The term femicide was used to refer to the murder of women. Intimate femicide referred to the murder of women by men with whom they had an intimate love relationship. The purpose of this research was to make visible the intimate and domestic nature of femicide by describing all femicides in Saskatchewan between 1988 and 1992 inclusive. A second purpose of this research was to learn about prevention both from committed femicides and from two women who had survived an attempted intimate femicide. This research was feminist in nature and utilized elements of both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies. Data were gathered on all women known to be murdered between 1988 and 1992 from sources such as newspaper searches, coroners' reports, and police files. Based on these data, femicides were classified as intimate or non-intimate femicides and as possibly preventable or not preventable within the femicidal incident itself. Further data were gathered from interviews with two women who had survived an attempted intimate femicidal attack. Both sets of data were then reviewed and themes relating to the prevention of femicide were elicited. These themes focussed on failures of the communities in which these women resided or were murdered, failures of the medical community to correctly identify femicidal men, failures of the judicial system in their dealings with femicidal men, failures of the organized church, and failures of the institution of the family. Ten femicides were classified as possibly preventable within the femicidal assault itself. In addition, the interviews with both survivors identified many areas of possible intervention relating to prevention over a longer period of time. The study concludes with my reflections on the process of engaging in research on femicide, discussions about areas for further research and the identification of possible implications for public policy.

No description available.

While previous research has explored women’s experiences of intimate partner violence (IPV), their help-seeking experiences and the barriers they encounter when seeking support, little research has explored the perspectives of women with disabilities regarding helpful IPV prevention, intervention and healing strategies. My qualitative research project sought to address two research questions: what have women with disabilities experienced when accessing support (from family, friends, and services) for IPV; and what do women with disabilities say would be helpful in the prevention or intervention of intimate partner violence. I undertook a secondary analysis of six interviews of women with disabilities who had been interviewed as part of a larger research study. My thematic analysis revealed many themes including experiences with sources of support—such as family, friends, counselling, and shelters—and strategies for prevention, including education and awareness; support system; affordable childcare and transportation; and self-care, spirituality, community, and social change. Barriers to support I identified include lack of education and awareness, lack of resources, lack of services, community size and dynamics, and potentially exclusive admission criteria. My intersectional analysis revealed the ways in which women’s social locations—such as their gender, cultural background, socio-economic situation, religion, disability and relationship status—influenced and shaped their help-seeking behaviours and their access to support systems. Several recommendations to address gaps in service provision are provided.

While previous research has explored women’s experiences of intimate partner violence (IPV), their help-seeking experiences and the barriers they encounter when seeking support, little research has explored the perspectives of women with disabilities regarding helpful IPV prevention, intervention and healing strategies. My qualitative research project sought to address two research questions: what have women with disabilities experienced when accessing support (from family, friends, and services) for IPV; and what do women with disabilities say would be helpful in the prevention or intervention of intimate partner violence. I undertook a secondary analysis of six interviews of women with disabilities who had been interviewed as part of a larger research study. My thematic analysis revealed many themes including experiences with sources of support—such as family, friends, counselling, and shelters—and strategies for prevention, including education and awareness; support system; affordable childcare and transportation; and self-care, spirituality, community, and social change. Barriers to support I identified include lack of education and awareness, lack of resources, lack of services, community size and dynamics, and potentially exclusive admission criteria. My intersectional analysis revealed the ways in which women’s social locations—such as their gender, cultural background, socio-economic situation, religion, disability and relationship status—influenced and shaped their help-seeking behaviours and their access to support systems. Several recommendations to address gaps in service provision are provided.

