Intimate partner abuse has been and remains a pervasive problem that has been documented in every race, religion, class, and level of education. This study presented the rationale for achieving positive social change by examining the problem through prevention rather than reaction and intervention. Although many theories of causation have been presented at various times, none has been proven or offers a complete explanation. Social ecological theory examines the interaction of individual, community, relational, and societal influences on the development of attitudes and behavior acceptance. This pre and post-survey group, quasi-experimental study examined the effects of an intervention on attitudes about intimate partner abuse, specifically in young adults. The intervention was a 30-minute drama about dating abuse. Seventy-nine young adults from an online participant pool completed the Domestic Violence Myth Acceptance Scale (DVMAS) just prior to and after the intervention. Cronbach's alpha test of reliability was conducted on the 4 subscales of the DVMAS. Demographic data were presented on age, marital status, gender, and church attendance. A MANOVA did not demonstrate a significant difference between the overall scores on the DVMAS or the 4 sub scales before and after the intervention (p = .230). This research contributes to social change by adding to the body of knowledge about applications of social ecological theory to intimate partner abuse prevention. Attitudes and behaviors that lead to the perpetration or acceptance of intimate partner abuse do not arise from a single incident, discussion, or point in time. Multiple levels of exposures and multiple exposures contribute to the behavior and ultimately will be necessary for its prevention.

No description available.

This feminist project explores the experiential accounts of twenty-five women who have lived through abuse within their intimate relationships. Their stories, gathered through a series of semi-structured face-to-face interviews intended to elicit accounts of resilience were saturated with emotion-talk, especially shame-talk. To address questions of the relationship between these accounts and theoretical accounts of abuse, and shame the women’s texts were engaged in an analytic dialogue with feminist knowledges of abuse against women, Erving Goffman’s sociological understandings of shame, stigma and mortification of the self, Thomas Scheff’s sociological theory of shame and social bonds, and feminist poststructuralist understandings around the constitution of human subjectivity. These conversations enabled development of a conceptual representation of the special and highly specific form of social bonding experienced by victims of abuse within intimate relationships. This bonding begins with processes of mortification of the self, the gradual erosion of a sense of self through the systematic imposition of various shaming and shameful actions. These processes take place within a specific social context created through the constitutive power of dominant discourses of gender, heterosexual coupledom, matrimony and motherhood which work to shape the lives of individual women. Because of the specific ways in which these discourses currently operate within Aotearoa New Zealand they result in the constitution of a narrow range of tightly prescribed subject positions available to victims of intimate partner abuse. This analysis leads to an argument that women’s inability to ‘do’ motherhood or intimate partnership in line with dominant discourses of mothering and relationships (because these simply cannot be achieved within an abusive context), opens them to the debilitating effects of shame. Shame, both actual and threatened, promotes silence, isolation and dangerous private spaces as women seek to protect themselves from its painful experience. I argue that it is therefore crucial to promote the availability of discursive positioning for women living through abuse which offers non-shaming and realistic choices.

Uppsatsens syfte var att undersöka hur intervjudeltagare verksamma inom för studien relevanta organisationer och myndigheter resonerade angående barriärer för polisanmälan som kvinnor kan uppleva vid våld i nära relation. Vidare var syftet att diskutera hur intervjudeltagarna såg på sin roll att öka anmälningsbenägenheten genom att underlätta för kvinnorna att överkomma dessa barriärer. Teorin utgick från normalisering, victim blaming och sekundär viktimisering samt det ideala offret. Metoden som användes var kvalitativa semistrukturerade intervjuer. Uppsatsens resultat visade att deltagarna var medvetna om dessa barriärer och att de hade utvecklat förhållningssätt och strategier för att bemöta dessa, exempelvis genom att avnormalisera våldet. Vidare konstaterades att även om ingen av intervjudeltagarna ansåg att bidra till ökad anmälningsbenägenhet var deras huvuduppgift kan deras bemötande av barriärerna indirekt öka denna. / The aim of the study was to examine how the interviewees from different organizations and authorities relevant to our study reasoned on the barriers women might experience when it comes to reporting intimate partner abuse to the police. The aim was also to examine how the interviewees viewed their role in increasing the propensity to report by encouraging the women to overcome these barriers. Our theory was based on the theories of the normalization process, victim blaming and secondary victimization and the ideal victim. The method used was qualitative, semi-structured interviews. The results showed that the interviewees were aware of these barriers and that they had developed different approaches and strategies to meet these barriers, for example by de-normalizing the violence. Another finding was that although none of the interviewees regarded increasing the women’s propensity to report as their first priority, their work in helping the women to overcome the barriers indirectly can contribute to increase the propensity to report to the police.

