An extensive review of the existing literature makes apparent that academics who study intimate partner violence focus primarily on physical violence in heterosexual relationships. Non-physical forms of abuse receive secondary attention, despite reported claims from survivors that non-physical forms of abuse are more common, more painful, and have longer lasting effects than physical forms of abuse. The dominant focus on intimate partner violence as a social problem enacted by males on their female partners results in a lack of sufficient literature or conversation pertaining to abuse that exists outside these parameters. Members of sexual minority groups are deliberately excluded from the mainstream movement to protect and support survivors of intimate partner violence. Influenced by these realizations, this research explores the dynamics of non-physical forms of intimate partner violence in lesbian relationships; particularly the ways survivors frame the abuse and their experiences with seeking help.

Thesis advisor: Natana DeLong-Bas / The Syrian Civil War and its displacement of individuals has led to a dramatic increase in intimate partner violence (IPV) among refugee women. Statistics display that 99% of IPV survivors undergo financial control and exploitation, making it difficult to leave these toxic relationships. In 2016, UN Women created a cash-for-work initiative in the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan intended to provide Jordanian and Syrian refugee women with protection through financial empowerment. The initiative was quickly successful, showing a 20% decrease in intimate partner violence. My research over the past year builds on this logic to explore digital social entrepreneurship as a manner of addressing IPV within the Syrian refugee population in Jordan. I argue that digital social entrepreneurship, ICT startups with a greater social mission, is key to addressing many of the MENA region’s most pressing issues post Arab Spring, as well as beneficial to empowering women. My analysis culminated in a policy recommendation for a cross sectional program to give refugee women in Jordan the resources they need to establish their own digital, socially conscious firms and establish a place for themselves and their families in both the Jordanian and Syrian post civil war economy. / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2018. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Departmental Honors. / Discipline: Islamic Civilization and Societies.

Thesis advisor: V. Paul Poteat / Intimate partner violence (IPV) occurs in LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer) relationships at rates equal to or even higher than cisgender heterosexual relationships (Walters, Chen, & Breidig, 2013). The health consequences of IPV are well documented (Kwako et al., 2011). Trauma-informed care (TIC) is one service approach receiving increasing support for use with IPV survivors (Warshaw, Lyon, Phillips, & Hooper, 2014). Nevertheless, there is little research exploring the association between TIC and health among LGBTQ IPV survivors. Immobilization is prevalent for IPV survivors for whom fight or flight may increase risk of violence during traumatic situations (van der Kolk, 1989). TIC might be well-positioned to counter these immobilizing effects in effort to facilitate mobilization and better health for IPV survivors. The relationship between TIC and health through mobilizing mechanisms has not yet been tested. This study examined several mobilizing mechanisms as mediating the relationship between TIC and health including: 1) lower social withdrawal; 2) lower shame; 3) greater emotion regulation; and, 4) greater empowerment. Among 227 LGBTQ adults, structural equation modeling analyses tested the relationship between TIC and health, and the mediating effects of lower social withdrawal and shame, and greater emotion regulation and empowerment on the relationship between TIC and health. Results indicated that the direct effects of TIC on mental and physical health were not significant. Indirect effects of TIC on mental and physical health through the set of mobilizing mechanisms were not significant. However, TIC did predict greater empowerment and emotion regulation and lower social withdrawal. Lower social withdrawal and lower shame also predicted better mental health, while lower shame and emotion regulation predicted better physical health. Practitioners need to uncover additional services and resources beyond TIC that could improve health among LGBTQ IPV survivors. Research should continue to examine the potential effects of TIC in addition to how it is applied in the context of evidence-based treatment programs that are adapted for sexual and gender minorities. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2018. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Counseling, Developmental and Educational Psychology.

