Aštuonios smurto formos: dviejų daugiadimensių skalių, vertinančių smurto prieš moteris šeimoje patirtį, validumas ir vidinis suderinamumas

Many researchers are still relying on older and more rigid instruments focusing mostly on the physical aspect of intimate partner violence (IPV). This way multidimensionality of IPV and complex experiences of IPV survivors’ are overlooked by many researchers, practitioners and decision-makers. Therefore, our study aimed to adopt to Lithuanian two multidimensional scales: the Composite Abuse Scale (CAS) and the Scale of Economic Abuse (SEA). As well as confirm its validity and reliability for the use for determining the experiences of Lithuanian women in intimate partner relationships. Through various channels 311 women, survivors of IPV were recruited. The structure of both measurements was validated using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and internal consistency using McDonald’s omega coefficient. Relying on the newest research we confirmed a five-factor structure for the CAS with the five factors being: Severe Combined Abuse, Sexual Abuse, Emotional Abuse, Physical Abuse, and Harassment. We also confirmed the three-factor structure for the SEA, resulting in Economic Control, Economic Exploitation, and Employment Sabotage. The instruments demonstrated high internal consistency. The validated instruments that measure multidimensionality of IPV will allow a more comprehensive data and knowledge collection of women’s experiences in abusive relationships.Dauguma tyrėjų, besigilinančių į smurto prieš moteris šeimoje problemą, naudoja senus bei rigidiškus įrankius, iš esmės skirtus vertinti fizinio smurto patirtį, ignoruojant kitas plačiai paplitusias smurto formas ar joms skiriant nepakankamai dėmesio. Taigi įvairios išgyventos patirtys ir smurto prieš moteris šeimoje problemos įvairiapusiškumas nėra atskleidžiami bei atpažįstami ir dėl to nesulaukia tinkamo tyrėjų, praktikų bei sprendimų priėmėjų dėmesio. Šiuo tyrimu buvo siekiama į lietuvių kalbą išversti ir adaptuoti dvi daugiadimenses skales: Sudėtinę smurto skalę (SSS, angl. Composit Abuse Scale) ir Ekonominio išnaudojimo skalę (EIS, angl. Scale of Economic Abuse). Taip pat siekta patvirtinti šių skalių validumą ir patikimumą, nustatant Lietuvos moterų patirtį artimuose santykiuose. Tyrime dalyvavo 311 intymaus partnerio smurtą patyrusių moterų. Abiejų skalių struktūra buvo patvirtinta taikant patvirtinamąją faktorinę analizę, o vidinis suderinamumas – naudojant McDonaldo omega koeficientą. Remiantis naujausiais tyrimais, buvo patvirtinta penkių faktorių SSS struktūra, susidedanti iš penkių subskalių: žiauraus įvairių rūšių smurto, seksualinio smurto, emocinio smurto, fizinio smurto ir priekabiavimo. Taip pat patvirtinta trijų faktorių EIS struktūra – ekonominės kontrolės, ekonomino išnaudojimo ir karjeros sabotavimo. Abi skalės pasižymėjo geru vidiniu suderinamumu. Adaptuotos ir validizuotos skalės, kuriomis matuojama įvairiapusė smurto prieš moteris šeimoje patirtis, leis surinkti išsamesnius duomenis, geriau atspindėti įvairias moterų patirtis smurtiniuose santykiuose ir atitinkamai praplėsti problemos nagrinėjimą bei sprendimo būdų pasirinkimą akademiniu, praktiniu bei politiniu lygiu

Coping With the Experiences of Intimate Partner Violence Among South African Women: Systematic Review and Meta-Synthesis

Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) continues to be a serious problem worldwide. South Africa has a high prevalence of women experiencing IPV. Although much research reports on the prevalence rates, risk factors, and consequences of IPV, fewer studies report on how women deal with the experiences of IPV. Objective: This systematic review of the empirical literature aimed to identify and synthesize the best available evidence on women’s experiences of coping with IPV in South Africa. Methods: A four-level search and retrieval strategy using PRISMA and JBI guidelines was conducted, which included critical appraisal, study selection, data extraction, and data synthesis. Ten studies met the eligibility criteria and were included in the review. They were assessed to meet a set threshold (7/10) based on the JBI Critical Appraisal Checklist for Qualitative Research. All studies were conducted between 2010 and 2020, conducted in South Africa, and used qualitative methodologies to accomplish the overall aim of investigating IPV experiences of women and their responses to it. Results: The total number of women included in the studies was 159. The data extraction yielded 49 findings of which 47 were aggregated into 14 categories and three themes: (1) help- and support-seeking coping, (2) emotional regulation coping, and (3) problem avoidance and distraction coping. Help- and support-seeking coping refers to women’s responses when they seek instrumental aid, advice, comfort, and/or understanding from others. Emotional regulation includes responses of women in which their emotions were expressed or regulated. Problem avoidance and distraction coping represent responses of women in which they take efforts to avoid thinking about the problem situation and rather reshift their focus. Conclusion: Overall, this review found that a variety of coping responses are used by South African women experiencing IPV. The findings point to the need for understanding IPV and responses to it within a broader social context rather than just at the persona

