Family Violence

Advancing an Integrated Theory of Sexual Minority Alcohol-Related Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration Abstract Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a prevalent and serious public health problem. Alcohol use and misuse is one of the most well-known antecedents of IPV perpetration. However, minimal research examined whether alcohol use increases the risk for IPV perpetration among individuals who identify as a sexual minority (i.e., lesbian, gay, bisexual, or another non-heterosexual identity [LGB+]). This is particularly concerning given that rates of IPV and alcohol use are as high, if not higher, in LGB+ populations relative to their heterosexual peers. In this article we provide a brief review of existing alcohol-related IPV research among LGB+ populations, advance an integrated model of alcohol-related IPV perpetration among LGB+ populations, and discuss avenues for future research on this topic. Our review identified limited research on alcohol-related IPV perpetration among LGB+ populations, with no longitudinal or event level research on this topic. Incorporating tenets of minority stress models with models of alcohol-related IPV (i.e., I3 and Alcohol Myopia Theory), we propose an integrated theory of alcohol-related IPV perpetration among LGB+ populations. Based on the limited information available in the literature, our integrated theoretical model suggests several avenues for future research on alcohol-related IPV perpetration among LGB+ populations. We discuss these future areas for research and the importance of incorporating sexual minority stress frameworks into these investigations.

Examining the Needs and Experiences of Domestic Violence Survivors in Transitional Housing Abstract Transitional Housing (TH) programs were developed for domestic violence (DV) survivors in order to provide the time, financial assistance, and supports needed for survivors to achieve long-term safety and housing stability. Previous research indicates TH may be effective for homeless families, but there is a paucity of evidence related to DV survivors' need for or use of TH. TH is an expensive housing intervention that is space limited and requires survivors to relocate at program end. It is therefore imperative to understand who is best suited for, interested in, and helped by DVTH. Thirty current survivors in a DVTH program were interviewed in order to elucidate the benefits and drawbacks of DVTH. The interviews were semi-structured, and both quantitative and qualitative data were collected. Survivors in severe danger from their abusive partners and ex-partners, those with greater psychosocial needs, and immigrant survivors identified aspects unique to DVTH (e.g., high-level security, intensive services) as being critical to their safety and well-being. A small number of survivors would have chosen a less intensive and structured housing option, such as Rapid Re-housing (RR), that would have allowed them to remain in their housing after assistance ended, had such an option been available. DVTH appears to be an important option for some DV survivors, but more housing options are needed across communities to meet survivors' myriad needs.

Young people's Constructions of their Experiences of Parental Domestic Violence: A Discursive Analysis' Abstract This exploratory and formative study draws from discursive psychology to gain insights into how young people construct their experiences of parental domestic violence and abuse (DVA) and how they claim to understand the occurrence of DVA within their home. Data from interviews with 13 young people (18–26 years old) who reported DVA in their families of origin were analyzed using a discursive psychological approach. Analysis revealed two interrelated themes. Theme 1, '"How it was": constructions of DVA' identified that the young people had difficulty in recognizing psychological aspects of this phenomenon as DVA. However, as these behaviors also deviated from the normative expectations of intra-parental behaviors, the occurrence of psychological DVA led to ambiguity and confusion. Paradoxically, the occurrence of extreme physical DVA was readily recognized as DVA, and this worked to facilitate disclosure, discussion, and help-seeking. Theme 2, 'Barriers and facilitators to talking with mothers about DVA', identified how young people's reported perceptions of their mother's role in DVA were related to the likelihood that they had conversations about DVA with their mothers. The occurrence of extreme physical DVA, which unambiguously placed responsibility for the DVA with the perpetrator, who in the cases presented here were male, was reported to enable conversations around DVA between the young people and their mothers. Findings suggest a need to adapt discourses to make understandings of the psychological aspect of DVA more accessible to young people, so they can name and make sense of their experiences.

