Intimate Partner Violence: The Relationship Between the Stages of Change, Maintenance Factors, and the Decision to Keep or Leave the Violent Partner

Fávero M., Cruz N., Moreira D., Del Campo A., Sousa-Gomes V.

This study aimed to analyze the experiences of victims of violence in intimate relationships (VIRs) who remain in, return to, or abandon the abusive relationship, as well as examine the type of violence suffered, the existing symptoms, and the motivation to change as explained by the Transtheoretical Model of Change.

Imeri H., Toth J., Arnold A., Barnard M.

Medication nonadherence is an important public health issue that has individual and system-level implications. Nonadherence can lead to negative health outcomes and illness, which in turn produce increased healthcare costs for both the individual and system. The transtheoretical model of change (TTM) can be a useful basis for interventions, as it can identify patients' current stages of change and guide them from nonadherence to adherence.The objective of this systematic review was to determine the utilization of the TTM to predict or improve medication adherence in patients with chronic conditions.A systematic review of current literature was conducted to obtain an overview of the use of TTM-informed interventions for medication adherence in chronic conditions. PubMed, Embase, PsycInfo and CINAHL databases were searched in July 2020. The methodological quality of the studies was evaluated using the Downs and Black checklist. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines were followed for data extraction, analysis, and reporting.Ten studies were included in the final data synthesis of this review. Eight of the reviewed studies supported the utility of TTM to predict or improve medication adherence in patients with chronic conditions, while two studies did not find any significant improvement in medication adherence after using a TTM-based intervention. The Downs and Black checklist revealed the overall methodological quality of the included studies to be fair [mean (SD) = 16.3 (4.5) of a possible maximum score of 28].This systematic review provides an overview of the utility of TTM in predicting and improving medication adherence in patients with chronic conditions. Although TTM-based interventions in patients with low or moderate medication adherence were effective, there were few studies identified, suggesting the need for further research.

Moreira D., Moreira D.S., Barbosa F., Sousa-Gomes V., Fávero M.

Psychopathy has a considerable societal cost, which motivates research on the mechanisms that cause individuals to engage and persist in antisocial behaviors. It is known that individuals with marked psychopathic traits or callous-unemotional traits typically engage in higher rates of aggressive behaviors. These traits seem to have roots both in biological and environmental factors. This article aims to clarify, through a comprehensive review of the literature, what kind of traumas experienced in childhood may contribute to the development of a psychopathic personality structure.To the best of our knowledge, this is the first review to organize such evidence.Childhood maltreatment has been associated with a wide range of maladaptive outcomes, ranging from internalizing to externalizing symptoms. Some have suggested that this range of symptoms is largely attributable to a disruption in the usual parent-child attachment bond, which may occur in parent-child relationships characterized by emotional maltreatment. Many studies now suggest that key features of temperament, such as anger, self-regulation/self-control, and negative emotionality, can be positively influenced through prevention and treatment programs.This comprehensive review provides information for improving our ability to treat problematic personalities and reduce the risk of future antisocial behavior. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Santoniccolo F., Trombetta T., Rollè L.

Same-Sex Intimate Partner Violence (SSIPV) is a complex issue that can be severely damaging. When involved in SSIPV, victims and perpetrators sometimes choose to seek help. The help-seeking process, however, can be difficult. Experiences of help-seeking seem to vary and may be positive or negative depending on several factors, some of which appear to be specific to lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) people involved in a same-sex relationship. A systematic review of the literature has been conducted across four databases following the PRISMA statement guidelines. Out of 410 screened abstracts, 78 articles were selected for full-text review. Following the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 21 studies were included in the current review. Thematic analysis was conducted on these studies and results were discussed by three reviewers. Help-seekers tended to use informal sources of help, perceived to be ambivalently helpful. Formal sources tended to be utilized sparingly, except for counselors. Many formal sources were perceived to be unhelpful, and most of the studies identified several barriers to services that prevented effective help. Formal and helpful sources were perceived as knowledgeable and sensitive about LGB themes. While existing research is limited, formal services that can provide effective care for SSIPV appear scarce. Barriers to services seem widespread, limiting accessibility. Existing services would benefit from increasing their knowledge and sensitivity on SSIPV-specific themes. The development of policies, programs, and interventions that aim to provide effective help is needed, as well as more research.

