Journal articles: 'Battered partner' – Grafiati (2024)

Abstract:

This special issue addresses some of the contradictions found in the research literature on intimate partner violence. Much of this work is concerned with the problems of severely battered women. However, other research indicates that women can be just as violent as their partners. Articles in this issue begin to explore some of the ways that women express intimate partner violence and argue that there is more than one type of partner violence. Motives and other correlates of violence are examined and future research directions are outlined.

Abstract:

Stalking has been relatively understudied compared to other dimensions of intimate partner violence. The purpose of this article was to examine concurrent and subsequent intimate partner abuse, strategic responses and symptomatic consequences of severe stalking experienced by battered women. Thirty-five battered women classified as “relentlessly stalked” and 31 infrequently stalked battered women were compared. Compared to infrequently stalked battered women, relentlessly stalked battered women reported: (a) more severe concurrent physical violence, sexual assault and emotional abuse: (b) increased post-separation assault and stalking; (c) increased rates of depression and PTSD; and (d) more extensive use of strategic responses to abuse. Results underscore the scope and magnitude of stalking faced by battered women and have implications for assessment and intervention strategies.

Abstract:

The contribution of psychological abuse, beyond that of physical abuse, to battered women’s psychological adjustment and their intentions to terminate their abusive relationships was examined. Sixty-eight battered women residing in shelters for battered women provided information on their: (1) physical and psychological abuse; (2) psychological symptomatology; (3) strategies for coping with and perceptions of control over partner violence; and (4) intentions to return to their abusive partners. Multiple regression analyses indicated that frequency and severity of physical abuse was not a significant predictor of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomatology nor of women’s intentions to terminate their abusive relationships. However, psychological abuse was a significant predictor of both PTSD symptomatology and intentions to permanently leave abusive partners even after controlling for the effects of physical abuse. PTSD symptomatology moderated the relationship between psychological abuse and intentions to terminate the abusive relationships: resolve to leave the abusive partner as a function of level of psychological abuse was significant only among women characterized by low levels of PTSD symptomatology. Greater use of emotion-focused coping strategies, absolutely and relative to problem-focused coping, had direct effects on PTSD symptomatology. However, neither coping nor perceptions of control moderated the effects of psychological abuse on psychological adjustment. The results of the investigation suggested that psychological abuse and ensuing PTSD symptomatology are important variables to assess among physically battered women.

Abstract:

Findings from 207 interviews of urban, African American women indicated that 65% of the women said they favored prosecution of their abusers. A logistic regression showed that the following independent variables were related to significantly decreased odds of opposing prosecution: prosecution being initiated, being separated from partner, and abuser’s use of alcohol and/or drugs during violent incidents in the last 6 months. Bivariate analysis showed that a long history of severe abuse by the partner was associated with favoring prosecution. The most common reasons that women gave for favoring prosecution were that abuse is illegal and not acceptable and that abusers should not violate or touch women. The most common reasons for opposing prosecution were that women believed the incident was not serious or was the first time he was violent. The study can be used to expand discussion about prosecution of batterers.

Abstract:

In studies of male aggressiveness and p*rnography, social psychologists have found evidence to support the theory that consumption of p*rnography by males increases their aggressiveness and antisocial attitudes toward women. The research reported here studied the presence of p*rnography and both sexual and nonsexual violence in the lives of two groups of women: a group of battered women drawn from shelters and counseling groups, and a comparison group of women from a mature university population. It was found that the partners of the battered women read or viewed significantly greater amounts of p*rnographic materials than did the partners of the comparison group. In addition, 39% of the battered women (in contrast to 3% of the comparison group) responded in the affirmative to the question, “Has your partner ever upset you by trying to get you to do what he’d seen in p*rnographic pictures, movies, or books?” It was also found that battered women experienced significantly more sexual aggression at the hands of their partners than did the women in the comparison group.

Abstract:

Intimate partner violence against women has received considerable attention from nurse-researchers over the past 10 years. Although the amount and sophistication of both quantitative and qualitative research have changed over time, nursing research on intimate partner violence against women has not lost its perspective; nurse-researchers have continued to address women survivors’ full range of human responses to violence. Research into violence during pregnancy and battered women’s psychological responses to abuse have received considerable attention. Research into violence during pregnancy and battered women’s psychological responses to abuse have received considerable attention. Research into violence during pregnancy accounts for fully 20% of all the reviewed nursing research. The largely qualitative research into women’s psychological. responses to violence is particularly rich and remarkably similar across multiple studies. International studies on intimate partner violence are beginning to appear in the literature and research that addresses the unique experience of ethnically diverse women is occurring with greater frequency. The purpose of this chapter is to review nursing research on intimate partner violence against women in the past decade. Future directions for nursing research, practice, and education are included.

