ABSTRACT Intimate partner violence is a widely recognized problem in today’s society and in the social work field. It is also often considered one of the most complicated issues to adequately address and prevent. There are many challenges in understanding how IPV can occur and worsen over time, as well as why some victims choose to stay with their abusers. Intervening in relationships and families that are experiencing IPV is not an easy task, especially if the social worker who is dealing with the issue is not knowledgeable or has pre-conceived biases about domestic violence. In this study, the terms Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) and Domestic Violence (DV) were used interchangeably as both terms describe some type of abusive behavior by one individual towards another in a relationship. This quantitative study assessed the perceptions of social work students in the CSUSB MSW program towards victims of IPV who stay with their abusers. Participants completed an online survey that was created by the researcher using Qualtrics software. The study hypothesized that students’ perceptions about IPV victims varied depending on their personal and professional experience with IPV. This hypothesis was not supported by the data. Furthermore, the study hypothesized that students’ perceptions of IPV victims varied by the students’ education levels. This hypothesis was not supported by the data. The study is limited by a small sample of participants from one particular MSW program; these findings cannot be generalized to all social work students or to social workers in general. These findings and their implications for social work practice and curriculum are discussed.

Syfte: Att undersöka i vilken utsträckning sjuksköterskor på vårdcentraler ställer frågor om våldsutsatthet i nära relationer till kvinnliga patienter och vad som påverkar sjuksköterskornas ställningstagande till att fråga. Metod: Tvärsnittsstudie i form av en enkätundersökning. Sjuksköterskor (n=81) vid 11 vårdcentraler i ett mellansvenskt län besvarade en enkät med 13 frågor. Svarsfrekvensen var 77 procent. Resultat: Sjuksköterskor inom primärvården frågar i liten utsträckning sina kvinnliga patienter om de utsatts för våld i en nära relation. Den vanligast angivna faktorn till att sjuksköterskan ställer frågor om våld var misstanke om våld. Inga statistiskt säkerställda skillnader påvisades mellan sjuksköterskors benägenhet att ställa frågor om våld och om de erhållit utbildning i ämnet eller inte. Inga statistiska skillnader kunde heller ses i jämförelsen mellan de som använde handlingsplan i det kliniska arbetet och de som inte gjorde det med benägenheten att ställa frågor. Slutsats: Sjuksköterskor inom primärvården frågar i liten utsträckning sina kvinnliga patienter om de utsatts för våld i nära relationer. Sjuksköterskor saknar tillräcklig utbildning inom ämnet och använder i liten utsträckning befintlig handlingsplan. / Aim: To examine the extent to which nurses in primary health care ask questions about intimate partner violence to female patients and factors that influence nurses tendency to raise the question. Method: Cross-sectional study in the form of a survey. Nurses (n=81) at 11 primary health care clinics in a Swedish county answered a questionnaire with 13 questions. The response rate was 77 percent. Result: Nurses in primary health care clinics ask their female patients to a small extent if they have experienced violence in an intimate relationship. The most frequently mentioned factor to a nurse asking questions about violence was the suspicion of violence. No statistically significant differences were found between the nurses' tendency to ask questions about violence and whether they had received training on the subject or not. There were no statistical differences seen in the tendency to ask questions when looking at the comparison between those who used the action plan in their clinical work and those who did not. Conclusion: Nurses in health clinics ask, to a small extent, their female patients if they have experienced domestic violence. Nurses lack adequate training on the subject and only use existing action plans to a small extent.

Men who experience abuse in their relationships can undergo emotional hardships, suffer injuries, and can experience various psychological problems. Cultural gender norms create barriers in receiving the appropriate help men need. Large population based studies show that men do in fact experience incidents of physical and emotional abuse yet men are often overlooked in the domestic violence literature. Intimate partner violence (IPV) is an important societal problem that needs to be evaluated and addressed for both genders, even if women are the primary victims of IPV. This report will present research regarding the prevalence of female-perpetrated abuse and discuss implications within the literature. The impact and consequences IPV has on men will be reviewed as well as barriers men face in getting help. New questions will be posed that need addressing and practical implications will be provided for researchers and mental health practitioners. / text

