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BMC Women's Health Oct 2023As part of efforts to prevent violence against women, several countries have institutionalized formal support services including legislations to prevent, protect...
BACKGROUND
As part of efforts to prevent violence against women, several countries have institutionalized formal support services including legislations to prevent, protect victims, and deter perpetrators of domestic violence (DV). Prior research on formal support service utilization shows that DV survivors do not get the necessary services they deserve. However, much remains to be known about the experiences of women survivors of DV who accessed a range of formal support services and how their experiences (dis)empowered them. Here, we assessed the experiences of Ghanaian women survivors of DV with formal support services vis-à-vis the provisions of the Ghana DV Act and insights of subject experts.
METHODS
From May to August 2018, we recruited a total of 28 participants: 21 women survivors of DV in Weija-Gbawe Municipality of Ghana, and 7 experts from the police, human rights, and health professions. We used two sets of in-depth interview guides: one to collect data on survivors' experiences, and the second for the insights of experts. We performed summary descriptive statistics on survivors' sociodemographic characteristics and used thematic analysis to assess their experiences of DV; and access to, patronage, and response of formal support services.
RESULTS
Of 21 DV survivors, 19 (90.1%) were aware of the existence of the DV law, however none was well informed of their entitlements. DV survivors have low formal education and are not economically empowered. Some DV survivors are revictimized in the process of accessing formal services. DV survivors expect the government to provide them with shelter, upkeep, medical, and legal aid. All the 21 survivors had at least one contact with a women's rights organization and were knowledgeable of their supporting services namely legal services, temporary shelter, and psychosocial support.
CONCLUSIONS
The experiences of DV survivors do not reflect the legal provisions of Ghana's DV Act. Government under funding of formal services and negative gender norms are disempowering to survivors. NGOs are popular among women survivors of DV in Ghana for the education, legal, and material support they provide. A close collaboration between the government and NGOs could better mitigate DV in Ghana.
Topics: Humans; Female; Ghana; Domestic Violence; Women's Rights; Survivors; Educational Status
PubMed: 37848884
DOI: 10.1186/s12905-023-02678-5 -
Domestic violence experienced by women with multiple sclerosis: a study from the North-East of Iran.BMC Women's Health Jul 2022Violence against women is a significant health and legal problem and has been declared as a health priority by the World Health Organization. The most common type of...
INTRODUCTION
Violence against women is a significant health and legal problem and has been declared as a health priority by the World Health Organization. The most common type of violence against women is domestic violence, more prevalent against women with disabilities than other women. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a debilitating neurological disease and has experienced sudden growth in Iran. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of domestic violence and its various types (psychological, economic, physical, and sexual) experienced by women with MS.
METHODS
In this cross-sectional study, 275 married women with MS were selected using convenience sampling. After obtaining informed consent and reviewing the inclusion and exclusion criteria, the Domestic Violence against Women Questionnaire developed by Mohseni Tabrizi et al. was completed by the participants on a self-report basis. The results were analyzed using SPSS software version 16. To analyze data, statistical tests including chi-square and Fisher exact tests for univariate analysis and logistic regression, were employed.
RESULTS
The mean age of participants was 37.12 ± 8.48 years. Domestic violence in different forms of psychological, economic, physical, and sexual violence was present in 53.1%, 63%, 33.6%, and 20.4% of participants, respectively. Economic violence (33.8%) was the highest, and sexual violence (5.1%) was the lowest rate of severe violence among participants. There was a significant relationship between the overall rate of domestic violence and the variables including income (P = 0.013), spouse's income (P = 0.001), participant's job (P = 0.036) and participant's education (P = 0.001). In logistic regression, the overall rate of domestic violence was higher in participants with education less than a diploma than in participants with a diploma (P = 0.014) and participants with a university education (P = 0.016).