Abstract:

This study compared responses of masters and doctoral level counseling students to two domestic violence scenarios. Participants read a two paragraph description of a battering incident involving either a heterosexual or lesbian couple and then gave their impressions via a series of open and closed ended questions. Scenarios were identical save the manipulation of sexual partner as same or opposite sex. Experience and/or education with battered and/or gay/lesbian clients is also examined. Results indicated that subjects perceived the heterosexual battering incident as more violent than the lesbian battering incident and would be more likely to charge the male batterer than the female batterer with assault. Differences in treatment recommendations were made according to sexual orientation of the victim. Less than half of the respondents had coursework or practical experience pertaining to domestic violence and/or gay/lesbian concerns.

Abstract:

This study investigated the influence of defendant characteristics, expert testimony, self-defense elements, and battered partner attributes on conviction in a homicide trial. An online sample of 442 U.S. mock jurors evaluated a self-defense scenario, provided a verdict, and answered questions pertaining to defendant culpability, legal elements, and battered partner attributes. Results showed that heterosexual female defendants were most likely to meet legal requirements of self-defense. Female participants were more likely to believe that heterosexual female defendants exhibited attributes associated with the battered partner’s syndrome (i.e., suffered from abuse and learned helplessness). Male participants were less likely to believe that hom*osexual male defendants suffered from attributes associated with the syndrome. There were no effects of expert testimony on the battered partner’s syndrome. Logistic regression analysis indicated that self-defense legal elements and belief that the defendant should have left the abusive relationship predicted greater likelihood of conviction. Limitations and implications for jury selection and attorney arguments are discussed.

Abstract:

This is a case study of Transition House in Cambridge, MA, a pioneering feminist agency founded in 1976. Transition House has survived and is, today, a thriving agency. Based on interviews with and papers collected from those involved in founding and running it, as well as a few guests/clients, I argue that Transition House’s evolution was impelled by three major forces shared with other early domestic violence agencies: changes in the culture due in part to successes of the battered women’s movement in the early years, changes in the larger political–economic context due to national policies and economic trends, which make getting out of poverty in 2017 more difficult than it was in the 1970s, and learning from survivors and from evolving research on domestic violence. In 1976, the immediate focus was on women “battered” by their partners, and the agency was strongly identified with the women’s movement. In 2017, the focus is on women who are battered by economic and social conditions as much as by their partners, and the agency is seen as a partner with the city and with other nonprofit agencies.

Abstract:

This study examines the role of cognitive distortion in women’s decision to stay with or leave their violent partner in a sample of Bolivian women. Our study is based on a consistency model: Cognitive distortion is assumed to play an important role in maintaining cognitive consistency under threatening conditions. Eighty victims of partner violence aged 18 to 62 years who sought help in a legal institution were longitudinally assessed three times over a time period of 6 months. Measures were taken from previous studies and culturally adapted through qualitative interviews. Nearly half of the participants decreased their intention to leave the violent partner in the time span of 1 month between the first and second interview. Women who had decreased their leaving intention had concurrently increased their cognitive distortion: They blamed their partner less, were more convinced that they could stop the violence themselves, and were more likely to believe that their partner would change. Cognitive distortion was not observed among women who remained stable in their intention to leave. Women whose intention of leaving decreased and who displayed more cognitive distortion after 1 month were more likely to live with the violent partner 6 months later than women whose leaving intention remained stable or increased. Socio-demographic variables were not related to cognitive distortion or stay–leave decisions in this study. We conclude that cognitive distortion plays a role for women’s decision to stay, enhancing their risk of re-victimization.

Abstract:

Severe and escalating violence is cited as a precursor to intimate partner homicide and figures prominently in risk assessments and domestic violence death reviews. Drawing on interviews from the Australian Homicide Project with a sample of men convicted of killing intimate partners, we examine the backgrounds of perpetrators and the contexts in which the killings occurred and find that fully half report no physical or sexual assaults against their partners in the year prior to the homicide. These results raise important questions about assessments of risk and the typification of the “battered woman” on which many policy responses rely.

