Empowering young people who experienced domestic violence and abuse: The development of a group therapy intervention

This article describes the development of a group-based therapeutic intervention for young people (YP) who have lived with domestic violence and abuse. The intervention was informed by interviews with 107 YP, focused on their experiences of coping, resilience and agency. The intervention draws on resources from systemic, creative and narrative approaches to group work, and aims to facilitate YP's expression of distress in a way that recognizes that it is embodied, contextual and relational. The intervention also explores YP's existing strategies for coping and maintaining a sense of agency, and works to harness, enhance and further develop those skills. We report on the pilot of this intervention, and its development and application across four European countries (the United Kingdom, Greece, Italy and Spain). We outline the goals, strengths and limitations of this group intervention, as well as the main challenges, hindrances and ethical dilemmas experienced by the research and intervention team. Implications for therapeutic practice and training are addressed

Part of the Family:Children’s Experiences with Their Companion Animals in the Context of Domestic Violence and Abuse

Purpose: Children who experience Domestic Violence and Abuse (DVA) draw on a range of strategies to manage the complex dynamics of family life. This article explored children’s experiences of their relationships with pets and other animals, considering how children understood these relationships.Methods: This qualitative study is based on semi-structured interviews and visual methods-based research with 22 children (aged 9–17), drawn from a larger study on how children cope with DVA. The data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis.Findings: Five themes are discussed: Part of the family explores how children positioned animals as relational beings who occupied an important place in their lives; caring for animals considers the reciprocal caring relationship children described; listening and support details how children interacted with animals to allow themselves to feel more heard and supported; in the theme control and abuse, we consider children’s experiences of perpetrators’ use of companion animals as part of a pattern of abuse and control; and in disruption, uncertainty and loss, we discuss how children feel and relate to their animals when leaving situations of domestic abuse.Conclusions: The implications of our analysis are considered in relation to providing support for children impacted by domestic abuse, and the importance of ensuring companion animals are provided for in housing policy and planning for domestic abuse survivors

The Management of Disclosure in Children’s Accounts of Domestic Violence: Practices of Telling and Not Telling

Children and young people who experience domestic violence are often represented as passive witnesses, too vulnerable to tell the stories of their own lives. This article reports on findings from a 2 year European research project (Understanding Agency and Resistance Strategies, UNARS) with children and young people in Greece, Italy, Spain and the UK, who had experienced domestic violence. It explores children and young people’s understandings of their own capacity to reflect on and disclose their experiences Extracts from individual interviews with 107 children and young people (age 8–18) were analysed. Three themes are presented, that illustrate children and young people’s strategies for managing disclosure: (1) “Being silenced or choosing silence?”, explores children and young people’s practices of self-silencing; (2) “Managing disclosures: Finding ways to tell” outlines how children and young people value self-expression, and the strategies they use to disclose safely; and in (3) “Speaking with many voices” considers how children and young people’s accounts of their experiences are constituted relationally, and are often polyvocal. The article concludes that children and young people can be articulate, strategic and reflexive communicators, and that good support for families struggling with domestic violence must enable space for children and young people’s voice to be heard. This is possible only in an integrated framework able to encompass multiple layers and perspectives, rather than privileging the adult point of view. Practitioners who work with families affected by domestic violence need to recognize that children and young people are able to reflect on and speak about their experiences. This requires that attention is paid to the complexity of children and young people’s communication practices, and the relational context of those communications

Violence in close interpersonal relationships: investigating young people's approaches and beliefs