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is a major public health issue occuring in the United States and globally. While little is known in general about IPV, understanding about the prevalence of physical IPV among gay men is even more obscure. Scientific literature indicates that harmful lifestyle health behaviors (alcohol and drug abuse, smoking, and risky sexual behaviors) are associated with the increased occurenece of IPV. Intimate Partner Violence in same-sex relationships is often unreported due to society's emphasis on "moral closets" or the fear of potential repercussions. As a result, very few empiracal researches have been conducted on the phenomenon of same-sex partner abuse. this study was conducted to examine the feasibility of enrolling 100 gay men from Atlaqnta into an IPV survey study. The survey was administered via Facebook. Ninety-nine usable surveys were collected. Chi-square tests reveal that being Non-White, using substaces (alcohol, tobacco, and elicit drugs) and non-disclosed orientation staus were all significantly associated with positive IPV reports. Overall, the study sample believes IPV is a health problem in the Atlanta gay community. These findings bear importance for the Atlanta gay community and public health professionals who must address this nearly invisible yet increasing public health issue.

It is well documented that exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV) negatively affects children’s developmental outcomes (Chan & Yeung, 2009; Evans, Davies & DiLillo, 2008) and may lead to the expression of symptomatology consistent with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (Graham-Bermann, De Voe, Mattis, Lynch & Thomas, 2006; Kilpatrick & Williams,1998). Currently there is no consensus as to the nature of the influence of mother-child relationships on child outcomes such as post-traumatic stress symptoms in IPV-exposed families. The present study examined the role of maternal influences, such as the quality of mother-child interaction, maternal depression, and maternal violence history on sibling trauma outcomes. Results indicated that increased maternal depressive symptoms, maternal violence history, and negative mother-child interactions did not significantly predict post-traumatic stress symptoms in siblings exposed to IPV. Findings provided support for the notion of maternal compensatory strategies used to protect siblings from the detrimental consequences of IPV exposure.

Increasing attention has been given to men’s experiences as victims of intimate partner violence in the Western world, mostly in quantitative research, within different research fields. The aim of this research paper is to explore men’sspecific experiences of intimate partner violence in heterosexual relationships in a Swedish context, through a gender perspective and with a qualitative research approach. The paper begins by briefly mentioning key findings in existing quantitative and qualitative research, focusing on Sweden. Additionally, areas of divergence with regard to definitions and differing research approaches are discussed. The theoretical framework builds upon theories of patterns of intimate partner violence and constructions of masculinities. In the five narratives representing the primary data of the study, varying experiences of psychological and physical violence and views on gender relations and masculinities are expressed. Some key elements are identified in the narratives and these are analyzed in relation to prior research findings/theoretical framework. Prior research findings, as well as theoretical suppositions regarding men as victims of intimate partner violence in heterosexual relationships as either unthinkable or stigmatizing, are manifested also in the narratives.

It is well documented that exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV) negatively affects children’s developmental outcomes (Chan & Yeung, 2009; Evans, Davies & DiLillo, 2008) and may lead to the expression of symptomatology consistent with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (Graham-Bermann, De Voe, Mattis, Lynch & Thomas, 2006; Kilpatrick & Williams,1998). Currently there is no consensus as to the nature of the influence of mother-child relationships on child outcomes such as post-traumatic stress symptoms in IPV-exposed families. The present study examined the role of maternal influences, such as the quality of mother-child interaction, maternal depression, and maternal violence history on sibling trauma outcomes. Results indicated that increased maternal depressive symptoms, maternal violence history, and negative mother-child interactions did not significantly predict post-traumatic stress symptoms in siblings exposed to IPV. Findings provided support for the notion of maternal compensatory strategies used to protect siblings from the detrimental consequences of IPV exposure.