Abstract:

This paper addresses the experiences of battered immigrant Latina women when contacting police for assistance in attempting to reduce, end or flee violence. The research consists of interviews with 230 battered immigrant Latina women experiencing violence. The analysis examined the factors contributing to the extent, frequency and readiness of the women to call the police. The police response to and the effect of seeking help by battered immigrant Latina women on arrest of the perpetrator were also explored. The results show that the number of times and the frequency of contacting the police among battered immigrant Latina women was far less than would be expected based on their experiences with intimate partner violence. The factors which led women to call the police were mostly related to the stability of their immigration status, their children's exposure to violence, the women's region of origin and the frequency of domestic violence. The police response to this group of women demonstrates a lack of cultural sensitivity, and produces concerns regarding language accessibility and low rates of arrest. The paper concludes with recommendations about the need to better incorporate immigration as an additional factor in understanding intimate partner violence and help-seeking from police. We propose more thorough diversity training of police focusing particularly on immigrant battered women; the availability of interpreters for such calls within the immigrant communities; educating of the police about appropriate culturally based services available in their communities and better understanding of immigration options for battered immigrant women, including the protections afforded by the Violence Against Women Act.

Abstract:

Previous studies have examined intimate partner violence (IPV) in popular culture; however, little attention has been given to the presence of domestic violence myths in comic books. Using a convenience sample taken from popular comic book series, this content analysis examines the prevalence of IPV and the myths used to justify such portrayals. Findings indicate that the reinforcement of IPV through myths is clearly evident within mainstream comic books. Discussion of the negative impact of the acceptance and reinforcement of IPV myths is addressed.

Abstract:

The aims of this study were to provide descriptive data on stalking in a sample of acutely battered women and to assess the interrelationship between constructs of emotional abuse, physical violence, and stalking in battered women. We recruited a sample of 114 battered women from shelters, agencies, and from the community at large. Results support the growing consensus that violent and harassing stalking behaviors occur with alarming frequency among physically battered women, both while they are in the relationship and after they leave their abusive partners. Emotional and psychological abuse emerged as strong predictors of within- and postrelationship stalking, and contributed a unique variance to women’s fears of future serious harm or death, even after the effects of physical violence were controlled. The length of time a woman was out of the violent relationship was the strongest predictor of postseparation stalking, with increased stalking found with greater time out of the relationship. Results suggest the need to further study the heterogeneity of stalking and to clarify its relationship to constructs of emotional and physical abuse in diverse samples that include stalked but nonbattered women, as women exposed to emotional abuse, and dating violence.

Abstract:

This article addresses the intersectional nature of intimate partner violence (IPV) against female marriage migrants in Mainland China–Hong Kong cross-border marriages. The author analyzes data from 15 battered female marriage migrants who share the same ethnicity as their husbands to illustrate how the immigration of female marriage migrants intricately intersects with gender, class, and culture to form a multifaceted system that traps battered marriage migrants in abusive marriages. It is proposed that marriage migration, as a distinct form of migration, involves certain intrinsic risk factors that make marriage migrants particularly vulnerable to IPV.

Abstract:

This study aims to identify different types of response to intimate partner violence (IPV) and help-related seeking behavior among Spain’s most numerous immigrant groups—Moroccans, Romanians, and Ecuadorians. Women reporting physical, sexual and/or psychological violence by a current or former intimate partner (n = 194) were selected from a cross-sectional study based on 1,607 surveys (2011). There are 84% of surveyed battered women who reported seeking help through informal and/or formal channels. The most frequently reported informal help-seeking behavior was talking with the abusive partner (from 63% to 83%). Moroccans identified social services (29.6%) and health care (25.9%) professionals as their most frequently used formal resources when seeking help. Approximately 32% of Ecuadorians and Romanians declared having reported their partners to the police. Among all of the women, seeking help through formal channels was more probable in cases where the severity of IPV was high (adjusted odds ratio = 5.69, 95% confidence interval [2.29, 14.12]). It is needed to increase professionals’ opportunities to intervene in cases of IPV before they become severe.

Abstract:

Domestic violence professionals have debated whether all physical assaults by partners should be labeled abuse. This study examined the use of labels such as “abuse,” “victim,” and “battered woman” in a sample of women (n = 78) who had sustained at least one physical assault in their current or most recent relationship. Self-labeling followed a differentiating strategy, that is, women experiencing more frequent and more severe assaults were more likely to apply labels. Lower partner income, being Black, lower relationship commitment, and having ended the relationship also were associated with increased self-labeling. Labeling of hypothetical acts followed an inclusive strategy, that is, all assaults were considered abusive. These results suggest that contextual factors influence labeling. Prevention and intervention programs may be able to increase their effectiveness by including more situational context in their messages.