[Truncated abstract] The primary aims of this thesis were to investigate health indicators of child maltreatment, as well as pathways into the child protection system using routinely collected government databases, enabling a preventative health approach to child abuse and neglect. This thesis aims to improve understanding of the trends in child maltreatment and the factors, at the child and family level, which increase or reduce vulnerability to child maltreatment so more effective prevention policies and practices can be developed. This project uses longitudinal de-identified population data from the Western Australian Government Departments of Child Protection, Health and Disability Services. These data contained information on demographic, clinical, social and child protection outcomes of children and their families. Record linkage of administrative data was undertaken to: investigate health indicators of abuse and neglect using Hospital Morbidity data to enable the monitoring of population trends in abuse and neglect; compare proportion of cases obtained using health indicators with the Department of Child Protection data, and describe the physical, psychological and social characteristics of abused and/or neglected children and families. Statistical techniques utilised include logistic and Cox regression to investigate risk of adverse child outcomes, taking into account potential confounding and time to event. The main findings include: There has been an increase in assault and maltreatment related hospital admissions over the last 25 years. ... There has been a marked increase in the birth prevalence of Neonatal Withdrawal Syndrome (NWS) in Western Australia over the last 25 years, from 1 per 10,000 live births in 1980, to 31 per 10,000 live births in 2005. Specific maternal characteristics associated with having a child with NWS are identified and these children have an increased risk of child protection involvement. A population level analysis of child and parental factors determined the estimated increase in risk of substantiated child maltreatment for child intellectual disability, parental admissions for mental health, substance use, and assault, as well as greater socio-economic disadvantage. Conclusions This is the first body of research which has extensively used longitudinal, population level linked health and child protection data to investigate health indicators of child abuse and neglect and antecedent causal pathways. Monitoring injuries and conditions associated with child abuse and neglect in routinely collected data and using multiple sources of ascertainment are important initiatives in child maltreatment surveillance. Health indicators of child abuse and neglect are not subject to the same definitional and policy issues as child protection data and therefore provide a more valid comparison over time and between jurisdictions. The identification of factors which increase vulnerability for children and families to child maltreatment is essential in the implementation of prevention strategies including universal public health approaches as well as the identification of at-risk families for targeted intervention.

O primeiro objetivo do presente estudo, de cunho metodológico, foi verificar a viabilidade da realização de uma pesquisa com usuários de ecstasy via internet. A metodologia desenvolvida para o recrutamento e coleta de dados atingiu os objetivos propostos, demonstrando-se viável e profícua, além de apresentar grandes vantagens em relação à coleta de dados presencial. O segundo objetivo foi oferecer subsídio para futuras intervenções de Redução de Danos para o uso de ecstasy. O questionário on-line foi respondido por 1.140 pessoas, primordialmente jovens, com boa formação escolar, inseridos no mercado de trabalho e/ou estudantes, pertencentes às classes socioeconômicas A e B, e poliusuários de drogas. As respostas dos participantes foram descritas estatisticamente e os dados comparados através dos testes t ou chi-quadrado, e analisados por regressão categórica (CatReg) em que se relacionaram os comportamentos de risco associados ao uso de ecstasy com as variáveis independentes relevantes. Os resultados não fundamentam a elaboração de materiais preventivos com direcionamentos específicos, seja para gêneros, para opções sexuais ou para classes socioeconômicas. Indicam, porém, locais privilegiados para a distribuição de material preventivo: ambientes de lazer noturno, festas e eventos ligados à música eletrônica, eventos como paradas comunitárias, e universidades públicas e privadas. São discutidos os principais conteúdos a serem veiculados, tendo sempre como princípio básico a transmissão de informações cientificamente comprovadas. Os dados mostram ainda que é crescente a disponibilidade de ecstasy no Brasil indicando urgência na implantação de um primeiro programa preventivo brasileiro voltado para essa droga. A acolhida e as declarações de interesse dos participantes demonstraram que o projeto inspirou confiabilidade, que existe demanda por intervenções na área e que uma proposta de Redução de Danos teria grande receptividade dos usuários de ecstasy, embora sua implantação dependa do interesse das autoridades responsáveis pela política pública brasileira em relação às drogas ilegais. / One objective of this study was methodological investigating the feasibility of conducting a Web-based survey with ecstasy users. The method developed for participants recruitment and data collection attained the propose proving feasible and fruitful, as well as showing great advantages as compared to personal data collecting. The second objective was to provide subsidies for future Harm Reduction interventions on the use of ecstasy. Participants (N=1.140) were mostly youngsters, with high schooling levels, and currently employed or studying, of A and B social-economic classes, and polydrug users. The data were analyzed using chi-square or t tests and categorical regression (CatReg). The latter evaluated users’ risk behaviors and related them to relevant independent variables. The results do not set the grounds for the drafting of specially-oriented preventive materials, be it for genders, sexual orientation, or even social-economic classes. They do, however, indicate privileged places for the distribution of preventive materials: evening entertainment places, parties and events related to electronic music, events such as community Parades, and universities. The main contents to be conveyed are discussed, always keeping the communication of scientifically proven information as the basic principle. The data also show that there is increasing availability of ecstasy in Brazil, thus pointing to the urgent need of implementing a first Brazilian ecstasy preventive program. The buy-in and the interested statements from participants demonstrate that the project inspired reliability, that there is a demand for interventions in the area and that a Harm Reduction proposal would be highly accepted amongst ecstasy users, although its implementation depends on the interest of authorities responsible for the Brazilian public policy towards illegal drugs.

