to realise that emotional abuse also had a great impact on the lives of women. Therefore, a detailed exploration of emotional abuse between intimate adult partners has only recently emerged in the literature. Though it is difficult to separate emotional abuse from other forms of abuse, many women in our research who were provided with a definition of emotional abuse identified and confirmed that they have been emotionally abused in their past or are being abused in their current intimate relationships. This research project focused mainly on women who suffered and have survived the wounds of emotional abuse in intimate relationships. Group work is aimed at the growth and development of the individual. This study reports on an in-depth analysis of the arrangements and formulation of the structure of support groups, and the effectiveness of the functioning of these groups. Participants who joined the support groups in this research, were women who have undergone therapeutic intervention and are/or were engaged in a healing process that involved reintegration, implementation and maintenance of therapeutic goals. Support groups do provide a place where people can share their experiences in a safe environment, and where they can symbolise their experiences and consequently make them more acceptable to the self. It has been concluded in this research that support groups were effective in giving members the opportunity of helping each other to heal from the wounds of emotional abuse by being supportive, giving feedback, making helpful suggestions and providing useful information necessary for their growth and development. Therefore, participants who joined the support groups agreed that they have benefited by receiving the encouragement and support from one another, which contributed towards their process of healing emotionally, and in turn, caused them to change from being helpless victims to survivors of emotional abuse. / Sociology / D. Phil (Sociology)

This research was initiated, based on the recommendations of Groenewald (2006:126-127), in the Evaluation of Programmes of Shelters for Victims of Abuse in Gauteng Province, to develop a shelter service delivery model. The research is exploratory in nature and outlines the literature review, methodologies, tested shelter model and findings based on the experiences of stakeholders. These stakeholders are responsible for the registration and management of shelters for victims of abuse in South Africa. They include nine Provincial Victim Empowerment Programme Co-ordinators and thirty-two shelter managers. The main objectives for shelter managers and Government Departments, such as Social Development, are to provide care, support and protection. The aim is also to empower those who were caught up in relationships, fraught with gender-based violence, as well as to break the cycle of violence. This is presented in the guidelines for a shelter service delivery model for victims of abuse. The shelter model focuses on three phases: o Intake procedures o Programmes and services o Exit strategy These three phases address both psycho-social issues and the self care of service providers. The main purpose of the shelter model is to provide social service providers with a structural format for intervention with victims of abuse and their significant others. The outcome, for most of them, should be to come to terms with themselves and create a personal vision for the future without abuse or, alternatively, to take a firm stand against such actions. The model is based on a person-centered approach in order to assist victims of violence, within a development model, to attain effective living. Other findings of the research are, among others, that there is neither legislation, nor registration procedures for shelters for victims of abuse in place, except for Non-Profit Organisations, which is voluntary. It is recommended that Government should consider the amendment of the Domestic Violence Act, 116 of 1998. These amendments should include accreditation of service providers, registration requirements, norms, standards and uniform funding criteria. / Social Work / D. Phil. (Social Work)

Text in English / Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is a major problem among women of child-bearing age in Uganda. This study explored the IPV experiences of women living in urban slums and their health needs in order to assist in developing strategies to prevent and respond to IPV. This was a cross-sectional explanatory study using a mixed methods approach among women aged 20-45 years in Kabalagala slums, Kampala, Uganda. The quantitative survey data was collected using a structured questionnaire while qualitative data was collected using in-depth interviews. Quantitative data were collected from a random sample of 372 women and qualitative data from a purposive sample of 48 women with IPV experiences. The quantitative data was analysed using STATA (version 11), and the qualitative data was coded and analysed manually into thematic content. The study revealed a high overall lifetime prevalence of IPV. The different IPV forms prevalent in the study population included psychological (99.7%), economic (93%), physical (92%) and sexual (88%). Physical violence in the last one year was 91%. The qualitative findings revealed the manifestations of IPV in this context. Furthermore, the physical and psychological health impacts of IPV included but were not limited to injuries; chronic pain and complications; HIV infection; low self-esteem; stress and fear of death, and loss of relationships. The researcher proposed three strategies to prevent and respond to IPV, namely implementing economic empowerment and poverty reduction programmes for women; strengthening the legal and justice system to respond appropriately to the problem of IPV, and improving the social and institutional support including training of health workers to prevent and respond to IPV. The proposed regulation of substance and alcohol use would also contribute to reducing IPV prevalence and scaling-up the response. / Health Studies / D. Litt. et Phil. (Health Studies)

A quantitative study that examines American Muslim women's level of exposure to domestic violence, resources available to them, and the effect of domestic violence on their psychological well-being. Data was collected from 128 Muslim women from the Islamic Center of Riverside in Southern California. The key finding of the study was a significant positive relationship between depression and the use of verbal aggression. In addition, a positive relationship was found to exist between anxiety, depression and the use of violence.