CONCLUSION
According to the results, providing opportunities such as promoting the social status of women, fulfilling the rights of women with disabilities and debilitating diseases such as MS in society is recommended. Additionally, educating men about the negative impact of domestic violence on the current and future status of the family seems necessary. Providing counseling facilities on various forms of violence, especially domestic violence, for women with MS, is also recommended.
Topics: Adult; Cross-Sectional Studies; Domestic Violence; Female; Humans; Iran; Male; Middle Aged; Multiple Sclerosis; Prevalence; Spouse Abuse
PubMed: 35909119
DOI: 10.1186/s12905-022-01905-9 -
International Journal of Environmental... Feb 2023The COVID-19 pandemic left no one untouched, and reports of domestic violence (DV) increased during the crisis. DV victims rarely seek professional help, yet when they...
The COVID-19 pandemic left no one untouched, and reports of domestic violence (DV) increased during the crisis. DV victims rarely seek professional help, yet when they do so, they often disclose it to their general practitioner (GP), with whom they have a trusting relationship. GPs rarely screen and hence rarely take the initiative to discuss DV with patients, although victims indicate that offering this opportunity would facilitate their disclosure. This paper aims to describe the frequency of screening for DV by GPs and disclosure of DV by patients to the GP during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to identify key elements that could potentially explain differences in screening for and disclosure of DV. The PRICOV-19 data of 4295 GP practices from 33 countries were included in the analyses, with practices nested in countries. Two stepwise forward clustered ordinal logistic regressions were performed. Only 11% of the GPs reported (much) more disclosure of DV by patients during COVID-19, and 12% reported having screened for DV (much). Most significant associations with screening for and disclosure of DV concerned general (pro)active communication. However, (pro)active communication was performed less frequently for DV than for health conditions, which might indicate that GPs are insufficiently aware of the general magnitude of DV and its impact on patients and society, and its approach/management. Thus, professional education and training for GPs about DV seems highly and urgently needed.
Topics: Humans; Cross-Sectional Studies; Disclosure; Pandemics; Mass Screening; COVID-19; Domestic Violence
PubMed: 36834213
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20043519 -
Frontiers in Public Health 2024Childhood exposure to domestic violence and abuse (DVA) can lead to major short- and long-term effects on the victim. Despite this, there is no accepted measure for... (Review)
Review
PURPOSE
Childhood exposure to domestic violence and abuse (DVA) can lead to major short- and long-term effects on the victim. Despite this, there is no accepted measure for children's experiences, with most existing measures being validated only in high income countries and not in low- and middle- income countries. As a result, international statistics are not comparable. This paper seeks to critically appraise existing measures and discuss whether any are fit-for-purpose on a global scale.
METHOD
The COSMIN PROMs approach was followed to critically appraise and compare the appropriateness of measures. A comprehensive literature search was undertaken in seven journal databases for measures mentioned in formally peer-reviewed articles exploring childhood exposure to DVA.
RESULTS
A literature search resulted in the identification of 10 measures and, following criteria to only keep original measures and remove modifications, four measures which have been validated cross-culturally are discussed in detail in line with the COSMIN PROMs criterion: The Child Exposure to Domestic Violence Scale, Children's Perception of Interparental Conflict Scale, Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire and The Violence Exposure Scale for Children. Strengths and limitations of each are discussed, along with any validations undertaken not in the country of origin.
CONCLUSION
Despite childhood exposure to DVA being an urgent research priority worldwide, the current measures to explore the extent of the issue are not validated cross-culturally, leading to concerns about comparisons across different population groups. The development and implementation of interventions to reduce the levels and effects of exposure relies heavily on cross-cultural comparisons, which may indicate different strategies are needed in different contexts. The lack of these validated comparisons is constraining advances, and the paper advocates for further efforts to be made in this regard.
Topics: Humans; Domestic Violence; Child; Surveys and Questionnaires; Exposure to Violence; Female; Global Health; Male; Child Abuse; Crime Victims; Adolescent
PubMed: 38841674
DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1181837 -
BMC Oral Health Jul 2023Domestic Violence and Abuse (DVA) is a persistent public health problem in the UK. Healthcare settings offer an opportunity to ask patients about DVA, either...
