Predicting Bidirectional Intimate Partner Violence: Demographic and Historical Factors That Influence Initiating Threats or Use of Violence by IPV Victims

Using data from the National Violence Against Women Survey, this study explored the role of gender and other demographic and historical factors that influence initiating threats or use of violence among a sample of intimate partner violence (IPV) victims—an element of bidirectional violence. For this study, involvement in a relationship marked by bidirectional violence was defined as an affirmative response to this question: Were you the first person to use/threaten physical force? after respondents self-identified as IPV victims. The hypothesized model to predict initiating threats or use of violence among male victims was not significant, but marital status, income, employment status, and childhood victimization experiences did significantly predict female behavior. Age, race, education, alcohol use, drug use, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms were not useful in explaining model variance for men or women. The rates of perpetration were equivalent for males and females; however, these findings suggest that gender is still an important context to consider when theorizing about bidirectional IPV.     

Intimate Partner Violence and Poverty in the Context of Botswana

The study aimed at exploring pathways of intimate partner violence and poverty. The sample consisted of 30 women (aged 18 to 54 years) who had experienced intimate partner violence. Data were collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews and analysed thematically. The results revealed that intimate partner violence was related to a lack of financial resources and stable income, financial dependency on the perpetrator, lack of child support, and intergenerational exposure to violence and poverty. The findings suggest that experiences of poverty and intimate partner violence are largely intertwined.     

A criminological assessment on South African women who murdered their intimate male partners

This study aimed to unravel the offence-specific factors to murder by females of their intimate male partners. Participants were 15 South African women prison inmates serving sentences for murdering their male partners (age range from 22 years to 62 years). The majority (80%) of the sample were Black. Data were collected with in-depth one-on-one interviews with sentenced females and analysed from a criminological perspective according to reoccurring themes that emerged from the data. Results indicate availability of hit men and cultural consultation with sangomas or traditional African healers, substance abuse and experience of abuse to be associated with intimate male partner murders by females. Participants seemed to have also been driven to murder by jealousy, in regard to extramarital affairs by partners, and also to be acting in self-defence when the murder occurred. The females’ unique life histories explained their particular pathways to murder.     

Loneliness: Lost in the Landscape of Meaning

The present study is an examination of sex differences in the sources of annoyance that partners in close relationships might experience as a result of each other's behavior. To test hypotheses derived from S. E. Cross and L. Madson's (1997) self-construal theory and from D. M. Buss's (1989) evolutionary psychology-based model, men and women of varying ages and educational levels were asked to rate how annoyed they would be with each of 13 potentially annoying behaviors of their intimate partner. Results were consistent with self-construal theory in that relationship-threatening behaviors were more annoying to women than to men and autonomy threatening behaviors were more annoying to men than to women. Results were also consistent with evolutionary psychology in that aggressive behaviors were more annoying to women than to men and sexual withholding was relatively more annoying to men than to women. Sex differences in annoyance with relationship-threatening, autonomy-threatening, and reproductive strategy behaviors were independent of age and education level, although these factors did affect respondents' annoyance when partners were unemotional, sloppy, or pleased with their own appearance. Results showed that sources of annoyance in intimate relationships should not only be studied from an evolutionary perspective but from the perspectives of social, personality, and developmental psychology as well.     

Exploring Women's Perspectives of Overcoming Intimate Partner Violence: A Phenomenological Study

Research in occupational therapy with women overcoming Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) focuses primarily on role acquisition; however, a broader lens in which to understand recovery may support more client-centered practice. The purpose of this study was to explore and understand the perspectives of women overcoming Intimate Partner Violence. Six women, residents at a domestic violence shelter, volunteered to participate in this phenomenological study. Relationships, Starting Over, Spirituality, and Expansion of Self emerged as major themes with an overarching theme of Forward Movement as the women continued on their journey in recovery.     

A Qualitative Study of Community–University Partnerships That Support Psychosocial Occupational Therapy

Community partner voices are important to understand because they provide the contexts in which occupational therapy (OT) students research community-identified needs and together, create evidence-based occupation-focused programs while developing clinical reasoning skills in a natural context. The purpose of this study is to understand how community partners experienced partnerships that support community-based research in psychosocial settings. This retrospective study explores the perspectives of community partners that hosted OT students for two-semester service-learning project over 3 years. Findings revealed partners value effective communication with faculty and students, spending time observing, listening, and developing meaningful relationships with clients and staff.     

The ‘frame’ as a container for the erotic transference – A case study

Abstract

This paper discusses various aspects of the psychotherapeutic frame, and explores the importance of maintaining the boundaries of the frame especially when an erotic transferential relationship is present. Many now agree that erotic transference and counter-transference occur in most therapeutic relationships, and yet it is something that therapists often struggle to work with effectively. The author acknowledges her own difficulties in working with erotic transferences and demonstrates why the adherence to the frame is especially significant in these circumstances. A case study is used to illustrate the difficulties of working with the erotic transference within the constructs of a frame and short-term therapy, and how the author's own counter-transference affected the therapy as well as how this was dealt with in supervision.     

Health consequences of intimate partner violence against married women: a population-based study in northern Iran

The effects of different types of intimate partner violence (IPV) on mental health are understudied. The aim of this study was to analyse the association between women’s mental health and physical, psychological and sexual IPV. We invited subjects of a population-based survey conducted in 2015 in Rasht, Iran, on IPV against women to complete the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28). The present research study is a secondary study based on these data and archival data from the 2015 study. For analysis, multivariate analysis of covariance was used. Additionally, predictors of IPV were evaluated using linear regression. A total of 2091 married women were surveyed. The participants were divided into abused women (n = 512, 24.5%) and non-abused women (n = 1579, 75.5%). The pattern of IPV among our patients showed more instances of psychological aggression than physical assault, sexual coercion or injury. Our results show that the non-psychotic psychiatric disorders of the victims were significantly impaired in all aspects, including somatic symptoms, anxiety/insomnia, social dysfunction, and depression. Except social dysfunction, the psychological and sexual abuse were significant predictors of other aspects of mental health. Our findings suggest that risk of IPV is high in this population. They also indicate that various forms of abuse are different from each other in terms of predicting a victim’s mental health. Different strategies may be required to reduce and prevent this violence. Additional research is needed to confirm and expand upon our findings.