Oppression and Barriers to Service for Black,Lesbian Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence

This narrative study identified service barriers from the perspectives of 16 Black lesbian survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV). Qualitative analysis revealed diverse interrelated barriers similar to those identified by service providers in a previous study by the authors, including societal barriers such as heterosexism, and institutional barriers such as ambiguous policy. Results indicate that the theory of intersectionality is best poised to frame an investigation of the complex barriers encountered by these survivors. Results also demonstrate that although these women desire to receive services, current inequities prevent them from accessing support and further endanger, victimize, and isolate them. Strategies for improving services and reaching culturally diverse survivors are also discussed.     

Lesbian Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence

Abstract

Service barriers of lesbian domestic violence survivors were identified from the perspectives of six service providers using qualitative interviews. Constant comparative methods identified service barriers including: Systemic barriers (laws and policies of criminal/justice system, social and cultural attitudes, and theories regarding domestic violence dynamics), institutional barriers (ambiguous and inconsistent policy, assigning lesbian clients to specific staff members, lack of commitment to serving lesbians, and using heterosexist language), and individual barriers (attitudes/actions of lesbian survivors, heterosexual female clients, staff members, and police/court officers). Participants expressed motivation to serve lesbian survivors and indicated the potential to influence institutional policies and practices.     

Lesbian Mothering in the Context of Intimate Partner Violence

SUMMARY

Twenty-four lesbian mothers (12 African American, 9 White, and 3 Latina) who had experienced physical abuse by a same-sex partner were interviewed. Three types of IPV were found: intimate terrorism, situational violence, and mutual violent control. Further, relationships between mothers/abusers, mothers/children, and abusers/children were examined. Regarding relationships with abusers, 71% of mothers reported lengthy sagas, 17% had worked it out, and 13% made a clean break from the abuser. Regarding relationships with their children, 48% of mothers hid the violence, 26% minimized it, and 26% openly communicated about the situation. Relationships between abusers and the mothers' children were found to be either co-parental (29%), playmate (21%), abusive (21%), or non-parental (21%). Correlations among relational and demographic variables were also examined.     

Same-Sex Intimate Partner Violence

ABSTRACT

This article presents a review of literature describing intimate partner violence (IPV) in same-sex relationships. The authors present definitions and the prevalence of the main forms of violence-physical, sexual, and emotional-that can occur within same-sex intimate partner relationships, an overview of the existing research that examines the dynamics and broader social context of same-sex IPV, and implications for counseling affected individuals.     

An Evaluation of Healthy Relationship Education to Reduce Intimate Partner Violence

This research evaluated the impact of the Within My Reach healthy relationship education program on intimate partner violence for 419 high-risk adults in an urban area. Key outcomes such as relationship knowledge, communication/conflict resolution skills, relationship quality, and physical and emotional abuse were evaluated through survey research immediately post- and 6-months postprogram participation. Results suggest that participation in the Within My Reach program is associated with a statistically significant decrease in physical and emotional abuse, as well as isolation behaviors. Differences by participant demographics and the role of communication skills and relationship quality as mediators of these outcomes are also discussed.     

Explaining Intimate Partner Violence: The Sociological Limitations of Victimization Studies

This paper examines whether differentiating among types of intimate partner violence enhances the explanatory capacity of extant empirical models.The analysis uses national-level Canadian data to evaluate an alternative approach to operationalizing intimate partner violence, drawing upon Black's (1990) and Johnson's (1995) theoretical work. The main argument suggests that current efforts to explain intimate partner violence with victimization studies are inadequate because they typically do not measure key sociological variables. The failure to assess the contexts within which different types of violence occur further hinders explanatory efforts.The paper concludes with recommendations for innovative theoretical and methodological strategies to address these limitations.     

The Continuation of Intimate Partner Violence From Adolescence to Young Adulthood

Little attention has been paid to whether violence in adolescent romantic relationships is associated with relationship violence later in young adulthood. This study examined the continuation of intimate partner violence (IPV) from adolescence to young adulthood. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, results from negative binomial models and propensity score models showed that being victimized by relationship partners in adolescence was significantly associated with both perpetration and victimization in romantic relationships in young adulthood. Women reported higher levels of perpetration and lower levels of victimization than men did. Those who were living together (married or cohabiting) reported higher levels of victimization and perpetration than those who were dating. Further, such associations existed beyond the effects of parent–child violence and general aggression tendencies, suggesting the continuation of relationship‐specific violence. Finally, these patterns persisted after controlling for participants' age, race and ethnicity, parental education, and family structure.     

Perceptions of Intimate Partner Violence,Age, and Self-Enhancement Bias

Educational programs in human service professions such as social work, criminal justice, psychology, and public administration stress the importance of recognizing domestic/intimate partner violence as well as elder abuse. Students' abilities to recognize domestic violence in older couples have not been well-investigated. In this study, three vignettes were developed (Pat and Lee at age 75, Pat and Lee at age 30, Imagine yourself with Lee at age 75) in which intimate partner violence was perpetrated by the character Lee. Twenty-five items followed each vignette. When the variables of educational standing (graduate/undergraduate), ethnicity, and academic major were controlled, there were significant differences between the vignettes in 14 of 25 items (General Linear Model, F = 1.552, df = 50, p = .012). More than three out of four respondents for each vignette identified this as domestic violence and believed there was potential for serious harm. However, respondents were less likely to believe that a 75-year-old partner would know when to terminate a relationship in which there was intimate partner violence. Respondents who were asked to imagine themselves with Lee at 75 were likely to perceive Lee as more dangerous than respondents for the other vignettes. Implications are considered for educators.     