Pagliaro S., Cavazza N., Paolini D., Teresi M., Johnson J.D., Pacilli M.G.

This article examined indirect consequences for the victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) in terms of ostracism and reputational threats. Through an experimental vignette survey, we compared bystanders’ reactions to either an intimate partner violence episode or a generic violence episode. A victim of IPV (vs. generic violence) received a more negative moral evaluation and was considered as more responsible for the violence perpetrated on her. This made participants not only anticipate a less positive reputation attributed to the victim but also report less willingness to approach and defend the victim and include her in relevant ingroups 1 year after the episode.

Albanesi C., Tomasetto C., Guardabassi V.

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is one of the most common forms of domestic violence, with profound implication for women's physical and psychological health. In this text we adopted the Empowerment Process Model (EPM) by Cattaneo and Goodman (Psychol Violence 5(1):84–94) to analyse interventions provided to victims of IPV by a Support Centre for Women (SCW) in Italy, and understand its contribution to women’s empowerment. We conducted semi-structured interviews with ten women who had been enrolled in a program for IPV survivors at a SCW in the past three years. The interviews focused on the programs’ aims, actions undertaken to reach them, and the impact on the women’s lives, and were analysed using an interpretative phenomenological approach. Results showed that the interventions provided by the SWC were adapted according to women's needs. In the early phases, women’s primary aim was ending violence, and the intervention by the SCW was deemed as helpful to the extent it provided psychological support, protection and safe housing. Women’s aims subsequently moved to self-actualisation and economic and personal independence which required professional training, internships, and social support. Although satisfying the majority of the women’s expectations, other important needs (e.g., economic support or legal services) were poorly addressed, and cooperation with other services (e.g., police or social services) was sometimes deemed as critical. By evaluating a program offered by a SCW to IPV survivors through the lens of the EPM model, we found that women deemed the program as effective when both individual resources and empowerment processes were promoted. Strengths, limitations and implications are discussed.

Mahapatro M., Prasad M.M., Singh S.P.

The present study aims to analyze the role of social support in the lives of women survivors of domestic violence who filed a complaint with the Mahila Salah and Suraksha Kendra (MSSK) Alwar, India, while residing with the abusive husband and his family during the lockdown period of COVID-19. The study explores the role of MSSK with extended vulnerability of women during the lockdown period at large. This study adopts an exploratory qualitative method. A total of 36 married women who had filed a complaint with MSSK before and during the lockdown were included. Interviews with the women were held through telephonic conversations on vulnerability, coping mechanism and extent and forms of social support. Thematic content analysis was done in a stepwise manner. Results show that degeneration of social support model is time -bound and the accuracy of applying this model wane under extended condition of vulnerability caused due to COVID-19. MSSK can expand support by creating and integrating virtual community networks to detect and deter violence during the lockdown. The study suggests that the government can ensure and empower bystanders with skills of modern communication. The existing physical institutional delivery mechanism need to evolve strategies that are resilient to emerging threats from the vulnerable ecosystem.

Shin N., Park E.

This study explored the association between informal support (positive/negative) and three formal services (police, legal, and domestic violence services) among battered women and to examine the fa...

Battista S.D., Paolini D., Pivetti M., Biondi P., Balsamo M., Carlucci L., Cigliano I.A., Mazzoni S.

The study aims to provide a preliminary examination of the psychometric properties of the Italian version of Multidimensional Measure of Emotional Abuse (MMEA) and aims to investigate consequences ...

Wilcox T., Greenwood M., Pullen A., O’Leary Kelly A., Jones D.

Domestic violence is a global pandemic. Domestic violence is gendered violence and perpetuates women's inequality. Women experience domestic violence at higher rates than men, and the perpetrators are, more often than not, men. Organizations play an essential role in addressing domestic violence. This article establishes the relationship between domestic violence and organizations at four interfaces of contemporary relevance, to make visible the ways in which domestic violence sustains gender inequality. Interfaces that are central to problematizing domestic violence and organization are discussed: domestic–work; business–society; men–women; and mind/rationality–body/emotion. Adopting the heuristic of interfaces draws our attention to the boundaries that separate fields but also that which connects them, enabling multidisciplinary research across domestic violence to be reviewed in a way that surfaces both the complexities and the organizational responsibility for action‐based change in practice and scholarship. The article concludes by calling for future research that transcends practice and scholarship.