BACKGROUND
Domestic Violence and Abuse (DVA) is a persistent public health problem in the UK. Healthcare settings offer an opportunity to ask patients about DVA, either opportunistically or in response to the presence of injuries. However, it has been suggested that dental practices and dental teams have not been actively involved supporting adult patients when presenting with injuries that might have resulted from DVA. This qualitative study was conducted to satisfy the evaluative component of the Dentistry Responding in Domestic Violence and Abuse (DRiDVA) feasibility study.
METHODS
In total, 30 participants took part in the study; nine associate dentists and practice principals/owners took part in one-to-one interviews and 21 auxiliary staff took part across two focus group discussion sessions. Data were analysed using the seven step Framework Analysis process.
RESULT
Three key themes were identified from the data, focusing on barriers to enquiring about domestic violence and abuse, Facilitators of identification and referral of DVA in dental settings, and recommendations for further adaptation of intervention to dental settings.
CONCLUSION
DVA training coupled with robust referral pathways to a named specialist DVA advocate increases knowledge and awareness of the signs of DVA and confidence in making onward referrals. Further research is needed to understand how to increase dental professional willingness to ask patients about DVA.
Topics: Adult; Humans; Feasibility Studies; Domestic Violence; Public Health; Dentists; Dentistry
PubMed: 37438748
DOI: 10.1186/s12903-023-03059-y -
Psychiatria Polska Oct 2018Most often jealousy is treated as a complex mental phenomenon, which consists of changes in emotional state, in cognitive and behavioral spheres, caused by erotic... (Review)
Review
Most often jealousy is treated as a complex mental phenomenon, which consists of changes in emotional state, in cognitive and behavioral spheres, caused by erotic infidelity of a partner or a feeling of insecurity caused by a rival. It is estimated that factors contributing to this are a combination of dynamic affiliative factors, personality traits as well as environmental and social factors. Jealousy can take a reactive, anxious or possessive forms. This paper aims to present multifactorial genesis of jealousy, which leads to aggressive behaviors, usually in a form of domestic violence, but also resulting in homicides. Factors contributing to the occurrence of aggressive behaviors include specific personality traits of perpetrators as well as external variables, often constant and growing conflicts with the environment, usually multiplied by strong negative emotions directly preceding aggressive attacks. Acts motivated by jealousy often cause juridical difficulties in forensic psychiatry, both in the scope of diagnosis, determination of sanity related to the accusation, as well as in validity of the use of security measures. Identification of the nature of different types of jealousy, their dimensions and various conditioning can contribute to apt judicial-psychiatric assessments.
Topics: Affective Symptoms; Aggression; Domestic Violence; Female; Forensic Psychiatry; Homicide; Humans; Jealousy; Male; Risk Factors; Sexuality
PubMed: 30584823
DOI: 10.12740/PP/OnlineFirst/80418 -
JAMA Network Open Sep 2021Domestic violence (DV) has become a growing public health concern during the COVID-19 pandemic because individuals may be sheltering in place with abusers and facing...
IMPORTANCE
Domestic violence (DV) has become a growing public health concern during the COVID-19 pandemic because individuals may be sheltering in place with abusers and facing mounting economic and health-related stresses.
OBJECTIVE
To analyze associations of the 2020 COVID-19 stay-at-home (SH) order with DV police reporting and resource availability, including differences by community area racial/ethnic composition.
DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS
This longitudinal cohort study assessed DV police reports (January-June 2020) obtained from the Chicago, Illinois, Police Department and DV resource availability (March and August 2020) obtained from the NowPow community resource database, both for 77 community areas in Chicago. Data were analyzed July through December 2020.
EXPOSURES
The COVID-19 SH order effective March 21, 2020.
MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES
Monthly rates of DV police reports and DV resource availability per 100 000 persons.