The present doctoral thesis focuses on the study of views and beliefs about dating violence. Specifically, it aims to explore how young people give meaning to and interpret violence in heterosexual intimate relationships outside the context of marriage or cohabitation. Sixty-three students, aged 18-25, of whom twenty-five were men and thirty-eight were women, participated in the study. The methodological approach of the research was qualitative and data were collected using the method of focus groups. In total, seventeen focus groups were conducted (ten groups of women and seven groups of men). Reflexive Thematic Analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006) was used for data analysis. The findings show that apart from the “obvious”, regarding its recognition, physical violence, defining a behavior as violent is a complex and multifactorial process. As for the etiology of violence, it was constructed in the narratives of young people either through a gender-neutral or a gendered perspective. Young people’s accounts of violence reflected social norms and dominant discourses and scripts about gender, relationships and sexuality. The role of a collective culture of victims’ of violence accountability and stigmatization was also highlighted. The findings are discussed in relation to their use in relevant research and in prevention and intervention programmes about dating violence.Η παρούσα διατριβή επικεντρώνεται στη μελέτη της οπτικής και των πεποιθήσεων για τη βία στις συντροφικές σχέσεις. Συγκεκριμένα, στοχεύει στη διερεύνηση του τρόπου με τον οποίο τα νεαρά άτομα νοηματοδοτούν και ερμηνεύουν τη βία στις ετεροφυλοφιλικές συντροφικές σχέσεις εκτός πλαισίου γάμου ή συμβίωσης. Στην έρευνα συμμετείχαν συνολικά εξήντα τρεις φοιτητές/τριες, ηλικίας 18-25 ετών, εκ των οποίων είκοσι πέντε ήταν άνδρες και τριάντα οκτώ ήταν γυναίκες. Η μεθοδολογική προσέγγιση της έρευνας ήταν ποιοτική και η συλλογή των δεδομένων έγινε με τη μέθοδο των ομάδων εστίασης. Συνολικά, διενεργήθηκαν δεκαεπτά ομάδες εστίασης (δέκα ομάδες γυναικών και επτά ομάδες ανδρών). Για την ανάλυση των δεδομένων χρησιμοποιήθηκε η Θεματική Ανάλυση (Reflexive Thematic Analysis, Braun & Clarke, 2006). Τα ευρήματα καταδεικνύουν ότι, εκτός από την «προφανή» ως προς την αναγνώρισή της σωματική βία, ο προσδιορισμός μιας συμπεριφοράς ως βίαιης αποτελεί μια πολύπλοκη και πολυπαραγοντική διεργασία. Όσον αφορά την αιτιολογία της βίας, διαμορφώθηκε στις αφηγήσεις των νεαρών ατόμων είτε μέσω μιας ουδέτερης είτε μέσω διαφορετικών ως προς το φύλο οπτικών. Οι αφηγήσεις των νέων για τη βία αντανακλούσαν κοινωνικές νόρμες και κυρίαρχους λόγους και σενάρια για το φύλο, τις σχέσεις και τη σεξουαλικότητα. Αναδείχθηκε, επίσης, ο ρόλος μιας συλλογικής κουλτούρας για την απόδοση ευθύνης και στιγματισμού των θυμάτων της βίας. Τα ευρήματα συζητούνται ως προς την αξιοποίησή τους στη σχετική έρευνα και σε προγράμματα πρόληψης και παρέμβασης για τη βία στις συντροφικές σχέσεις

Sexual Violence in Romantic Relationships from the Perspective of Young Female Students: A Qualitative Study

Η παρούσα ποιοτική μελέτη εστιάζει στην οπτική και στις πεποιθήσεις νεαρών γυναικών για τη σεξουαλική βία στις ετεροφυλοφιλικές συντροφικές σχέσεις εκτός πλαισίου γάμου ή συμβίωσης. Συγκεκριμένα, επιχειρεί να διερευνήσει σε βάθος πώς ορίζουν και νοηματοδοτούν οι γυναίκες τη σεξουαλική βία στο συγκεκριμένο πλαίσιο σχέσης. Στην έρευνα πήραν μέρος 38 φοιτήτριες, ηλικίας 18 έως 24 ετών. Η συλλογή των δεδομένων πραγματοποιήθηκε με τη μέθοδο των ομάδων εστίασης, ενώ για την ανάλυση των δεδομένων χρησιμοποιήθηκε η θεματική ανάλυση. Τα θέματα που διαμορφώθηκαν ήταν δύο:  (α) «Δεν μιλάμε μόνο για psycho τύπους στους δρόμους»: Η εκδήλωση της σεξουαλικής βίας στις συντροφικές σχέσεις και (β) Μια διαπραγμάτευση «συναίνεσης» με διαφορετικούς όρους για γυναίκες και άνδρες. Σύμφωνα με τα ευρήματα της έρευνας, οι συμμετέχουσες συμπεριέλαβαν στον ορισμό της σεξουαλικής βίας ένα μεγάλο φάσμα πράξεων, συμπεριλαμβανομένων του βιασμού, του σεξουαλικού εξαναγκασμού και της πίεσης για μη επιθυμητές σεξουαλικές πράξεις. Αναγνώρισαν τις συντροφικές σχέσεις ως πλαίσιο όπου αυτές οι πράξεις εκδηλώνονται, αμφισβητώντας διαδεδομένους μύθους για τη σεξουαλική βία, αποκλειστικά ως βίας που διαπράττεται από άγνωστους στις γυναίκες άνδρες σε δημόσιους χώρους. Στις αφηγήσεις τους, οι συμμετέχουσες νοηματοδότησαν τη σεξουαλική βία μέσα από τη σύνδεσή της με έμφυλους ρόλους και προσδοκίες, που επηρεάζουν τη διαπραγμάτευση της σεξουαλικής συναίνεσης και μπορεί να οδηγήσουν σε μη επιθυμητές σεξουαλικές εμπειρίες για τις γυναίκες. Τα ευρήματα συζητούνται ως προς την αξιοποίησή τους στη σχετική έρευνα και σε προγράμματα πρόληψης και παρέμβασης για τη σεξουαλική βία στις συντροφικές σχέσεις.The present qualitative study focuses on the views and beliefs of young women regarding sexual violence in romantic relationships outside of the context of marriage or cohabitation. More specifically, it seeks to extensively explore how women define and give meaning to sexual violence in this particular relationship status. Thirty-eight female students, aged between 18 and 24 years old, participated in the study. The method of focus group was employed for data collection that were then analyzed using thematic analysis. Two themes were generated: (a) "We're not just talking about psycho guys on the streets": The manifestation of sexual violence in romantic relationships and (b) A negotiation of "consent" in different terms for women and men. According to the findings, the participants referred to a broad spectrum of actions in their definitions of sexual violence, including rape, sexual coercion as well as pressure for unwanted sexual acts. They recognized that romantic relationships is a context within which such acts take place, while challenging popular myths about sexual violence being committed solely by strange men in public. In their narratives, the participants gave meaning to sexual violence through its relation to gender roles and expectations which affect the negotiation of sexual consent and may lead to unwanted sexual experiences for women. The findings are discussed in relation to their valuable contribution in relevant research as well as in prevention and intervention programs about sexual violence in romantic relationships