Abstract:

Women who are verbally abused by their intimate male partners suffer serious mental health consequences and often experience physical violence in their relationship. Despite the importance of studying verbal abuse, no previous research has investigated the specific content of the insults men use to derogate their partners. We present the development and initial validation of a new measure designed to assess the specific content of insults used by men against their intimate partners. In a preliminary study, we used feedback from battered women, along with a review of the relevant literature, to identify specific insults for inclusion in the Partner-Directed Insults Scale (PDIS). We administered the PDIS to a sample of United States participants (Study 1) and a sample of New Zealand participants (Study 2), allowing for a cross-national investigation of the specific insults that men use to derogate their partners. The results demonstrate the practical need for such a scale and provide evidence for the discriminant validity of the PDIS by documenting that men’s use of insults predicts their use of controlling behaviors and physical violence.

Abstract:

Given the far-reaching social, personal, and economic costs of crime and violence, as well as the lasting health effects, understanding how women respond to domestic violence and the types of help sought are critical in addressing intimate partner violence. We use a nationally representative dataset (Canadian General Social Survey, Personal Risk, 1999) to examine the help-seeking behaviors of female intimate partner violence victims ( N = 250). Although victims of violent crime often do not call the police, many victims, particularly women who have been battered by their partner rely on family, friends, social service, and mental health interventions in dealing with the consequences of violent crime. We examine the role of income, education, and employment status in shaping women’s decisions to seek help, and we treat these economic variables as symbolic and relative statuses as compared to male partners. Although family violence researchers have conceptualized the association between economic variables and the dynamics of intimate partner violence with respect to the structural dimensions of sociodemographic factors, feminist researchers connect economic power to family dynamics. Drawing on these literatures, we tap the power in marital and cohabiting relationships, rather than treating these variables as simply socioeconomic resources. Controlling for other relevant variables we estimate a series of multivariate models to examine the relationship between status compatibilities and help-seeking from both formal and informal sources. We find that status incompatibilities between partners that favor women increase the likelihood of seeking support in dealing with the impact of violence.

Abstract:

This study examined the relative effects of intimate partner physical and sexual violence on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptomatology. Severity of physical and sexual violence as well as PTSD severity were assessed in a sample of 62 help-seeking battered women. The results of this study were consistent with prior research, finding significant and positive relationships between physical and sexual violence as well as sexual violence and PTSD symptoms. In order to further clarify these relationships, the unique effects of sexual violence on PTSD were examined after controlling for physical violence severity. Results indicated that sexual violence severity explained a significant proportion of the variance in PTSD severity beyond that which was already accounted for by physical violence severity. These findings have important implications for mental health and social service professionals who work with battered women.

Abstract:

Stress during pregnancy has been associated with a number of adverse outcomes. This study compared and correlated neuroendocrine parameters in women (n = 8) who self-reported battering during their pregnancy to those in women who did not (n = 8). Women who identified themselves as having a violent relationship with an intimate partner were recruited from a rural midwestern community. They were matched on age, self-reported ethnicity, parity, gestational age, and personal and family income with nonbattered controls. Midgestational measures of self-reported stress levels showed that battered women reported markedly higher levels of anxiety and depression. Neuroendocrine levels were not different between groups (battered vs. nonbattered); however, the relationships among hormones were different between groups. In nonbattered women, adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and cortisol levels were correlated but not in battered women. Beta endorphin and ACTH levels in battered women showed a significant linear relationship but not in nonbattered women. These results suggest that the maternal experience of stress alters the relationship of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal-placental axis hormones despite the lack of absolute differences in blood levels.

Abstract:

This paper analyzes the exclusion of responsibility in cases of battered women who kill their abusive partners in self-defence, emphasizing the theoretical and practical difficulties from a gender lens. I investigate self-defence simultaneously from a double perspective: the perspective of intimate partner violence, and the perspective of Canadian law. I reflect on alternative solu-tions in cases where there was a deferred self-defence, seeking a more equitative response from institutions. Self-defence protects whoever kills another person to defend herself or a third party. Even though this legal figure seems unquestionable, it is actually an ambiguous area in criminal law. Women who are abused for extended periods of time, who one day kill their abu-sers, generally do not do so during a context of physical confrontation. In this paper, instead of merely restricting my analysis to the events that occurred on the day of the abuser’s death, I will go back in time to scrutinize in detail the cycle of systematic violence and the “battered woman syndrome”, as well as the theory of “coercive control” in the Canadian context. I draw from the famous Canadian case Rust v. Lavallee (1990). I problematize some of the requirements for self-defence, emphasizing their inability to respond to the realities of battered women. This research shows a problematic disconnect between the current legal framework and the realities of violence against women.

