Diss. vet.-med. Bern, 1982.

Women accused of murdering their partner when faced with intimate partner violence (IPV) may be perceived in a unique light. However, there is little research on whether people's implicit and explicit gender bias plays a role in how they react or perceive women accused of murdering their partner. Therefore, this research aims to see an association between explicit and implicit gender bias in determining guilt in murder cases involving women suspects. The methods used for this research are an online survey, an implicit association test, and an ambivalent sexism inventory test. These tests will be put into the Fuzzy Set Qualitative Comparative Analysis. Some key findings were that the absence of Implicit Association Test and the discrepancy between the two explicit biases were linked to a less severe outcome. In contrast, only one case with a high level of all three gender biases was linked to severe outcomes. These results could be due to more psychologically rigid, naïve, or one-sided mindsets regarding the participants' perceptions of women.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) occurs between two individuals who have formerly been or are currently in an intimate relationship. IPV includes physical violence, sexual violence, threats of physical or sexual violence, and emotional abuse (Kernic, Wolf, & Holt, 2000; Rennison & Welchans, 2000). Experiencing IPV is associated with a serious impact on psychological health (Afifi, MacMillan, Cox, Asmundson, Stein, & Sareen, 2008; Calvete, Corral , & EstΘvez, 2008). Research on other forms of trauma indicates that experiential avoidance (EA) plays an important role in psychological distress and psychopathology. Thus, it was hypothesized that EA would play a key role in the impact of IPV. Using the Baron and Kenny (1986) method, the current study examined whether EA was a mediator between IPV severity and psychological distress, and whether EA was a mediator between IPV severity and PTSD symptomology, more specifically. In addition, mediational analyses were run to determine if suppression changed the relationships between IPV severity and psychological distress, or IPV severity and PTSD symptomology. Using the same methods, EA and suppression were both also examined as mediators between psychological/verbal abuse severity and psychological distress, and between psychological/verbal abuse severity and PTSD symptomology. No significant results were found in a treatment sample. However, several mediations and partial mediations were found in an undergraduate sample. These findings are likely to impact treatment of individuals who have experienced IPV and demonstrate the utility of acceptance and mindfulness based interventions such as ACT with this population.

Objectives: The goal of this investigation was to examine the prevalence of different types of intimate partner violence (IPV) during pregnancy, as well as the association between both physical and psychological IPV and negative health behaviors, including smoking, other substance use, inadequate prenatal care utilization, and nutrition, in a rural sample. Methods: 104 southern Appalachian women, primarily Caucasian and lower SES, completed a pregnancy interview focused on IPV (CTS2) and health behaviors. Medical records were also reviewed. Results: 81% of participants reported some type of IPV during the current pregnancy, with 28% reporting physical IPV, and 20% reporting sexual violence. More than half were current smokers. Physical IPV during pregnancy was associated with significantly increased rates of pregnancy smoking (including decreased rates of quitting and reducing), increased rates of alcohol, marijuana, and harder illicit drug use around the time of conception, and later entry into prenatal care. The experience of psychological IPV during pregnancy was associated with a significantly decreased likelihood of quitting or reducing smoking during pregnancy, an increased rate of alcohol use around the time of conception, and an increased rate of pre-pregnancy obesity. Conclusions: In this sample, pregnancy IPV and smoking occurred at rates well above national averages. Additionally, while physical IPV during pregnancy was associated with several negative pregnancy health behaviors, the experience of psychological IPV, even in the absence of physical IPV, also placed women at increased risk for negative health behaviors, all of which have been linked to poor pregnancy and newborn outcomes.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) includes physical, emotional, psychological and sexual abuse. The impact of IPV has become increasingly accepted as a significant public health problem worldwide. This manuscript thesis has two chapters which attempts to address the current gaps in IPV research in India. The first chapter compares people’s attitudes about IPV based on their gender, age, income and exposure to IPV. In order to better understand and compare men and women’s attitudes about IPV, 204 self-administered surveys were collected from the in- and out-patient clinics of the Sancheti Institute for Othopedics and Rehabilitation (SIOR), a hospital in Pune, India. The results of these surveys showed that men and older generations were more likely to agree that wife-slapping was a justified response to least one of the presented scenarios, and to support normatively prescribed rights of Indian husbands to have excessive power in a marriage. Income level and experience being a victim of IPV were not associated with attitudes towards IPV or husbands’ rights. The second chapter explores the use of the Woman’s Abuse Screening Tool (WAST) in a sample of 62 males. Results from the WAST indicated a 16% IPV prevalence rate. These two papers shed light on different aspects of IPV. Results from the first paper suggest that men and older generations should be targeted for educational initiatives aimed at reducing IPV. The second paper provides a much-needed estimation of IPV prevalence among Indian males. Together, these findings help close existing gaps in the literature regarding IPV in India. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