A Clinical Study of Sotos Syndrome Patients With Review of the Literature

Sotos syndrome is characterized by tall stature, advanced bone age, typical facial abnormalities, and developmental delay. The associated gene is NSD1. The study involved 22 patients who fulfilled the clinical criteria. Phenotypic characteristics, central nervous system findings, and cardiovascular and urinary tract abnormalities were evaluated. Meta-analysis on the incidence of cardinal clinical manifestations from the literature was also performed. Macrocephaly was present in all patients. Advanced bone age was noted in 14 of 22 patients (63%), and its incidence presented significant statistical difference in the meta-analysis of previous studies. Some patients had serious clinical manifestations, such as congenital heart defects, dysplastic kidneys, psychosis, and leukemia. Clinical and laboratory examinations should be performed to prevent and manage any unusual medical aspect of the syndrome. Facial gestalt and macrocephaly, rather than advanced bone age, are the strongest indications for clinical diagnosis. (C) 2009 by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

Three Novel Mutations in Greek Sotos Patients with Rare Clinical Manifestations

Background: Sotos syndrome is an autosomal dominant disease characterized by tall stature, advanced bone age, typical morphological abnormalities of the face and developmental delay. It is caused by mutations in the NSD1 gene located on chromosome 5. NSD1 mutations are detected in the majority of the Sotos patients, and include intragenic NSD1 mutations and microdeletions in the 5q35 region. Cardiovascular and urogenital symptoms are more frequent in the microdeletion group. Methods: Mutation analysis was performed in 4 patients with Sotos syndrome with typical phenotypic characteristics. Results: In each of the 4 patients a NSD1 mutation was found (2 frame shifts, 1 nonsense and 1 missense mutation). Two of our patients presented dysplastic kidneys with cysts and psychosis, respectively. Conclusions: We describe 4 Greek patients with Sotos syndrome. Apart from the typical phenotypic characteristics, 2 of our patients presented rare clinical manifestations such as dysplastic kidneys and psychosis. The 3 detected mutations are novel. Copyright (C) 2008 S. Karger AG, Base