Vård av kvinnor utsatta för våld i nära relationer är en komplex och krävande del av sjuksköterskors arbete. Våldet är vanligen förenat med fysiska, psykiska såväl som sociala utmaningar och kräver kunskapsbaserad vård. Trots ökad medvetenhet om våld i nära relation finns det fortsatta brister i förståelsen av sjuksköterskors upplevelser och hantering av vården på våldsutsatta kvinnor. Syftet är att belysa sjuksköterskors upplevelser av att vårda kvinnor utsatta för våld i nära relation inom somatisk vård. Genom att få insikt i deras perspektiv kan eventuella brister i vården identifieras och förbättringar föreslås för att öka effektiviteten och stödet för både sjuksköterskor och patienter. En integrerad sammanställning av kvalitativ forskning inspirerad av metasyntes utfördes. Genom att systematiskt granska och syntetisera befintliga kvalitativa forskningsstudier kring sjuksköterskors upplevelser av att vårda kvinnor utsatta för våld i nära relationer, identifierades olika teman. Sjuksköterskor beskrev svårigheter att vårda dessa kvinnor och betonade utmaningarna med att identifiera och stödja dessa patienter. Det framgick även hur arbetet kan innebära en känslomässig påverkan på sjuksköterskan. Resultaten sammanställdes och visade på behovet av ökad utbildning och bättre samarbete mellan olika vårdinstanser. Denna metod möjliggjorde en djupare förståelse för sjuksköterskors upplevelser genom en sammanvägning av flera studiers resultat. Litteraturstudien betonar behovet av stöd och förbättringar i utbildning och samarbete mellan vårdgivare för att bättre tillgodose behoven hos sjuksköterskor såväl som för våldsutsatta kvinnor. / The care of women exposed to intimate partner violence is a complex and demanding aspect of nurses' work. Violence is often associated with physical, psychological, and social challenges, requiring knowledge-based care. Despite increased awareness of intimate partner violence, there are continued gaps in understanding nurses' experiences and management of care for abused women. The aim is to highlight nurses' experiences in caring for women exposed to intimate partner violence within somatic healthcare. By gaining insight into their perspectives, any deficiencies in care can be identified, and improvements suggested to enhance effectiveness and support for both nurses and patients. An integrated compilation of qualitative research inspired by metasynthesis was conducted. By systematically reviewing and synthesizing existing qualitative research studies on nurses' experiences in caring for women exposed to intimate partner violence, different themes were identified. Nurses described difficulties in caring for these women and emphasized the challenges in identifying and supporting these patients. It also emerged how the work could have an emotional impact on the nurse. The results were compiled, indicating the need for increased education and better collaboration between different healthcare entities to enhance care. This method allowed a deeper understanding of nurses' experiences by combining results from several studies. The literature-based study emphasizes the need for support and improvements in education and collaboration among healthcare providers to better meet the needs of both nurses and abused women.

No description available.

This exploratory study investigates how racialized immigrant women experience and respond to intimate partner abuse (IPA). The American and European models of intersectionality theory are used to highlight structural constraints and agentic responses as experienced and enacted by racialized immigrant women. Eight women described their experiences through semi-structured interviews, revealing an array of both defensive and pro-active types of strategies aimed at short- and long-term outcomes. Responses included aversion, negative reinforcement or coping strategies like prayer or self-coaching, and accordingly varied by the constraints under which the women lived as newcomers to Canada. Policy recommendations promote acknowledgement of women’s decision-making abilities and provide a model in which women can choose from a selection of options in how to respond, rather than strictly interventionist models. Study results can help to challenge stereotypes of abused women as passive victims, and empower the image of immigrant women as active knowers of their circumstances.

This exploratory study investigates how racialized immigrant women experience and respond to intimate partner abuse (IPA). The American and European models of intersectionality theory are used to highlight structural constraints and agentic responses as experienced and enacted by racialized immigrant women. Eight women described their experiences through semi-structured interviews, revealing an array of both defensive and pro-active types of strategies aimed at short- and long-term outcomes. Responses included aversion, negative reinforcement or coping strategies like prayer or self-coaching, and accordingly varied by the constraints under which the women lived as newcomers to Canada. Policy recommendations promote acknowledgement of women’s decision-making abilities and provide a model in which women can choose from a selection of options in how to respond, rather than strictly interventionist models. Study results can help to challenge stereotypes of abused women as passive victims, and empower the image of immigrant women as active knowers of their circumstances.