Vieira P.R., Garcia L.P., Maciel E.L.

RESUMO: O isolamento social imposto pela pandemia da COVID-19 traz à tona, de forma potencializada, alguns indicadores preocupantes sobre a violência doméstica e a violência familiar contra a mulher. As organizações voltadas ao enfrentamento da violência doméstica já observaram aumento da violência doméstica por causa da coexistência forçada, do estresse econômico e de temores sobre o coronavírus. O artigo busca estabelecer algumas relações entre o isolamento social durante a pandemia da COVID-19 e o aumento da violência contra as mulheres, levando em conta o contexto de uma sociedade patriarcal. Foram analisados dados, ainda incipientes, publicados pela imprensa de diversos países, bem como relatórios de organizações internacionais e organizações direcionadas ao enfrentamento da violência doméstica. Paralelamente, fez-se uma breve revisão de literatura com autores que discutem o papel social da mulher na sociedade.

Mahapatro M., Singh S.P.

Coping is one of the most important and widely studied aspects of domestic violence (DV). Women adopt a wide variety of coping strategies to manage abuse, ranging from individual estrangement to institutional entitlements. The condition of women becomes complex when they seek institutional support while living with an abusive husband and his family under the common hearth. The present study aims to analyze the coping strategy of mediation between informal and formal justice while residing with an abusive husband and his family. Further, the study explores the coping strategy as an outcome of the contextual factor and associated psychological distress. It is a prospective intervention study with a 4-month span building awareness, counseling (individual, couple, and family counseling), and case-specific advice (safety plan, choice-making, and problem-solving). A baseline and endline assessment with SRQ-20 and in-depth interviews were carried out on 299 married women who had registered a complaint with a family counseling center (FCC); Mahila Suraksha Evam Salah Kendra (MSSK) in Alwar district, India. To understand the context and the coping strategy adopted by women, in-depth interviews were carried out. The results show that there is a differential impact of DV, psychological distress, and coping strategy based on contextual factor; women having an informal support system have a better result in coping; and intervention at the formal system resulted in improving coping strategy and simultaneously reducing psychological distress. As the mediation period is interminable and traumatic, the institutional support to women survivors of DV is an important policy alternative for improving survivors' well-being, especially in an unsupportive informal context.

Ferraresso R.

Park S., Bang S., Jeon J.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is defined as physical, psychological, and sexual violence that occurs in an intimate relationship. For the victims, it often leads to devastating consequences such as physical injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Research on IPV has been extensively conducted for several decades. However, most studies have focused on male-to-female perpetration, and men’s victimization has been relatively neglected. This study aims to explore men’s IPV experiences within the context of Korean society, which is characterized by strong gender norms that may impede efforts to understand how men are victimized. Eleven Korean male IPV victims participated in semi-structured phone or in-person interviews lasting 1 to 2 hr, all of which were audio-recorded and transcribed. The transcriptions were qualitatively analyzed using a phenomenological method suggested by Giorgi. In total, six themes were revealed in the data: (a) living with violence, (b) enduring the violent relationship, (c) feeling helpless, (d) ending the relationship, (e) suffering from trauma, and (f) perceiving male victimization in society. Our findings are meaningful in terms of demonstrating how masculinity in one society can shape the thoughts, emotions, reactions, and behaviors of male victims. These findings can be used to tailor outreach efforts and interventions to the unique experiences of Korean men.

Park S., Ko Y.

For victims of intimate partner violence (IPV), seeking help is an important step in escaping their violent situations; nonetheless, their experiences in help-seeking are diverse and often influenced by sociocultural factors. The purpose of this study was to understand South Korean female IPV victims’ experiences in seeking help. Qualitative data were collected from interviews with 14 female victims and analyzed using content analysis. We presented the victims’ experiences according to their choice of support (e.g., friends, family, community, or police) and noted four factors that appear to influence their support selection.