Services and Intimate Partner Violence in the United States: A County‐Level Analysis

Despite the prevalence of intimate partner violence and its social costs, we show that many counties lack services to help victims and that community resources play a significant role in determining the likelihood of service provision. Because resources are often generated at the local level and state and federal funding usually require a grant proposal, services for victims of intimate partner violence are more likely to be available in well‐resourced areas with a major college or university in the county. Analysis of the changes in the provision of services since the Violence Against Women Act was introduced suggests that funding needs to be specifically targeted to underserved areas.     

Relations Among Intimate Partner Violence,Maternal Depressive Symptoms,and Maternal Parenting Behaviors

The authors examined the relations among intimate partner violence (IPV), maternal depressive symptoms, and maternal harsh intrusive parenting. Using a cross‐lagged, autoregressive path model, they sought to clarify the directionality of the relations among these 3 variables over the first 2 years of the child's life. The results indicated that, in this diverse sample of families living in predominantly low‐income rural communities (N = 705), higher levels of early IPV were associated with increases in maternal depressive symptoms, which in turn were associated with increases in maternal harsh intrusive parenting behaviors. These findings suggest that interventions aimed at improving the parenting of women exposed to domestic violence may want to simultaneously target IPV and depressive symptomatology.     

Intimate Partner Violence Perpetrator Subtypes and their Developmental Origins: Implications for Prevention and Intervention

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a major issue for many Australian families and yet progress towards the development of effective prevention and behaviour change programs has been relatively slow. In this paper, it is proposed that the tendency to treat perpetrators as a homogenous group has hampered progress, and that treatment outcomes can be improved by tailoring treatment responses to a small set of personal and offence‐related characteristics. It explores the developmental origins and trajectories of these presentations and identifies some new directions for further research in this area.     

A Socioecological Perspective on Intimate Partner Violence Research: A Decade in Review

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant public health issue impacting millions globally. To frame this decade in review, we organize the research published since 2010 at each of four ecological levels (individual, relational, community, and sociocultural) to demonstrate advances and gaps in each. At the individual and relational level, we review the prevalence, directionality, typologies, predictors, and outcomes of IPV. We attend to postseparation dynamics as well as research on youth exposure. We also discuss key theoretical advances. Our review of individual and relational research is more substantial as most research on IPV focuses on these factors with less attention to community and sociocultural contexts. Reflecting the state of the research within each ecological level, we review men's violence against women and incorporate developing research on men's victimization, reciprocal violence between men and women, and IPV among same-sex partners. Throughout the review, we address key developments in knowledge as well as gaps and methodological strengths and limitations. We close with an integrated summary and recommendations for rigorous collaborative research across disciplines in the next decade to broaden our knowledge base and inform preventions and interventions.     

Got One Another's Backs: Mother-Teen Relationships in Families Escaping Intimate Partner Violence

This Life Story study gained a comprehensive picture of experiences of young adolescents (ages 12–14) accompanying mothers in emergency domestic violence shelters. A holistic, chronological approach in interviews with an ethnically diverse sample of youth and their mothers (N = 27) yielded insights into perspectives on relationships. This article focuses on the complex thematic finding “interconnected family boundaries,” a central dynamic in mother-youth relationships characterized by emotional closeness, highly cohesive boundaries, and interdependence in problem solving regarding family issues. Participants identified this dynamic as essential for adaptation yet entailing losses. Discussion considers theoretical triangulation and implications for research, intervention, and practitioner education.     

Factors Impacting Counselor Competency with Sexual Minority Intimate Partner Violence Victims

Grounded theory procedures were combined with a queer theory perspective to examine what factors promote counselor competency with sexual minority intimate partner violence victims. Ten counselors participated in two rounds of individual interviews. Results indicated that counselor competency building for work with this population occurred during and after graduate counseling programs. Analysis of the data identified specific desirable counselor traits, and useful training activities were identified to assist with developing counselor competency. The authors also discuss implications for clinical practice, counseling supervision, professional associations, service seminars, and counselor educators.     

Utility of Hospital Emergency Department Data for Studying Intimate Partner Violence

The authors examine 12 months of emergency department visit data (N= 2,521) from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System All Injury Program and explore its utility for measuring and studying intimate partner violence. Given the dearth of national data on intimate partner violence–related injury and its potential value for public health surveillance and prevention, the data set appears promising for estimating national rates of emergency department visits. Missing perpetrator‐patient relationship data limit estimation of intimate partner–related hospital visits for injury and pain, which precludes national rate estimation at this time, but the data are still useful for describing documented intimate partner violence cases and may be helpful in designing prevention strategies.     

Intimate Partner Violence and Children's Attachment Representations During Middle Childhood

Despite long‐standing hypotheses that intimate partner violence (IPV) may undermine children's ability to form secure attachment representations, few studies have empirically investigated this association. Particularly lacking is research that examines IPV and attachment during middle childhood, a time when the way that children understand, represent, and process the behavior of others becomes particularly important. Using data from a sample of African American children living in rural, low‐income communities (N = 98), the current study sought to address this gap by examining the association between physical IPV occurring early in children's lives and their attachment security during the first grade. Results indicate that, even after controlling for child‐ and family‐level covariates, physical IPV was associated with a greater likelihood of being rated insecurely attached. This effect was above and beyond the influence of maternal parenting behaviors, demonstrating a unique effect of physical IPV on children's attachment representations during middle childhood.