Longitudinal measurement of cortisol in association with mental health and experience of domestic violence and abuse:study protocol

BACKGROUND: Domestic violence and abuse is threatening behavior, violence/abuse used by one person to control the other within an intimate or family-type relationship. Women experience more severe physical and sexual domestic violence and abuse and more mental health consequences than men. The current study aims at exploring of the role of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis activity in abuse impact on women's mental health. Study objectives: 1) To evaluate diurnal cortisol slope, cortisol awakening response, and the mean cortisol concentration in women with a current or recent experience of abuse; 2) To estimate whether cortisol secretion is associated with type, severity, duration and cessation of abuse; 3) To investigate whether cortisol acts as mediator between abuse and mental health condition; 4) To examine whether there is any distinction in cortisol levels between those women exposed to both childhood abuse and domestic violence and abuse and those experienced only the latter. 4) To explore whether cortisol secretion differs between women living in refuge and those still living in the community. METHODS/DESIGN: To meet study objectives 128 women will be recruited in a domestic violence agency and local communities. Baseline and 3-month follow-up measures will be taken over 6 months after recruitment. Each assessment will include: (1) standardized self-administered questionnaires to evaluate socio-demographics, experience of violence and abuse, mental and physical health; (2) weight and height measurement; (3) self-completion of wakening, post-wakening and evening saliva samples. Saliva will be analysed for cortisol and cortisone using Ultra performance liquid chromatography – tandem mass spectrometry. We will compare diurnal cortisol parameters between non-abused controls and abuse survivors with and without mental health conditions. First following descriptive statistics for all the cortisol and mental health outcomes, relationships between them will be investigated using appropriate regression models. Second, these techniques will be used to investigate the extent to which cortisol measures act as potential mediators between type, severity, duration of abuse and mental disorders. DISCUSSION: Results of the study will increase our understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms of abuse-related mental health disorders in women and inform researchers and practitioners on the possibility of using salivary cortisol as a biological marker for prognosis, diagnosis, and treatment evaluation among abuse survivors. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov registration NCT0163255

English to Arabic Translation of the Composite Abuse Scale (CAS): A Multi-Method Approach

BACKGROUND: The composite abuse scale (CAS) is a comprehensive tool used to measure intimate partner violence (IPV). The aim of the present study is to translate the CAS from English to Arabic. METHODS: The translation of the CAS was conducted in four stages using a multi-method approach: 1) preliminary forward translation, 2) discussion with a panel of bilingual experts, 3) focus groups discussion, and 4) back-translation of the CAS. The discussion included a linguistic validation by a comparison of the Arabic translation with the original English by assessing conceptual and content equivalence. FINDINGS: In all the stages of translation, there was an agreement to remove the question from the CAS that asked women about the use of objects in the vagina. Wording, format and order of the items were refined according to comments and suggestions made by the experts’ panel and focus groups’ members. The back-translated CAS showed similar wording and language of the original English version. CONCLUSIONS: The Arabic version of the CAS will help to measure the problem of IPV among Saudi women and possibly other Arabic-speaking women in future studies. This is important, particularly, in longitudinal studies or intervention studies among abused women and it allows a comparison of the results of studies from different cultures. However, further validations studies are needed to ensure accurate and equivalent Arabic translation of the CAS

Intimate partner violence and health-related quality of life in European men and women: findings from the DOVE study

PURPOSE: Little is known on the specific relation between being a perpetrator or both a victim and perpetrator of intimate partner violence (IPV) and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). We assessed the association between HRQoL and abuse, considering men and women as victims, perpetrators or reciprocally. METHODS: Participants were adult men and women (n = 3,496), randomly selected from the general population of six European cities. The Revised-Conflict-Tactics-Scales and the Medical-Outcomes-Study 36-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) were used to measure IPV and HRQoL. The age-, education-, and city-adjusted mean scores[standard error] of the physical and of the mental SF-36 component summaries were used to compare victims-only, perpetrators-only, and those involved in both (bidirectional or reciprocal cases) with those not involved in past-year and lifetime physical assault and/or sexual coercion. RESULTS: The physical component summary was significantly lower in women involved in past-year bidirectional physical assault compared with non-abused women. The mental component summary in women not involved in IPV was significantly higher than in those physically abused, regardless of type of involvement. Women victims-only of past-year sexual coercion and victims or involved in bidirectional concomitant physical and sexual IPV also presented lower scores in the mental component summary than women not involved in IPV. In men, significantly lower scores in the mental component summary were found in the past-year bidirectional physically assaulted group and among those involved bidirectionally in both physical and sexual IPV compared with men not involved in IPV. CONCLUSION: Experiencing physical and sexual IPV is negatively associated with HRQoL. Lower scores in the mental component summary of the SF-36 are evident among female victims and among males and females involved in intimate partner violence as both victims and perpetrators when compared to females and males not involved in violence