Health communication has gained worldwide recognition as one of the most effective methods for tackling global health challenges; a conclusion that is supported by a range of studies showing generally positive results. Literature in the field has tended to focus on one of two perspectives: either individual behaviour change or a cultural/critical approach. This dissertation, which falls into the latter category, extends previous work on health communication and culture into a new context, namely Saudi Arabia. The thesis is motivated by two main research questions. First, how has culture influenced health communication in Saudi Arabia specifically in initiatives against illicit drug use and alcohol abuse? Second, how has this communication developed? At the heart of this study is the role of Saudi culture in health communication in an increasingly interdependent and connected world. The dissertation makes use of mixed qualitative data collection methods. Principally, it utilised semi-structured interviews with key officials and focus groups with young Saudis and health promoters in Saudi Arabia as well as attendance at and observation of health-communication events and permanent exhibitions as a subordinate method. The study reveals promising findings supporting the growing scholarly interest in the cultural dimension of health communication. It concludes that the key influence of the Saudi culture on health communication against substance abuse is Islamic beliefs about health, in particular those about substance abuse. These beliefs created a rejection of illicit drug abuse in Saudi society, thereby shaping a supportive environment for promotion activities against risky health behaviour. In addition, Islamic influence inspired the related regulations and laws in the kingdom. Islamic and local influences exert a powerful influence on the practical side of health communication in Saudi Arabia, including the content of messages, the appeal used to attract the specific audience, and the communication channels used to promote the campaigns. The study engages with four concepts constituting the Islamic model of health and illicit drug abuse: prohibition (haram), promotion (Da’wah), repentance and inclusiveness (Tawbah), and treatment and rehabilitation (Elaj). The study also examines controversial issues about health communication in the country, such as the predominance of top-down communication, the absence of participatory communication and cultural diversity. In short, a lack of innovation and creativity in delivering health communication messages. The study illustrates the major role the Saudi government has played in communicating health and substance abuse since the 1980s, when officials realised the need to modernise the means of communicating health and drug issues from mosque-based only to include modern methods such as televised campaigns, school-based programmes and hospital-based health education. Since then, government-led health communication initiatives have been well established in the kingdom. The dissertation is able to demonstrate a critical understanding of the reality of health communication against substance abuse in Saudi Arabia and make a range of recommendations to improve the efficacy of current policies and suggest new avenues for future research.

In response to a dearth of empirical literature concerning the mechanisms underlying female same-sex intimate partner violence (FSSIPV) perpetration, the purpose of this research is to inform intimate partner violence intervention and prevention strategies specific to sexual minority women. The research responds in particular, this research aims to inform a working intersectional model predicting FSSIPV perpetration, and to evaluate the face validity and construct coverage of existing survey measures related to gender, minority stress, and violence. Fourteen lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer women recruited from the greater Portland, Oregon area participated in a series of in-depth, semi-structured, open-ended one-on-one and focus group interviews. Participant recruitment involved a combination of purposive and convenience sampling methods aided by the involvement of multiple community partners working in violence and education related fields. Interview and focus group questions addressed participants' experiences with gender role stress and minority stress. Grounded theory analysis of participants' narrative responses informed the coverage and relevance of constructs in a working intersectional model predicting women's use of violence in their same-gender intimate relationships. In particular, findings indicate that sexual minority women's experiences of gender role stress and minority stress, particularly in combination, were especially influential on their identities. Sexual minority women's experiences with minority stressors were not confined to minority stressors specific to their gender identities and sexual orientations, but intersected with minority stressors related to race and class as well. These findings support an intersectional and contextually-minded approach to IPV intervention and prevention strategies.

M.A. (Sociology) / South Africa's child protection system is widely reported to be in disarray, delivering deficient and fragmented services, which facilitate the occurrence of 'secondary abuse, compounded by the lack of information on the prevailing scenario in the country. This research study formed part of a national development project, aimed at investigating and improving the delivery of integrated child protection services. The study focused on the current levels of service delivery and the need for services integration in a multi-disciplinary, intersectoral system. Employing a multi-methodology Intervention Research strategy, the conceptual framework for the investigation was based on an open systems perspective. The research findings, generated by a national situation analysis of provincial and sectoral service providers, confirmed the interrelated prevalence of both inefficient service delivery levels and the urgent need for the integration of services. The results facilitated the drafting of provincial strategies, aimed at the improvement of service delivery and the inductive construction of a generic provincial model, while a national conference of service providers generated a proposed national integration strategy, based on a process model. The research has not only contributed towards the integration of child protection services, but also to the current transformation of the child protection system in South Africa.

Perinatal complications resulting from either alcohol or drug abuse include a high incidence of stillbirths, fetal distress, asphyxia, prematurity, low birth weight, pneumonia, congenital malformations, cerebral infarction, and an increased risk to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.