RESULTS
Of 77 community areas in Chicago, 28 (36.4%) were majority Black, 19 (24.7%) majority Hispanic/Latinx, 18 (23.4%) majority White, and 12 (15.6%) a different or no majority race/ethnicity, representing an estimated population of 2 718 555 individuals. For each community area, the SH order was associated with a decrease in the rate of DV police reports by 21.8 (95% CI, -30.48 to -13.07) crimes per 100 000 persons per month relative to the same months in 2019. Compared with White majority community areas, Black majority areas had a decrease in the rate of DV police reports by 40.8 (95% CI, -62.93 to -18.75) crimes per 100 000 persons per month relative to the same months in 2019. The SH order was also associated with a decrease in DV resource availability at a rate of 5.1 (95% CI, -7.55 to -2.67) resources per 100 000 persons, with the largest decreases for mental health (-4.3 [95% CI, -5.97 to -2.66] resources per 100 000 persons) and personal safety (-2.4 [95% CI, -4.40 to -0.41] resources per 100 000 persons). The Black majority south side of Chicago had a larger decrease in resource availability (-6.7 [95% CI, -12.92 to -0.46] resources per 100 000 persons) than the White majority north side.
CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE
In this longitudinal cohort study, the rate of DV police reports decreased after the SH order was implemented in Chicago. This decrease was largely observed in Black majority communities, whereas there was no significant change in White majority communities. These findings may reflect decreased DV incidence but may also reflect an exacerbation of underreporting. In addition, DV resource availability decreased disproportionately on the predominantly Black south side of Chicago.
Topics: Adult; COVID-19; Chicago; Communicable Disease Control; Domestic Violence; Female; Humans; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Middle Aged; Pandemics; Police; Residence Characteristics; SARS-CoV-2
PubMed: 34473260
DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.22260 -
International Journal For Equity in... Apr 2023Australian data has indicated that the frequency and severity of family and domestic violence (FDV) tends to increase with remoteness. Rural communities rely on...
BACKGROUND
Australian data has indicated that the frequency and severity of family and domestic violence (FDV) tends to increase with remoteness. Rural communities rely on Emergency Departments (ED) within public hospitals for general health and safety needs. Public health departments within Australia are strongly influenced by Government policies which can define 'health problems' and limit institutional responses to patients presenting with FDV. The current study therefore aimed to critically examine FDV Australian Government policies to explore how policy meanings could potentially impact on ED staff and individuals within rural communities.
METHODS
Foucauldian Discourse Analysis and Policy Narrative Analysis were used to examine 9 policy documents which represented national, state/territory and clinical practice levels. Publication dates ranged from 2006 to 2020.
RESULTS
A total of 8 discourses were identified, with each one providing a unique construction of the target problem and determining the potential agency of health professionals and subjects of FDV. Discourses combined to produce an overall narrative within each policy document. Narrative constructions of the target problem were compared which produced three narrative themes: 1) Deficit Subject Narratives; 2) Object Oriented Narratives; and 3) Societal Narratives.
CONCLUSION
The results reflected a transition in the meaning of FDV within Australian society and over the past decade, with policies trending away from Deficit Subject Narratives and towards Object Oriented or Societal Narratives. Institutional systems, sociohistorical context and broader societal movements may have shaped this transition by stagnating policy meanings or introducing new insights that expanded the possibilities of understanding and action. Narratives produced assumptions which significantly altered the relevance and agency of individuals and groups when applied to a rural ED setting. As FDV was moved out of the clinical space and into the public domain, the agency of health professionals was reduced, while the values and strengths of FDV subjects and rural communities were potentially recognised. Later policies provided contextual specificity and meaning fluidity that could benefit diverse groups within rural areas; however, the expectation for ED staff to learn from their communities and challenge institutionalised approaches to FDV requires careful consideration in relation to rural hospital systems and resources.
