Woman Abuse is recognized as a serious issue that is epidemic in Canadian
society; women of any ethnicity, race, education, and socio-economic status are at risk.
Although non-physical abuse is harmful, in the absence of physical abuse, it is often
overlooked or minimized by potential helpers. Consequently, in the absence of physical
abuse, understanding that the abuse is unacceptable and requires action, and having the
abuse taken seriously by potential helpers, is more difficult. The purpose of this study
was to better understand how women who have experienced non-physical abuse in an
intimate partner relationship use language to describe, interpret, and evaluate their
experiences, and how they communicate their understanding to others.
In this qualitative study, the narrative method was used to examine how women
use language to make meaning from their abuse experiences tempered by current
personal, family, sociocultural, and environmental norms. Five women who self-identified as having experienced non-physical abuse in an intimate partner relationship
participated in this study.
Data analysis of in-depth interviews included an examination of the telling of the
narrative, then an analysis of form and subsequent graphic depiction of the overall
structure of the narrative. The content analysis that followed derived six overarching
themes that formed the basis for new understanding in four key areas: categorization of
abuse constrains understanding for women survivors of abuse and potential helpers; the
evidence is in the telling: listening creates connection and enables recognition of abuse
across categories; recognition of the state of “Death” of Self clarifies and deepens
understanding of the impact of abuse; and education, employment, and support networks
can mediate the effects of abuse.
The findings emphasize the need to view all forms of abuse as abuse, and to view
women who may be experiencing abuse in intimate partner relationships as capable,
competent, and worthy. Connection and engagement is a vital step to providing access to
care and support, and the most helpful interventions for women who experience non-physical abuse in intimate partner relationships may be those that are decided upon
collaboratively with the woman, when the potential helper chooses to listen first.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:BVAU.2429/261 |
| Date | 05 1900 |
| Creators | Poirier, Judith |
| Publisher | University of British Columbia |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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