Abstract:

The primary objective of this paper is to integrate three relatively distinct lines of research on male violence towards intimate female partners. First, the relation between conjugal violence and estrangement is examined. We found them to be positively associated, but they can vary independently. Second, we examined the association between estrangement and interventions. Estrangement was found to be associated with private, private/public and mainly public interventions depending upon the level of estrangement. High levels of estrangement are strongly but not invariably associated with ending the relationship. Third, we reviewed the link between interventions and violence. Interventions which empower battered female partners are most effective in ending male partner violence. Taken together, the findings tend not to support hypotheses derived from the theory of male proprietariness. Implications for social policy are discussed in the final segment.

Abstract:

This study explores social-ecological influences on men’s control-seeking in intimate relationships with women. Desire for control is central to the battered women’s movement and is incorporated into intimate partner violence (IPV) prevention work. Recent IPV scholarship refocuses on control, but the role of community contexts is underdeveloped. Community contexts have been associated with men’s risk for IPV and evidence supports that social ecology facilitates IPV against women. Given the importance of the social ecology to control in IPV, this study examines community contexts that influence men’s control-seeking of women partners. The sample comprised 2,342 in-state, male undergraduate students who completed a cross-sectional survey at a public university. Hypotheses were tested using hierarchical linear modeling. Results support a connection between county contexts and men’s control-seeking toward women partners. Implications for IPV research and practice are discussed.

Abstract:

Legal redress can play a critical role in interrupting the pattern of domination and control inherent in intimate partner violence (IPV), yet it remains an infrequent strategy among battered women. The current study employed a contextual framework for investigating the correlates for engagement in the criminal justice system for a sample of 227 sheltered battered women. Results indicated that individual, relational, and system-level factors were all associated with two legal help-seeking behaviors: having a civil protection order and criminal prosecution. In particular, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomatology, social support, and prior experience with police officers were significant correlates for legal help-seeking. Results highlight the need for a coordinated community response to IPV, addressing both legal needs and psychological needs simultaneously.

Abstract:

There is a growing body of research which suggests that victims of intimate partner violence (IPV; mostly women) continue to remain in abusive relationships. Many of the Western psychological theorisations focus on battered women’s personal dispositions and/or the self-creating (individualistic) view of agency to explain why victims remain in violent relationships. These studies seem to suggest that staying in a violent relationship is a personal decision that victims make in free will, and that victims who continue to stay fail to act on their own behalf. Drawing upon the Ghanaian communal conceptualisation of personhood and the social norms of marriage and divorce, this study questions the individualistic theorisations of battered women’s decisions to stay in or leave abusive relationships. The article argues that battered women’s agency in negotiating the stay/leave decisions in abusive relationships does not only originate in an independent autonomous self, nor constituted by a person’s internal motives, but also, and even primarily, it is culturally grounded and dependent on social relations for its realisation. The article concludes that the agency of abused women in Ghana has a social intentionality, in the sense that battered women’s intentional behaviour in marital relationships is both constituted by self and constrained by their relational embeddedness.

Abstract:

This study examines factors associated with leaving an abusive relationship, including relationship characteristics, external support, and health status of the abused subjects. The subjects included 448 Seattle women whose abuse resulted in police involvement or filing for a civil protection order against their male partner. Women were followed longitudinally for 9 months. Stepwise logistic regression analyses assessed factors independently predictive of leave taking. Predictors of leaving the abusive relationship were young age, leaving the relationship previously, and having a protection order, an abuse-related physician visit, and a high score of psychological vulnerability to abuse. Seeking but not receiving external support was negatively associated with leave taking.

Abstract:

Previous research suggests an association between partner violence and child behavior problems. However, methodological shortcomings have precluded the formation of directional conclusions. These limitations include failure to control for the effects of child physical abuse and general life stress, employment of nonrepresentative samples from battered women's shelters, and reliance on a single contemporaneous reporter, usually the mother, for information on both independent and dependent measures. This study used prospective, longitudinal data (N = 155) and multiple informants to examine the relation between maternal reports of partner violence in the home and teacher- and youth-report ratings of concurrent and prospective child behavior problems. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were used to control for the effects of child physical abuse, child physical neglect, socioeconomic status, child cognitive ability, and life stress. The contribution of partner violence to child behavior problems was confirmed for boys' (n = 81) externalizing problems and girls' (n = 74) internalizing problems. Child developmental status at the time of exposure further influenced these relations. For boys, behavior problems in middle childhood were most strongly related to contemporaneous partner violence, whereas behavior problems among both boys and girls at age 16 were most strongly related to partner violence exposure during the preschool years.