Introduction: Women exposed to intimate partner violence is common and a major healthproblem globally. It is considered one of the biggest causes of illness in women, which can beof a physical, mental or psychosomatic nature. Identifying these women in health care istherefore of the utmost importance in order to be able to implement health-promotingmeasures from a person-centered perspective. Aim: The aim was to describe women's experiences of living with intimate partner violence. Method: A literature review based on 18 qualitative original articles from 2016-2021 viaPubMed and CINAHL that have been quality reviewed and analyzed with qualitative contentanalysis. Findings: After analysis, three themes were identified: Living under threat, Scarred for lifeand Sense of hope and six subcategories: Fear, Isolation, Physical illness, Mental illness,Hope for change and Hopelessness. Conclusion: Intimate partner violence occurs all over the world. The women feel threatened,which leads to fear and isolation from the outside world. Some have feelings of hope forchange, while others experience hopelessness. The injuries that occur as a result of violenceare not always visible, many women live with mental and psychosomatic disorders. / Introduktion: Kvinnor som utsätts för våld i nära relationer är vanligt förekommande och ettstort hälsoproblem globalt. Det räknas som en av de största orsakerna till ohälsa hos kvinnoroch kan vara av fysisk, psykisk eller psykosomatisk karaktär. Det är av största vikt attidentifiera dessa kvinnor i hälso- och sjukvården för att kunna sätta in hälsofrämjandeåtgärder ur ett personcentrerat perspektiv. Syfte: Syftet var att beskriva kvinnors upplevelser av att leva i en våldsnära relation.Metod: En litteraturstudie baserad på 18 kvalitativa originalartiklar från 2016-2021 viaPubMed och CINAHL som kvalitetsgranskats och analyserats med kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Resultat: Efter analys identifierades tre teman: Att leva under hot, Men för livet och Känslaav hopp samt sex underkategorier: Rädsla, Isolering, Fysisk ohälsa, Psykisk ohälsa, Hopp omförändring och Hopplöshet. Slutsats: Våld i nära relationer förekommer över hela världen där kvinnorna upplever sighotade, vilket leder till rädsla och isolering från omvärlden. Vissa har känslor av hopp omförändring, medan andra upplever hopplöshet. De skador som uppkommer till följd av våldetär inte alltid synliga, utan många kvinnor lever även med psykiska och psykosomatiskabesvär.

Thesis (M.A. (Clinical Psychology)) -- University of Limpopo, 2019 / Intimate partner violence (IPV) poses a major challenge for social workers worldwide, as well as in South Africa. In light in the above, the present study aimed to explore the lived experiences of social workers dealing with victims of IPV at Ehlanzeni District, Mpumalanga Province. A qualitative study was conducted among social workers working with victims of IPV. The study had anticipated using 10 participants but, due to data saturation, only six participants were interviewed. Each interview took 45–60 minutes, depending on each participant’s responses. A total of six participants, all females between the ages of 24 and 39 years, were selected using purposive sampling. The data were collected using semi-structured interviews, and interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) was applied for data analysis. Four major themes emerged from the analysis of the data: a) emotional and psychological distress experienced by social workers; b) impact on personal and professional lives; c) coping strategies; and d) vicarious posttraumatic growth. Importantly, some themes and subthemes not included in the interview guide emerged from the data. These included subthemes such as family involvement and societal pressure. The findings of the study highlighted that it is quite rare for men to report IPV, although at times they do. There is greater IPV prevalence among females of different ages. Secondary traumatisation is one of the negative effects that social workers experience when working with cases of traumatic IPV. However, social workers have found effective ways of coping with the demands of their work. Some of the identified coping mechanisms included choosing to spend time with family, trying to forget about the day’s work, travelling, being strong and resilient, consulting a psychologist, playing games, praying (spirituality) and reading the Bible, sharing their experiences with a more experienced social worker, spending time with friends, laughing, singing and remaining professional. The study found that these coping strategies helped the social workers to deal with burnout and compassion fatigue. The present study recommends that effective coping methods and support for mental health care workers are needed to assist with secondary trauma stress and the negative effects that comes with the job.

The present study constitutes the qualitative part of a project with aim to evaluate the implementation of Region Skåne’s care program to prevent intimate partner violence. Due to the increasing awareness of youth intimate partner violence in Sweden, the study aim was to evaluate the extent to which the care program has been implemented, as well as what the perceptions of the care program were, in three care settings specialized in young patients. A qualitative focus group study with an inductive approach was chosen. Four focus groups with 12 participants recruited from three care settings specialized in young patients within the region of Skåne county were held. Three of the participants were not explicitly governed by regional guidelines due to working in units which constituted a partnership between the region and the municipality. The data was analysed by using thematic analysis. Two main themes appeared in the findings, with the first being organizational leadership. Factors associated was that the care program had not been fully communicated and/or implemented in any regional unit. Further, the extent to which the professionals had obtained extensive training and/or perceived themselves as supported from the management varied. The second main theme, the clinical practice, reflected the clinical experiences of various types of violence, tasks that could appear challenging such as documenting IPV, screening for IPV online and making reports of concern. The main conclusion is that there are gaps between policy and practice in all contexts where the program is to be used. Recommendations are that organizational leaders should ensure the program to be sufficiently communicated to all professionals, and be responsive to requests for local adjustments and/or insecurities in relation to following the program, in order for neither screenings, nor documentation, nor making reports to fall between the cracks. / Den ingår i en ännu pågående utvärdering av Region Skånes vårdprogram mot våld i nära relationer. Projektet är finansierat av BRÅ.