Text in English, with abstracts and keywords in English, Afrikaans and isiZulu / South Africa has been known to have the highest rate of gender-based violence globally. This qualitative study locates gender-based violence using the interpretive phenomenological paradigm and multicultural feminism as both allowed participants’ to be given a voice. This study thus enabled women who have been abused to discuss their perception of their own experiences. The primary aim of the study is orientated towards an increased understanding of the possible barriers that prevent women from leaving their abusers. The main findings point out how victim manipulation, financial abuse, isolation and responses by social and legal services serve as barriers to the women leaving their abusive partners. The secondary aim contributes to an understanding of the risk factors influencing gender-based violence. Furthermore, the study explores the impact of prolonged abuse on the participants. The criteria used for the selection were women with diverse backgrounds from the Inanda district, who have lived in abusive relationships for two years or longer. Eight participants completed the research process and were selected using the purposive sampling method. Significantly, this study provides an insight into the reality of how women process and give meanings to their experiences of abuse. Hence, the research sought to inform the literature and the greater community on the lived experiences of women in abusive relationships. / Suid-Afrika het wêreldwyd die hoogste persentasie van geslagsgebaseerde geweld. Hierdie kwalitatiewe studie plaas geslagsgebaseerde geweld met behulp van die interpretatiewe fenomenologiese paradigma en multikulturele feminisme, aangesien albei die deelnemers 'n stem laat kry. Hierdie studie het dus vroue wat mishandel is, in staat gestel om hul persepsie van hul eie ervarings te bespreek. Die primêre doel van die studie is gerig op 'n groter begrip van die moontlike hindernisse wat vroue verhoed om hul misbruik te verlaat. Die belangrikste bevindings wys daarop hoe manipulasie van slagoffer, finansiële mishandeling, isolasie en reaksies deur maatskaplike en regsdienste dien as hindernisse vir die verlaat van hul vrouens met hul maat. Die sekondêre doel dra by tot die begrip van die risikofaktore wat geslagsgebaseerde geweld beïnvloed. Verder ondersoek die studie die impak van langdurige mishandeling op die deelnemers. Die kriteria wat gebruik is vir die keuring was vroue met verskillende agtergronde uit die distrik Inanda, wat al twee jaar of langer in beledigende verhoudings leef. Agt deelnemers het die navorsingsproses voltooi en is met behulp van die doelgerigte steekproefmetode gekies. Hierdie studie bied 'n insig in die werklikheid van hoe vroue hul ervarings van mishandeling verwerk en betekenisse gee. Daarom het die navorsing probeer om die literatuur en die groter gemeenskap in te lig oor die ervarings van vroue in beledigende verhoudings. / Iningizimu Afrika yaziwa ukuthi inesilinganiso esiphakeme kunazo zonke sodlame olususelwa ebulilini emhlabeni jikelele. Lolu cwaningo lwekhwalithi lubheka udlame olususelwa ebulilini kusetshenziswa ukuhumusha okuyi-phenographical paradigm kanye nobungqingili bezamasiko njengoba bobabili abahlanganyeli bavunyelwe ukuba banikezwe izwi. Lolu cwaningo lwenze ukuthi abesifazane abahlukunyeziwe bakhulume ngokubona kwabo ngokwenzeka kwabo. Inhloso yokuqala yocwaningo isekelwe ekuqondeni okwandayo kwemigoqo engahle ivimbele abesifazane ukuba bashiye abahlukumezi babo. Okutholakele okukhulu kuveza ukuthi ukuxhaphaza izisulu, ukuhlukunyezwa ngokwezimali, ukwahlukaniswa nezimpendulo ngezinsizakalo zezenhlalo nezomthetho kusebenza njengezithiyo kwabesifazane beshiya abalingani babo abahlukumezayo. Inhloso yesibili inomthelela ekuqondeni kwezimpawu zobungozi ezinomthelela udlame olususelwa ebulilini. Ngaphezu kwalokho, lolu cwaningo lubheka umthelela wokuhlukunyezwa isikhathi eside kwabahlanganyeli. Abangu-8 ababambe iqhaza baphothula inqubo yokucwaninga futhi bakhethwa besebenzisa indlela enamasampula enenjongo. Okusemqoka ukuthi lolu cwaningo luhlinzeka ngokuqonda kweqiniso lokuthi abesifazane basebenza kanjani futhi banikeze izincazelo kulokho kwabo okuhlukumezeka. Ngakho-ke, lolu cwaningo lufune ukwazisa izincwadi kanye nomphakathi omkhulu ngokuhlangenwe nakho kokuphila kwabesifazane ebudlelwaneni bokuhlukumeza. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)