Abstract:

The negative consequences of children's exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV) have been well documented; however, less is known about the effects of contextual factors such as parenting stress, parenting behaviors, and mothers' psychological functioning on exposed children. A total of 172 African-American mothers and their children (4 to 12 years of age) were recruited from battered women's shelters for the present study. Mothers filled out questionnaires assessing family violence, family contextual variables, and children's outcomes, and children reported on their own depressive symptoms. Results from a cluster analysis indicated substantial variability in women's experiences of parenting stress with regard to both type and quantity. Across each of the six clusters, women significantly differed in parenting behaviors and general psychological distress, and their children varied concomitantly in severity of internalizing and externalizing problems. These patterns suggest the need for individualized interventions, with a particular focus on parenting stress, to better serve the needs of women and children experiencing IPV.

Abstract:

Background: Exposure to violence perpetrated on a mother by her intimate partner (IPV or intimate partner violence) has an impact on the psychosocial adjustment of her children. In addition, the violence suffered by mothers could affect parental competences. Methods: Through the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), this work analyzes the psychosocial adjustment in children between 6 and 17 years old who live with their mothers in shelters after having experienced IPV situations. It also explores the association between mothers’ parenting competences and children’s adjustment in shelters. Results: The evaluation shows a negative correlation between the quality of mothers’ care of their children during their stay in shelters and the rate of children’s behavioral problems, so that the better the parental competences of mothers, the lower the rate of behavioral problems presented by children. Conclusions: As a result of IPV, mother–child relationships can be affected. Children exposed to IPV may exhibit more externalizing behavior problems and their mothers may have difficulty demonstrating competent parenting behaviors while living in a shelter. Work should be aimed at reestablishing parenting competences in mothers and the quality of mother–child interactions while they remain in the shelters, in an effort to mitigate the psychosocial consequences of IPV for their children.

Abstract:

More than a decade after its passing, Sri Lanka’s Prevention of Domestic Violence Act (PDVA) remains a remedy of last resort for female survivors of intimate partner violence, as there is little support to take on a rights-defined identity as a battered woman both inside and outside the courtroom. However, large numbers of women are accessing the Maintenance Act of 1999 to exit violent relationships without the censure and stigma that attaches to the PDVA. The key to understanding this phenomenon is to consider how familial ideology works in unpredictable ways within the Sri Lankan judicial system. This article examines the reach and different impacts of familial ideology within the judiciary and argues that female survivors of violence navigate this ideology to their own advantage. However, the preference to address violence through the Maintenance Act renders such violence invisible. The price for judicial redress is silence.

Abstract:

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a social problem that affects roughly 5.3 million women in the U.S. each year, accounts for 1,300 deaths, and often results in a number of physical and mental health consequences. Many women seek counseling as a way to find relief from the symptoms of the abuse they have endured. Previous research indicates that women seeking counseling after facing intimate partner violence victimization have reported experiencing counseling resources as inadequate or blaming. In the current study, counselors (N = 122) were surveyed regarding their gender role attitudes, ambivalent sexism, training in family violence, and attributions of blame toward women who have been battered. The regression analysis suggested that 16% of the variance in blame attributions was accounted for by gender role attitudes and ambivalent sexism. Study findings provide directions for future research and implications for practicing counselors.

Abstract:

With increasing emphasis in recent years on mandatory arrest for partner violence, there has been a concomitant increase in the number of females arrested for assaulting their partners. The present paper describes the process one community experienced to understand and appropriately intervene with women who had been arrested for domestic violence and referred to court-mandated treatment. Issues related to conceptualization of the problem, identifying intervention goals and defining the intervention targets were discussed. Research with the community sample of domestically violent indicated most were motivated by a need to defend themselves from their partner’s assaults, or are retaliating for previous batterings. As such, the intervention focused on issues of victimization and oppression. It is further suggested that intervention programs for domestically violent women must take place in the context of a broader community intervention which involves training and interaction with law enforcement and criminal justice agencies to determine criteria for arrest and prosecution of battered women when they fight back to protect themselves.

Abstract:

A growing body of research has highlighted the significant co-occurrence of violence against women and companion animals in abusive households. Collectively, this work has also documented that sizable proportions of women with pets sampled report that they delayed leaving their partner due to fear for their pets’ safety. Using data from 86 residents of 16 battered women’s shelters in Canada, this study begins to tease apart the relationship between five types of animal maltreatment (emotional abuse, threats to harm, neglect, physical abuse, and severe physical abuse) and women’s deliberations to leave violent relationships. The findings indicate that while the specific types of animal maltreatment are significant motivators for leaving an abusive partner, the length of the relationship and the physical abuse experienced by the woman better explain the degree to which concern for the well-being of the pet kept them from leaving their abuser earlier.