Studien har som syfte att undersöka vad som hindrar och möjliggör upptäckt av våldsutövare i arbetet med ekonomiskt bistånd och våld i nära relationer inom socialtjänsten. Studien baseras på kvalitativa, semistrukturerade intervjuer med åtta yrkesverksamma handläggare inom dessa två områden. Empirin analyseras utifrån Lispkys teori om gräsrotsbyråkraten samt Losekes socialkonstruktionistiska teori om sociala problem. Till det läggs perspektiv från Weiner om attribution samt Christies teori om det ideala offret. Studien visar att handläggare över lag är positiva till att arbeta med upptäckt av våldsutövare, även om detta släpar efter i relation till ett mer väletablerat arbete med upptäckt av våldsutsatta. Kunskapen om upptäckt utgår därför från den utsatta, och anpassade rutiner och verktyg saknas ännu i stor utsträckning för upptäckt av utövare. Möjligheter till upptäckt finns i ökad kunskap, systematiskt frågande och ett gott bemötande. Bemötandets möjligheter finns i en tillitsfull relation mellan handläggare och klient, där det kan skapas utrymme för självreflektion och öppenhet. För detta krävs också en helhetssyn för att inte missa signaler som tyder på våld. Synen på våldsutövaren är dubbel. Å ena sidan beskrivs en förändringsbar individ som på grund av omständigheter utanför dennes kontroll har drivits till att använda våld. Parallellt med denna bild målas en manipulativ person, driven av vilja till makt och kontroll. Båda är ovilliga att be om och ta emot stöd och hjälp. I förhållande till den tudelade bilden av våldsutövaren går även att skönja ett dubbelt förhållningssätt där handläggaren på ett teoretiskt plan understryker våldsutövarens behov av stöd till förändring samtidigt som man i praktiken känner ett motstånd och en ovilja att hjälpa en förövare. / This study aimes to investigate what hinders and enables the detection of perpetrators of violence in the work with economic assistance and domestic violence within social services. The study is based on qualitative, semi-structured interviews with eight professionals working in these two areas. The empirical data were analyzed using Lipsky’s theory of street-level bureaucracy and Loseke’s social constructionist theory of social problems. Additionally, perspectives from Weiner on attribution and Christie on the ideal victim were incorporated. The study shows that caseworkers are generally positive about working with the detection of perpetrators of violence, even though this work lags compared to the more well-established work on detecting victims of violence. Knowledge about detection is therefore based on working with the victims, and adapted routines and tools are still largely lacking for the detection of perpetrators. Opportunities for detection of perpetration of violence lie in increased knowledge, systematic questions, and positive engagement. Positive engagement creates opportunities through a trusting relationship between the caseworker and the client, where space can be created for self-reflection and openness. This also requires a holistic view not to miss signals indicating violence. The view of the perpetrator is dual. On the one hand, a changeable individual is described, who due to circumstances beyond his control has been driven to use violence. Alongside this image, a manipulative person driven by a desire for power and control is portrayed. Both are unwilling to ask for and receive support and help. In relation to the dual image of the nature of the perpetrator, a dual approach can also be discerned, where the caseworker theoretically emphasizes the perpetrator’s need for support to change while in practice feeling resistance and reluctance to help a perpetrator.

As children grow and age, they often look toward the people in their household for love and support. However, sometimes support at home can be impeded by things like witnessing intimate partner violence (IPV). It can include verbal attacks, yelling, intimidation, ridiculing, physical altercations, fighting, and sexual assault. Unfortunately, the prevalence of IPV may not be accurate since it often goes unreported. Specifically, most of the violence and maltreatment happing in the Latinx community has been unstudied and overlooked in research. Thus, it is important to further study why suicidal ideation and violence seem to co-occur and we need more data to understand how to support those being harmed by IPV.

Extant research suggests communication styles (CS) such as constructive communication (CC) to be associated positively with relationship satisfaction (RS) and negatively with mental health (MH) whereas self-demand / partner withdraw (SD/PW) communication is associated negatively with RS and positively with MH. Research also suggests child abuse (CA) to be associated with poorer CS, lower RS, and poorer MH. Further, RS has been differentially associated with MH and CS in adult intimate relationships. However, no study has examined these associations simultaneously. The current study aimed to (1) assess these associations in IPV-exposed women and (2) assess differences between those with and without a history of CA. Data (n = 412; Mage = 36.77, SD = 12.54) come from a larger data collection project (N = 676). I hypothesized that: (1) higher CC and RS would be associated with lower severity of MH symptoms; (2) higher SD/PW and lower RS would be associated with higher severity of MH symptoms; (3) women with a history of CA will report less CC, lower RS, and higher severity of MH symptoms; and (4) women with a history of CA will report more SD/PW, lower RS, and higher severity of MH symptoms. Results did not support hypotheses. Results suggest that CS and RS do not together predict MH in this population and do not differ for those with or without a history of CA. Future research should quantitatively and qualitatively investigate these associations in dyads in order to thoroughly assess the everyday nature of the relationship.

