Violence Against Women

Brown, Andi; Harkin, Diarmaid; Tanczer, Leonie Maria

doi: 10.1177/10778012231222486pmid: 38166524

Smart, Internet-connected devices—the so-called “Internet of Things” (IoT)—pose significant threats to victim-survivors of domestic and family violence (DFV). IoT systems have been used to abuse, harass, monitor, intimidate, and gaslight victim-survivors. We present findings from an abusability analysis that examined 13 IoT devices and allowed us to make several observations about common vulnerabilities to victim-survivors of DFV. We argue that IoT manufacturers must be encouraged to factor in the implications of DFV in the design of their products. Additionally, technology-facilitated abuse in DFV contexts must feature in industry and government safety-by-design approaches. Our results suggest ways IoT devices can be modified at low cost to alleviate opportunities for misuse, and we endorse IoT manufacturers to consider those risks early in the design stage.

Baek, Hyunin; Han, Sungil; Seepersad, Randy

doi: 10.1177/10778012231220381pmid: 38105517

Suicide among women is a growing problem in Trinidad and Tobago. Despite efforts to reduce suicide, the etiology of suicidal behaviors in this region has rarely been examined. Using the National Women's Health Survey for Trinidad and Tobago in 2018 (n = 1,079), this study examined the causes of suicidality through concepts contained in Agnew's general strain theory, such as negative stimuli (i.e., intimate partner violence [IPV]) and negative emotion (i.e., depression). By estimating structural equation models, this study found that IPV was strongly related to depression and suicidality. Particularly, depression mediated the effect of IPV on suicidality.

Miller, Amanda P.; Appa, Ayesha; Muyindike, Winnie; Fatch, Robin; Kekibiina, Allen; Beesiga, Brian; Adong, Julian; Emenyonu, Nneka; Marson, Kara; Getahun, Monica; Kamya, Moses; Chamie, Gabriel; Camlin, Carol S.; Hahn, Judith A.

Benson-Goldsmith, Michaela E.; Gildea, Brian; Richards, Tara N.; Roley-Roberts, Michelle E.; Greenberg, Pierce; Hobbs, Anne

doi: 10.1177/10778012231225231pmid: 38213264

A paucity of research has examined the prevalence of domestic and intimate partner violence (DV/IPV) victimization among persons experiencing eviction. The current study uses administrative records for a random sample of evicted adults in Omaha, Nebraska from 2017 to 2019 (n = 306) to assess the prevalence of DV/IPV victimization among evicted persons and differences among the DV/IPV and no DV/IPV groups. Findings indicated over 20% of evicted persons experienced DV/IPV victimization, and DV/IPV often preceded the first eviction. DV/IPV disproportionately impacted Black women. Implications regarding the compounding consequences of eviction and DV/IPV victimization and recommendations for future research are discussed.

Ella, Eini; Goldner, Limor

doi: 10.1177/10778012231220375pmid: 38105622

The present study identifies and articulates the recovery trajectories of 12 Jewish-Israeli women who experienced intimate partner violence. An interpretative phenomenological analysis of the Clinical Ethnographic Narrative interviews revealed three central themes. The first theme dealt with the chronology of the violence and its escalation. The second theme described the turning points that facilitated the termination of the violent relationship. The third theme reflects these women's attempts to regain control and fulfil their needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness. The findings are discussed through the lens of Jewish-Israeli culture, which is child-oriented and underscores the centrality of motherhood.

Tutty, Leslie M.; Nixon, Kendra L.; Lorraine Radtke, H.

doi: 10.1177/10778012231225232pmid: 38196196

After separation because of intimate partner violence, fathers’ contact with children can be problematic. This mixed methods secondary analysis focused on 280 Canadian separated/divorced mothers who were 48.4% White, 45.1% Indigenous, and 6.5% Visible Minority. Of 176 fathers, 105 (59.7%) had regular visits and, 71 (40.3%) visited sporadically; 104 had no contact. Comments from half the mothers (54.3%) with regular father–child visits indicated worry, and 41.9% of all mothers perceived their children as sad/upset and another 14.5% as angry/acting out in response to visitation. Recommendations to address mothers’ and children's issues with respect to problematic father–child contact are provided.

Kjellberg, Josefin

doi: 10.1177/10778012231225227pmid: 38196178

The aim of this study is to shed light on how Swedish female survivors of male intimate partner violence experience support from social workers during post-separation violence. This is explored through an interview study with sixteen survivors. Hester’s three planet model is utilized in the analysis. The results show that while the survivors described positive experiences of support from social workers on the Domestic violence planet, they felt social workers in the family law system on the Child contact planet enabled post-separation violence, and reported that this contributed to them feeling betrayed rather than supported.

DeAndrade, Samantha; Pelletier, Andrea; Grossman, Samara; Lewis-O’Connor, Annie; Dutton, Caryn; Royce, Celeste S.; Bartz, Deborah

doi: 10.1177/10778012241230328pmid: 38356282

This is a cross-sectional study investigating the prevalence and nature of trauma-informed care (TIC) training in obstetrics and gynecology residency programs. In our sample, 20% of programs had annual TIC training, 53% had less than annual training, and 27% had no training at all. Only 25.3% of respondents were satisfied with their current training in interpersonal trauma and TIC. A lack of facilitators to conduct such training was the primary barrier to implementing TIC. Significant opportunity exists to improve TIC education for Ob/Gyn trainees.

Maher, Cooper A.; Pyo, Jimin; Hayes, Brittany E.

doi: 10.1177/10778012241234896pmid: 38410025

Women’s fear has been explained as rooted in fears of sexual assault—a phenomenon known as the shadow of sexual assault hypothesis. The current study extends this hypothesis to examine whether lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons’ fear of hate crimes is shadowed by fears of sexual assault. Results indicate that bisexual and transgender persons express greater fear of hate crimes relative to others. This fear is explained by their fear of sexual assault—supporting the shadow hypothesis for bisexual and transgender persons. Findings suggest the importance of fear of sexual assault in explaining sexual and gender minorities’ fear of hate crimes.

Groggel, Anne; Kokoris, Grace; Journet, Starla

doi: 10.1177/10778012241228288pmid: 38304984

The #MeToo movement has brought greater visibility to the topic of sexual assault in public discourse. We analyzed a dataset of 1,070 Twitter #MeToo self-disclosures to examine the relationship between online visibility (retweets and favorites) and the content of victim-survivors’ self-disclosures such as victim's gender, relationship to the perpetrator, and the emotions expressed in the tweet. The visibility of sexual assault self-disclosures was shaped by the extent to which they align with stereotypical misconceptions of victimization. These findings carry significant implications for understanding patterns of victimization, and for identifying whose voices are being amplified or not on Twitter.