Abstract:

Nuisance property laws, which fine people for excessive 911 calls, have become increasingly popular in cities of all sizes. However, research into how these laws affect battered women is still in its early stages. This research study was designed to address the question of whether nuisance property laws harm battered women and, if so, how. Using a qualitative research design, in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 27 primarily low-income African American battered women in St. Louis metropolitan area who had come into contact with a nuisance property law because of domestic violence. Interviews addressed circ*mstances of contact with a nuisance law, the response of law enforcement officials, and how the law affected the participant’s housing, ability to call 911, sense of safety, finances, access to health care, and family stability. Using a multi-stage qualitative analytic procedure, each transcript was coded for themes and then descriptive categories developed for each theme. The data demonstrate that nuisance property laws harm victims of domestic violence in several ways, including by hindering their access to safe and secure housing, discouraging them from calling 911, increasing their vulnerability to violence, and compounding the trauma of the intimate partner violence. This research also reveals ways in which nuisance laws reinforce gender, race, and class inequality. The findings show that nuisance property laws enhance the abuser’s power over his victim, hold victims accountable for the abuse, exacerbate the class- and race-based risks many battered women already face, and obscure the real crime of domestic violence. Policy makers need to be informed of these consequences so that they can take action to reform nuisance laws.

Abstract:

Career Counseling for Women, W. Bruce Walsh and Samuel H. Osipow (Eds.). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum, 1994. 385 pp. $34.50 (paper). ISBN 0-8058-1401–9. It Could Happen to Anyone: Why Battered Women Stay, Ola W. Barnett and Alyce D. LaViolette. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 1993. 184 pp. $38.00. ISBN: 0-8039-5310–0. Empowering and Healing the Battered Woman, Mary Ann Dutton. New York: Springer, 1992. 202 pp. $28.95. ISBN: 0-8261-7130–3. Breaking Destructive Patterns: Multiple Strategies for Treating Partner Abuse, Janet A. Geller. New York: Free Press, 1992. 182 pp. $27.95. ISBN: 0-02-911605–8. Against Therapy, Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson. Monroe, ME: Common Courage Press, 1988/1994. 340 pp. $15.95. ISBN 1-56751-022–1. Changing Our Minds: Lesbian Feminism and Psychology, Celia Kitzinger and Rachel Perkins. New York: New York University Press, 1993. 216 pp. $14.95. ISBN: 0-8147-4646–2. Cultures of Organizations. Three Perspectives, Joanne Martin. New York: Oxford University Press, 1992. 240 pp. $35.00. ISBN 0-19-507163–8.

Abstract:

Incidents of domestic violence are frequently not reported to police (e.g., Johnson, 1990; Langan & Innes, 1986; Roy, 1977), and people commonly assume that women’s reasons for not calling about violence by a current or former partner are intrapersonal (e.g., shame, embarrassment, love). However, few researchers have asked battered women themselves about the frequency of their police contacts and their reasons for not calling the police. In this study, participants were recruited from a battered women’s shelter and asked about their experiences with the police over the prior 6 months. Two thirds of the sample had had contact with the police during that time, but most did not have as much contact with the police as they had needed. Women gave multiple reasons for not calling the police; these reasons frequently included situational barriers, such as being physically prevented from using the telephone and/or being threatened with more violence. Only 3% of the sample reported that shame, embarrassment, or love were their sole reasons for not calling the police. Underreporting was related to previous (negative) experience with the police, as well as to the level of violence experienced. The practical implications of these findings are discussed.

Abstract:

IntroductionIn the country, the most prevalent form of violence against women is physical abuse/maltreatment or wife/partner battering based on both records of the Philippine national police, and the women in especially difficult circ*mstances.ObjectivesThis study looked into the psychological effects of abuse and battering on wives-partners.AimsThis paper will also give a description on how battered wives acquire a learned helplessness behavior due to uncontrollable events or situations.MethodsThe methods used were structured interview method and case method, and interview with a psychiatrist in the hospital where the three cases had consultations.ResultsWife battering refers to violent acts such as psychological, sexual or physical assault by an assailant against his partner with the intent of controlling by inducing fear and pain. It is a common incident being violated under RA 9262. Three cases were studied. One was stabbed 12 times by her live in “matador” partner who works in a slaughter house. The second case was about a partner who was forced to do sexual favors for her husband that were animalistic and perverted. On the third case, while married, she noticed that the man was also sexually perverted. He also raped their daughter.ConclusionAll three cases also manifested depression in various forms with varying symptoms. Case A was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (evaluation made by the psychiatrist). Case A manifested symptoms of depression, panic of being attacked again by assailant who is at large.Disclosure of interestThe author has not supplied his/her declaration of competing interest.