Bakgrund: Våld i nära relationer är ett stort problem som drabbar människor i hela världen. Våldet mot kvinnor är det vanligaste våldet och var tredje kvinna är eller har blivit utsatt för våld. Hälso-och sjukvården har ett ansvar att identifiera dessa utsatta kvinnor för att upptäcka våldet och kunna erbjuda hjälp. Syfte: I den här studien var syftet att undersöka i vilken utsträckning sjuksköterskor frågar om våld i nära relationer till kvinnliga patienter. Studien undersökte även vilka faktorer som påverkar sjuksköterskor att ställa frågan om våld och deras bemötande av våldsutsatta kvinnor. Metod: Studien var en kvantitativ tvärsnittsstudie och data samlades in med en enkätundersökning. Det var 46 sjuksköterskor som deltog från två vårdavdelningar på Akademiska sjukhuset i Uppsala. Svarsfrekvensen var 65 %. Resultat: En majoritet av sjuksköterskorna ställde sällan eller aldrig frågan om våld i nära relationer till kvinnliga patienter. Tidsbrist, okunskap, kommunikationssvårigheter och svårigheter att få tillgång till enskildhet var faktorer som påverkar ifall frågan ställs eller inte. Det var 65 % av sjuksköterskorna som upplevde att de i viss mån vet hur det ska bemöta en våldsutsatt kvinna. Att ha frågan om våld i nära relationer som standardfråga i ett inskrivningsformulär, ha mer tid för patienten samt få mer utbildning i ämnet skulle enligt sjuksköterskorna öka chanserna för att frågan skulle ställas. Slutsats: Sjuksköterskorna i studien frågade i liten utsträckning kvinnliga patienter om våld i nära relationer. Därmed missade de sannolikt flertalet utsatta kvinnor. Bättre rutiner på avdelningen skulle troligtvis öka chansen att sjuksköterskor skulle ställa frågan om våld i nära relationer. Till exempel vid ankomstsamtal, så som att ha en fråga om våld i inskrivningsformuläret och att ha samtal utan att patientens anhöriga är närvarande. Förändrade arbetsrutiner som minskar tidspress i arbetet och mer utbildning om våld i nära relationer kan möjligen påverka att fler frågor om våld ställs. / Background: Intimate partner violence, IPV, is a major problem that affects people worldwide. Violence against women is the most common violence and every third woman is or has been a victim of violence. Health services have a responsibility to identify these women and detect violence and offer to help. Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency of nurses asking about intimate partner violence to female patients. The study also investigated different factors that influenced the meeting with the female patient. Method: A quantitative cross-sectional study with data collected from a questionnaire. There were 46 nurses that attended from two patient wards at the Akademiska sjukshuset in Uppsala. The response rate was 65%. Results: Nurses did rarely or never ask female patient about intimate partner violence. Lack of time, lack of knowledge, communication difficulties and access to privacy were factors that influence whether the question were asked or not. Nurses felt that they some how knew how to respond to the victims of the violence. If the question of intimate partner violence was a standard question in the enrolment form and the nurses were offered more education, the chances are that nurses would ask the questions about intimate partner violence more often to female patients. Conclusion: Nurses in this study didn't or rarely ask female patients about intimate partner violence. Because of that they probably missed out of finding several women that are victims. Better routines at the department during the enrolment, as having the question about intimate partner violence in the enrolment form but also having a private conversation, would probably increase the chances of asking question about intimate violence. Changed routines in the working environment that decrease stress but also offer more education in intimate partner violence could hopefully increase the possibility to ask more questions about intimate partner violence.

Male-perpetrated intimate partner violence (IPV) against women remains as a pervasive and detrimental issue both in the United States and globally. Researchers, counselors, and others often develop psychological measures to help understand the causes of IPV in an effort to prevent this issue from occurring. Debate still persists within IPV research as to the definitive factors that contribute to the perpetration of IPV. The socio-feminist perspective remains as the predominant theoretical basis that drives IPV research and understanding. Despite this, no psychological measure grounded in this theory that predicts IPV perpetration proclivities has been developed and validated to date. The purpose of the current project was to develop and validate a psychological measure that predicts a likelihood to physically abuse a female intimate partner among heterosexual men – the Likelihood to Physically Abuse (LPA) scale. The development of which followed the methods of previously developed and validated measures of likelihood to rape and likelihood to sexually harass. Two studies were conducted that utilized two, independent and samples of adult, English-speaking American men. Study I involved a review of the literature to develop the LPA scale and initial internal reliability testing. Two hundred men were recruited using Qualtrics and were administered the LPA scale online. In Study II, three hundred men were recuited using Qualtrics and were administered the LPA scale along with other measures related to male-perpetrated IPV online. The purpose of the second study was to further test the internal reliability of the LPA scale and test the construct and external validity of this measure. The results from both studies demonstrated good internal reliability and initial evidence for good construct validity of the LPA scale. The LPA scale was concluded to show promising reliability and validity. However, the external validity results require further investigation. Implications for future IPV research and applications, and limitations are discussed.