Understanding agency and resistance: children in situations of domestic abuse

UNDERSTANDING AGENCY AND RESISTANCE: CHILDREN IN SITUATIONS OF DOMESTIC ABUSE Name of organizer: Jane Callaghan Organisers’ affiliation: University of Northampton Name of Discussant: Lisa Fellin Symposium abstract Understanding Agency and Resistance is a four-nation, European Commission funded project, exploring children’s capacity to construct resistant, resilient and agentic self-identities in situations of domestic abuse. The UNARS project will provide information on the ways young people construct agentic and resistant identities when coping with experiences of domestic violence. In this symposium, we present four papers which explore the theoretical framework informing this study, and findings from all four participating countries. In the first paper we present a decade review of the literature on the impact of domestic abuse on children, exploring how children are constructed within this literature. In the second paper, we explore the policy landscape that informs services for children in these situations, considering its implications for children’s health services and for their wellbeing and capacity for agency. The third paper presents an analysis of children’s accounts of their experiences of domestic abuse, highlighting the subtle and complex manner in which children sustain a sense of agency and resistance. In the fourth paper we present an analysis of carers’ accounts of their children’s experiences of domestic abuse, exploring the ways in which they perceive and articulate their children’s capacity for resilience and agency. GROWING UP WITH VIOLENCE: DISCOURSES OF CHILDHOOD IN SITUATIONS OF DOMESTIC ABUSE Jane Callaghan, Judith Sixsmith, Joanne Alexander, Lisa Fellin, Sarah Armstrong-Hallam, University of Northampton This paper takes a critical discursive and feminist perspective on psychological accounts of children who live in situations of DV. We consider how constructs like ’witness’, ’trauma’ and ’exposure’ operate in psychological and other health and social care discourses, and explore the implications for young people’s identities. A systematic search of peer reviewed literature published in the last decade was conducted. Emergent from the analysis of the literature, several intersecting discourses were identified. These included constructions of the child as ‘damaged’, passive exposure discourses, and gendered constructions of the impact of DA. We explore how children are represented, highlighting their recurrent positioning as damaged, vulnerable and passive, and consider the possible future selves represented for young people in such images. Further we consider how positioning of children in situations of DA is intertwined with constructions of women as victims of violence. Exploring the operation of theoretical models like intergenerational cycles of violence, we consider how domestic abuse is seen as inevitably damaging to children, but that the mediator of the child’s response to the violence is most frequently framed, within this literature, as being related to the mother’s response to the violence, and her pre-relational psychological functioning. UNDERSTANDING THE POLICY CONTEXT OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE: PERSPECTIVES ON CHILDREN Judith Sixsmith, Stephen Symons, Jane Callaghan, Maria Papathanassiou, Stavroula Mavrou, University of Northampton & Aristotle University This paper explores how policy context frames discourses which underpin service provision to CYP in situations of domestic violence. The policy analysis addresses the following research questions: 1. What is the current policy landscape in Europe? 2. In what ways does the policy landscape shape the ways DV is conceptualised by young people and professional stakeholders? 3. How can the policy context be changed to better enable agency, resistance and resilience amongst young people who experience DV? Policy documents were identified at national and local level. A thematic and then critical discourse analysis was performed to identify dominant discourses which frame children within situations of DV. Two key themes were identified revolving around ‘harms’ and ‘addressing harms’. Dominant discourses concerning passivity, organisational agency, parental agency and responsibility were identified, placing children as non-agentic. At a micro-level we discuss how the implications might concern children’s self-identities, and at a macro-level, how these constructions might reproduce medical practices. The research highlights the lack of voice children have in relation to their own negotiation of DV within family and organisational contexts. The research will now progress towards articulating the way in which the policy context informs professional practice in services dealing with DV. “WITNESS” TO VIOLENCE? AGENCY AND RESISTANCE IN CHILDREN’S ACCOUNTS OF DOMESTIC ABUSE Jane Callaghan, Joanne Alexander, Judith Sixsmith, Lisa Fellin University of Northampton The review of academic literature on children in situations of DA clearly highlights their positioning as passive victims of adult violence, focusing heavily on the pathological consequences of growing up with violence. While we acknowledge the negative impact DA has on children’s lives, we believe that this dominant professional explanation tells only a partial story, one that can have a negative and unintended consequence for work with children and families. In particular, we argue these accounts constrain the articulation of more agentic and resistant subjectivities in children living with DV. In this paper we explore how young people themselves talk about their experiences, how they cope and are resilient, and how they find strategies of resistance. The UNARS project involves individual interviews with 20 young people in 4 different European countries. Here we explore interviews with participants who have grown up with interpersonal violence. These interviews were analysed using Denzin’s (2008) Interpretive Interactionism. We consider the complex ways these young people have found to ‘cope’ with domestic abuse, finding both relational and personal strategies to manage domestic abuse. We consider the implications of this for the health and social care provisions of the European regions we are working in. CHILDREN IN SITUATIONS OF DOMESTIC ABUSE: CARERS’ PERSPECTIVES Jane Callaghan, Kiki Deliyianni-Kouimtzi, Joanne Alexander, Judith Sixsmith, Lisa Fellin University of Northampton & Aristotle University The policy analysis and the literature review undertaken for the UNARS research project highlight the dominant representations of children who experience domestic abuse as being non-agentic and ‘damaged’. In this paper we explore interviews with carers who have, together with children they care for, lived in situations of domestic abuse. We consider the ways in which these carers perceive and articulate their children’s experiences of domestic abuse, and of their capacity for resilience, resistance and agency. We explore their reflections on accessing and negotiating support services for themselves and their children, and their perceptions surrounding health & social care provisions. Two carer focus groups were conducted in each of the four participating countries (Italy, Greece, Spain & UK). These focus groups were analysed using Denzin’s (2008) Interpretive Interactionism. Here we explore the language carers use to talk about their children’s experiences of domestic abuse and we consider how carers’ articulated narratives of far reaching detrimental effects and ‘damage’ reflect that of professional discourses, academic literature, and advertising campaigns related to children in situations of domestic abuse. We consider potential implications for children’s self-identities, and the ways in which these constructions could constrain and limit children’s capacity for resilience and agency