Abstract:

AimsThe aim of the study was to identify any symptoms or features of Battered Woman Syndrome (BWS) or Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) that may be associated with, or explain, abused women killing their abuser; and the extent to which such identified symptoms or features have been deemed, or are potentially relevant, to past and now reformed partial defences to murder in English law. Hence two sub-studies were completed.MethodThe first sub-study identified mental symptoms of BWS or PTSD apparent in battered women who kill their abuser; achieved by identifying relevant research papers, through applying a ‘rapid review’ approach to three databases: PubMed, PsychInfo and PsychArticles. The second sub-study identified by legal research reported Court of Appeal (CA) judgments on women appealing their conviction of the murder of their abusive partner. It then analysed the legal approach taken towards evidence of the effects of abuse upon these women before and after relevant statutory law reform (although no CA cases were identified post-reform).ResultThe first sub-study identified and reviewed six symptoms or features, within three quantitative and three qualitative studies, that appeared to be associated with, or described by, abused women killing their abuser. These included helplessness, symptoms associated with PTSD, plus fear, isolation, experience of escalation of violence and cycle of violence. From the CA cases the perpetrators of killings that occurred prior to 04.10.2010 (the date of law reform) were usually successful in having their conviction overturned based upon diminished responsibility; but not provocation, because of the requirement of ‘sudden loss of self control’. ‘Loss of control’, which replaced provocation, appears highly likely to be capable of reducing murder to manslaughter based upon symptoms of BWS, or PTSD. However, the amended defence of diminished responsibility is likely to exclude evidence of BWS, but allow evidence of PTSD, because of its requirement of the defendant suffering from ‘a recognised medical condition’.ConclusionThis study demonstrated particular symptoms or features of BWS or PTSD associated with abused women killing their abusers plus their very different relevance to two partial defences to murder, pre and post law reform.

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There has been a long-standing debate regarding whether or not there is gender symmetry in intimate partner violence (IPV); however, shelter samples have been understudied thus far. This study investigates the prevalence and predictors of IPV perpetration in a sample of 227 women in battered women’s shelters. Participants were asked to complete a number of measures assessing demographics, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed., text rev.; DSM-IV-TR) diagnoses, traumatic life events, and perpetration and victimization of IPV. Although the vast majority of women in this sample (93%) report perpetrating some form of IPV, few women endorsed violence that was not mutual (5.3%). Furthermore, for every type of IPV assessed, women were victimized significantly more than they perpetrated. Results also indicate that women’s perpetration of IPV, and predictors of such perpetration, varied across type, severity, and measurement of violence. However, most IPV outcome variables were predicted by women’s experience of victimization. Taken as a whole, these results support the assertion that context matters when examining the relative rates of perpetration as well as its predictors.

Abstract:

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a serious, devastating, and prevalent problem. IPV places women at risk for negative health consequences, including increased mental health disorders. The majority of research to date has focused on mental health disorders among women in domestic violence shelters, and research is needed that examines mental health disorders among a broader range of women experiencing IPV. Therefore, this study examined the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and substance abuse disorders in a community sample of IPV victims (N = 94) using diagnostic interviews. Results showed that the majority of women met diagnostic criteria for a mental health disorder, with PTSD being the most common mental health disorder. Furthermore, psychological abuse was a significant predictor of both PTSD and depression, whereas physical aggression did not predict these outcomes. Implications of these findings for treatment and intervention work with battered women are discussed.

Abstract:

It has been previously documented that wife and child abuse often co-occur. The present study tested competing hypotheses about the reasons for this co-occurrence, specifically trait versus instrumental theories of aggression within families. Three commonly cited catalysts (unemployment, drinking, and life-stress events) for men’s abuse of family members were analyzed to determine whether they equally predict partner or child abuse. Interviews were conducted with 363 women and children about spousal and paternal abuse, and women were interviewed about sociodemographics and the stressors described above. Families were oversampled for the presence of spousal violence. Logistic regressions revealed that heavy drinking (log-odds ratio 4.86) and life stress events (log-odds ratio 1.6) predicted men’s abuse of their partners. These risk factors were unrelated to child abuse. Wife battering, however, placed children at heightened risk (log-odds ratio = 2.77). Children of battered women stood a 42% chance of receiving escalated abuse from their fathers. It is proposed that men’s abuse of children is in many instances instrumental in order to coerce or retaliate against women, echoing the Greek myth of Medea who killed her own children to spite their father.