Topics: Humans; Australia; Rural Population; Domestic Violence; Policy; Emergency Service, Hospital
PubMed: 37038155
DOI: 10.1186/s12939-023-01873-y -
Trauma, Violence & Abuse Jan 2024The current systematic meta-review aimed to map out, characterize, analyze, and synthesize the overarching findings of systematic reviews on domestic violence (DV) in... (Review)
Review
The current systematic meta-review aimed to map out, characterize, analyze, and synthesize the overarching findings of systematic reviews on domestic violence (DV) in the context of COVID-19. Specifically, a systematic meta-review was conducted with three main objectives: (1) to identify what types and aspects of DV during COVID-19 have been reviewed systematically to date (research trends), (2) to synthesize the findings from recent systematic reviews of the theoretical and empirical literature (main findings), and (3) to discuss what systematic reviewers have proposed about implications for policy and practice as well as for future primary research (implications). We identified, appraised, and synthesized the evidence contained in systematic reviews by means of a so-called systematic meta-review. In all, 15 systematic reviews were found to be eligible for inclusion in the current review. Thematic codes were applied to each finding or implication in accordance with a set of predetermined categories informed by the DV literature. The findings of this review provide clear insight into current knowledge of prevalence, incidence, and contributing factors, which could help to develop evidence-informed DV prevention and intervention strategies during COVID-19 and future extreme events. This systematic meta-review does offer a first comprehensive overview of the research landscape on this subject. It allows scholars, practitioners, and policymakers to recognize initial patterns in DV during COVID-19, identify overlooked areas that need to be investigated and understood further, and adjust research methods that will lead to more robust studies.
Topics: Humans; COVID-19; Pandemics; Systematic Reviews as Topic; Domestic Violence
PubMed: 36847221
DOI: 10.1177/15248380231155530 -
BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth Jun 2023Healthcare-based Independent Domestic Violence Advisors (hIDVA) are evidence-based programmes that provide emotional and practical support to service users experiencing...
BACKGROUND
Healthcare-based Independent Domestic Violence Advisors (hIDVA) are evidence-based programmes that provide emotional and practical support to service users experiencing domestic abuse. hIDVA programmes are found to improve health outcomes for service users and are increasingly delivered across a range of healthcare settings. However, it is unclear how hIDVA programmes are implemented across maternity services and the key facilitators and barriers to their implementation. The aim of this study was to identify; how many English National Health Service (NHS) Trusts with maternity services have a hIDVA programme; which departments within the Trust they operate in; what format, content, and variation in hIDVA programmes exist; and key facilitators and barriers of implementation in maternity services.
METHODS
A national survey of safeguarding midwives (Midwives whose role specifically tasks them to protect pregnant women from harm including physical, emotional, sexual and financial harm and neglect) within all maternity services across England; descriptive statistics were used to summarise responses. A World Café event (a participatory method, which aims to create a café atmosphere to facilitate informal conversation) with 38 national key stakeholders to examine barriers and facilitators to hIDVA programme implementation.
RESULTS
86/124 Trusts (69%) with a maternity service responded to the survey; 59(69%) of respondents reported that they had a hIDVA programme, and 47(55%) of the hIDVA programmes operated within maternity services. Key facilitators to implementation of hIDVA programmes included training of NHS staff about the hIDVA role and regular communication between Trust staff and hIDVA staff; hIDVA staff working directly from the Trust; co-creation of hIDVA programmes with experts by experience; governance and middle- and senior-management support. Key barriers included hIDVA staff having a lack of access to a private space for their work, insecure funding for hIDVA programmes and issues with recruitment and retention of hIDVA staff.
CONCLUSIONS
Despite hIDVA programmes role in improving the health outcomes of service users experiencing domestic abuse, increased funding and staff training is needed to successfully implement hIDVA staff in maternity services. Integrated Care Board commissioning of acute and mental health trust services would benefit from ensuring hIDVA programmes and clinician DVA training are prioritised.
Topics: Humans; Female; Pregnancy; State Medicine; Domestic Violence; Pregnant Women; Referral and Consultation; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 37264300
DOI: 10.1186/s12884-023-05731-1