Perceptions of Family Relationships and Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms of Children Exposed to Domestic Violence Abstract This study examines the association between exposure to domestic violence, children's perceptions of family relationships, and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, and explores the moderating role of children's perceptions of family relationships. The sample consists of 46 children exposed to domestic violence (26 girls and 20 boys), aged 6 to 12 years, staying at housing shelters for victims of domestic violence. Children completed several questionnaires and the SAGA, a systemic tool, enabling us to examine their perceptions and family relationships. The results indicate that exposure to domestic violence is related to symptoms of anxiety and depression and to the child's perception of father-mother and father-child relationships in both conflictual and typical situations. Perceptions of father-mother and father-child relationships in typical situations are both associated with anxiety and post-traumatic stress symptoms. In contrast, the mother-child relationship was found to have a moderating role on the relation between the duration of domestic violence exposure and the symptom of anger. This study attests to the value of continuing research on the role of the child's perception of family relationships, but above all to better regulate the visiting and accommodation rights of fathers who perpetrate domestic violence in order to protect children, especially when they show symptoms of post-traumatic stress.

Work Outcomes for Mothers Experiencing Intimate Partner Violence: the Buffering Effect of Child Care Subsidy Abstract Mothers who experience intimate partner violence (IPV) are at increased risk for experiencing workplace instability in the form of absence from paid employment and job loss. In a cross-sectional study, we investigate if experiences of IPV inhibit work stability among low-income women as well as if the receipt of child care subsidies has a moderating effect on the relationship. Using data from the Illinois Families Study, we tested the relationships between IPV, work outcomes, and recipient of child care subsidies in a series of multivariate regressions. Findings indicate IPV is associated with reduced hours worked among low-income mothers and increased unemployment among low-income mothers. However, both of these relationships are moderated by receipt of child care subsidies suggesting that mothers who experience IPV can maintain employment at the same level as women not experiencing IPV with receipt of child care subsidies. Our findings indicate the importance of receiving child care subsidies among low-income mothers and support subsidy accessibility to survivors of IPV. Results of our study are limited in regard to the age of the data, the cross-sectional use of the data, and the lack of a control group that was not receiving any type of government assistance.

'In the Firing Line': Grandparent Carers at Risk of Family Violence Abstract Increasingly, children deemed to be at risk of harm are being placed in kin care, most often with grandparents. Factors triggering the removal of children from their parents can include family breakdown, child neglect, substance misuse, poverty and family violence. Equally, these factors can result in children becoming disconnected from extended family. A prevailing concern in Australia is the over-representation of Aboriginal children in child protection services, and disrupted connections to their family and culture. The primary aim of a recent qualitative study was to optimise grandparent-grandchild connectedness after child safety concerns. Interviews and focus groups were conducted with a total of 77 participants. Grandparents were the primary sample recruited, however smaller numbers of workers, parents and foster carers contributed to the study. Discussed here are themes emerging from the qualitative data that pointed to grandparents being at greater risk of intrafamilial violence than previously may have been recognised after they step in to care for grandchildren. Recommendations from this study include a call for increased culturally and historically-informed practice approaches that take account of the interconnected nature of violence in families.

Examining the Setting Characteristics that Promote Survivor Empowerment: a Mixed Method Study Abstract Many abusers engage in violent behaviors to systematically remove power from and maintain control over their intimate partners. Domestic violence crisis housing organizations aim to increase safety and help survivors regain their power. Yet, little is known about how these settings accomplish this aim. This study drew on empowerment and empowering settings theories to explore how organizational characteristics contributed to empowering practice, and how this practice subsequently promoted survivor empowerment. Researchers employed an exploratory-sequential (QUAL➔quan) mixed-methods design at a domestic violence housing organization. Twelve staff participated in inductive, qualitative interviews. This was followed by deductive, quantitative structured interviews with thirty-three survivors. Qualitative results from staff revealed that the setting was survivor-centered, mission-driven, and distinctive. Staff held basic assumptions about survivors' right to self-determination. The relational culture emphasized partnerships, and people also had opportunities to hold meaningful roles within the organization. Setting leaders encouraged autonomy and creativity among all staff. Policies and procedures were also flexible. These setting characteristics were expected to support implementation of empowering practice. Quantitative results from the second phase supported a positive association between empowering practice and increased generalized, and safety-related, empowerment. This exploratory study suggests that setting characteristics are important to consider when understanding the complicated pathways that contribute to survivor empowerment and well-being.