A Research report submitted to the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of the Witwatersrand in partial fulfillment of Master of Medicine in Emergency Medicine Johannesburg, 2016 / Objective Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant social and health concern in South Africa, with far reaching consequences. One in three South African women will experience IPV, and many of the survivors of IPV will have contact with Emergency Care Practitioners (ECPs), either for treatment related to the direct sequelae of the abuse or for other health issues. ECPs already play a role in identifying and managing IPV but current knowledge, attitudes and practices were not known. The aim of the study therefore was to describe current levels of knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding IPV amongst ECPs, including doctors, nurses and paramedics in South Africa and to describe differences according to the respondent's reported prior training and profession. Methods A prospective, cross sectional study was performed using an online survey administered anonymously to ECPs in South Africa. Information regarding demographic data, qualification, prior IPV training, knowledge, attitudes and practices towards IPV were obtained. Results One hundred and fifty three respondents completed the survey. Of those 56% were doctors, 33% paramedics and 9.8% nurses. In total 65% reporting having received no training on IPV. There was a significant association between respondents reporting having received any IPV training and improved self-reported knowledge (p=0.0001), and actual knowledge (p=0.011). Of the respondents in clinical practice 75% had diagnosed IPV in the last six months, although the frequency of diagnoses being made is lower than would be suggested by the South African prevalence rates. Those respondents who reported any prior training on IPV were more likely to have diagnosed IPV in the last 6 months (p= 0.0076) Most of the ECPs who diagnosed IPV counselled the patients on options and/or referred to police and/or social workers. Conclusion Although ECPs are diagnosing and managing IPV, training in this important health concern is inadequate. Any reported training on IPV for ECPs improves self-reported knowledge, actual knowledge and practices regarding IPV. / MT2017

Thesis advisor: Natana DeLong-Bas / This thesis analyzes intimate partner violence (IPV, also referred to as domestic violence) in Muslim communities in the U.S. from a legal, psychological, and theological perspective. IPV is a global issue—it is in no way confined to one ethnicity or religion. However, every community has its own set of challenges to face when dealing with IPV. This thesis assesses the risk factors that may be present in Muslim communities in the U.S.— risk factors include behaviors and beliefs that may harm victims of IPV as they seek help, support, and safety. It is equally important to assess sources of strength found within the community that help victims fight oppression, re-gain self-esteem, live in safety, and face their experiences of IPV with a resilient spirit. This thesis is a resource for all advocates who work with Muslim IPV victims and will enable them to use an Islamic framework to help bring healing and restoration to survivors of IPV. / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2016. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Arts and Sciences Honors Program. / Discipline: Theology.

Thesis advisor: Lisa Goodman / As domestic violence (DV) shelters have proliferated across the country over the last three decades, there has been a corresponding increase in the number of rules to which shelter residents must adhere. This qualitative content analysis study represents the first research to explore IPV survivors' experiences living with emergency DV shelter rules. Eight clusters emerged from interviews with 11 survivors: 1) Entering the shelter in a vulnerable state; 2) Perceiving staff-resident relationships as empowering or disempowering; 3) Making sense of the rules in the context of these relationships; 4) Experiencing staff enforcement as collaborative or hierarchical; 5) Experiencing the rules' impact on daily life; 6) Coping with rules; 7) Coping in the shelter generally; and 8) Making recommendations. Results suggest that less boundaried staff-resident relationships, less restrictive rules, and flexible, consistent, and collaborative enforcement lead to more positive experiences for residents. Recommendations are made for shelter practice and future research. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2010. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Counseling, Developmental, and Educational Psychology.

Thesis advisor: Lisa A. Goodman / For survivors of intimate partner violence, the very act of seeking help from a domestic violence (DV) shelter can incur enormous costs. One such cost involves what this study calls “parenting surveillance:” that is, DV advocates can observe, monitor, evaluate, and sometimes control survivors’ parenting—activities given added weight through their mandated reporter role. Although parenting surveillance has long been a feature of state intervention into family life, particularly for low-income women of color, it is largely unexplored in the DV shelter system. This is a striking gap for several reasons: First, most DV programs are committed to supporting survivors’ autonomy and empowerment, seemingly at odds with surveillance. Second, shelter surveillance may echo abusive dynamics from which survivors are attempting to escape. Third, survivors consistently cite fears of losing control of their parenting as a barrier to help-seeking. It is critical to understand the extent to which parenting surveillance prevents programs from achieving their own goals, potentially harming survivors, and obstructing their ability to seek help. Using a community-based participatory research approach, this qualitative-descriptive study aimed to explore survivor-mothers’ experiences of parenting surveillance among 12 residents of four shelters. Qualitative content analysis of the data that drew upon constant comparison techniques yielded six clusters: survivor-mothers (1) want and find support in their programs; (2) experience and witness parenting surveillance; (3) describe negative psychological responses to surveillance; (4) report varying effects on parenting and help-seeking related to surveillance; (5) cope with and resist surveillance; and (6) offer recommendations for improvements to DV shelters. Results suggest that although surveillance is a structural phenomenon, survivors perceived and experienced it differentially, based on their own identities and prior experiences, and the nature of their relationships with advocates. For advocates, ameliorating the damaging effects of surveillance involves both pragmatic and relational shifts grounded in empathy for survivor-mothers’ subjective experience of parenting in the context of their histories, identities, strengths, and vulnerabilities. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2019. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Counseling, Developmental and Educational Psychology.

Background: The perpetration of intimate partner violence by women remains a controversial issue with historical focus on males as perpetrators and females as victims. The Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act (2004) in the United Kingdom emphasised the importance of arresting domestic violence perpetrators regardless of gender and this has resulted in significant arrests of female perpetrators of IPV. This has been paralleled by a growing interest in understanding these offenders. Central to this, is gaining an understanding of the aetiology of this population of offenders and their motivations for perpetrating IPV. Investigating this empirically may inform understanding of females’ pathways into perpetrating IPV and may also inform treatment pathways and risk management of these offenders. Design/Methodology: Aims are addressed separately in two journal articles. In journal article 1, systematic searches of bibliographic databases, in addition to hand searches of various articles was conducted to identify any association between personality psychopathology and the perpetration of IPV in females. Journal article 2 describes an empirical investigation of motivation in 8 female IPV perpetrators through semi-structured interviews. The data was transcribed and analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Results: The results of the systematic review revealed an association with personality psychopathology and female perpetration of IPV, in particular cluster B traits. In relation to motivations the results revealed the value of considering offence supportive cognitions which underpin females’ motives for IPV, in addition to the context of women’s lives and the dynamic of the relationship. Conclusions: The relevance of personality psychopathology identified in journal article 1 is discussed in relation to assessment and intervention, in addition to limitations of the synthesis and clinical and empirical utility. The offence supportive cognitions identified in journal article 2 are discussed in relation to other offending behaviour groups, in addition to their clinical implications in the development of assessment and management of this population and of the development of effective interventions.

Forskning kring våld i nära relationer handlar ofta om fysiskt våld. Fysiskt våld uppfattas som mer allvarligt än psykiskt våld. Psykiskt våld har visats vara mer vanligt och skadorna går inte att upptäcka med blotta ögat. Studiens syfte var att undersöka uppfattningar om psykiskt våld i nära relationer. Etthundrasextionio högskolestudenter, varav 88 kvinnor läste en av två fiktiva vinjetter om psykiskt våld i en nära relation där förövaren var antingen man eller kvinna. Därefter svarade de på en enkät relaterat till vinjetten med frågor från mätinstrumentet Opinions on Domestic Violence Scale (ODVS). Tvåvägs variansanalyser för oberoende mätningar visade att kvinnorna uppfattade situationerna mer allvarligt än männen. När en kvinna blev utsatt för våld uppfattades det mer allvarligt. Resultaten var i linje med tidigare forskning om fysiskt våld. Det är av värde att fortsätta undersöka psykiskt våld i nära relationer för att våldet ska upphöra.

Many family mediators encounter intimate partner violence (IPV) during the course of child-custody and divorce mediation. By interviewing family mediators in Oregon I have established concrete strategies that mediators use when working with parties who may have a history of IPV. These strategies may be structural, such as building design and intake procedures, or they may be verbal interventions employed during the course of mediation. Mediators employed a wide variety of strategies based on their experience, situations, and intuition. Some strategies, like the use of shuttle mediation, were used by all the mediators I contacted. Other strategies, such as naming problematic behavior, were limited to only a few of the mediators. All the participating family mediators were aware of the possibility of IPV and consciously took measures to limit its influence on the mediation process when it existed.