Interpersonal Violence, Maternal Perception of Infant Emotion, and Child-Parent Psychotherapy Abstract Caregivers' ability to identify infant cues plays a crucial role in child development, enabling attuned and responsive caregiving that serves as the basis for secure attachment. At the same time, exposure to interpersonal violence (IPV) could alter mothers' interpretations of social stimuli and interfere with normative parent-child interactional processes. The current study examined four interrelated hypotheses. The first two hypotheses test whether IPV-exposed mothers show bias toward fear or anger in interpreting infants' facial expressions, and whether this bias is related to child symptoms. Our second set of hypotheses examines whether bias can be changed by Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP) and whether this change mediates treatment gains. 113 IPV-exposed mothers of 2 to 6 year old children completed the I FEEL picture task at baseline and again twelve months later. In the interim, 33 mothers were randomized into a treatment comparison group and the remainder received CPP. Analyses revealed that IPV-exposed mothers exhibit a perceptual bias toward fear, but not anger. Bias toward fear was linked to greater child internalizing symptoms while bias toward anger was linked to greater child externalizing symptoms. Participation in CPP resulted in decreased bias toward fearful faces. The treatment-related changes in mothers' perceptions of children's facial expression did not emerge as the mechanism by which CPP reduces children's symptoms. These results suggest that exposure to IPV alters mothers' ability to interpret infant facial expressions and that CPP is effective in reducing such biases.

Fleeing with Fido: an Analysis of What Canadian Domestic Violence Shelters Are Communicating Via their Websites about Leaving an Abusive Relationship when Pets Are Involved Abstract In response to the growing body of empirical research demonstrating a substantial co-occurrence of intimate partner violence (IPV) and animal abuse, domestic violence shelters are increasingly offering on- or off-site services to care for the pets of abused women accessing shelter services. This paper analyzes all public websites of first-stage shelters in Canada (n = 337) to offer the first examination of what these shelters are communicating about this co-occurrence of abuse and an appraisal of what services are available to survivors with pets. The findings indicate that less than half of the websites mention pets, and only 1% of shelters report offering on-site pet programs. There are significant relationships between websites addressing the role of pets in both safety planning and help-seeking among abused women and the provision of pet shelter services. The paper concludes with suggestions for pet-related information on domestic violence shelter websites in Canada and elsewhere.

Gender-Based Violence in Senegal: its Catalysts and Connections from a Community Perspective Abstract Gender-based violence is associated with an array of negative health outcomes for women and limits their opportunities to fully participate in society. Only recently have studies begun to explore the interconnectedness of emotional, physical and sexual gender-based violence. This qualitative study sought to understand how men and women in Senegal perceive various forms of gender-based violence, their connections, and who could best promote change among perpetrators of violence. Community focus group discussions that used structured exercises adapted from Participatory Learning and Action group activities were carried out in urban and rural settings in seven regions of Senegal. Groups were sampled for maximum variation within rural and urban settings in each region (n = 28 groups and n = 267 participants). Male and female groups in both urban and rural settings described each form of violence similarly. Examples of emotional violence centered around home finances, neglect, and dependency. Emotional violence between male and female spouses escalated to physically and sexually violent behaviors, uniquely directed at women and girls. Physical violence was described in two levels: acceptable and unacceptable. Sexual violence was described as common within households but unreported. Economic considerations cross-cut each form of violence. The findings from this study contribute to conceptual definitions and understandings of GBV from a community perspective to better inform programmatic and communication approaches for the reduction of GBV in Senegal. Challenges will remain until the global community can more effectively address equitable access to financial resources among the world's poorest.