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• Open access
• Published: 20 June 2023

A qualitative quantitative mixed methods study of domestic violence against women

• Mina Shayestefar 1 ,
• Mohadese Saffari 1 ,
• Razieh Gholamhosseinzadeh 2 ,
• Monir Nobahar 3 , 4 ,
• Majid Mirmohammadkhani 4 ,
• Seyed Hossein Shahcheragh 5 &
• Zahra Khosravi 6  

BMC Women's Health volume  23 , Article number:  322 ( 2023 ) Cite this article

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Violence against women is one of the most widespread, persistent and detrimental violations of human rights in today’s world, which has not been reported in most cases due to impunity, silence, stigma and shame, even in the age of social communication. Domestic violence against women harms individuals, families, and society. The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence and experiences of domestic violence against women in Semnan.

This study was conducted as mixed research (cross-sectional descriptive and phenomenological qualitative methods) to investigate domestic violence against women, and some related factors (quantitative) and experiences of such violence (qualitative) simultaneously in Semnan. In quantitative study, cluster sampling was conducted based on the areas covered by health centers from married women living in Semnan since March 2021 to March 2022 using Domestic Violence Questionnaire. Then, the obtained data were analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistics. In qualitative study by phenomenological approach and purposive sampling until data saturation, 9 women were selected who had referred to the counseling units of Semnan health centers due to domestic violence, since March 2021 to March 2022 and in-depth and semi-structured interviews were conducted. The conducted interviews were analyzed using Colaizzi’s 7-step method.

In qualitative study, seven themes were found including “Facilitators”, “Role failure”, “Repressors”, “Efforts to preserve the family”, “Inappropriate solving of family conflicts”, “Consequences”, and “Inefficient supportive systems”. In quantitative study, the variables of age, age difference and number of years of marriage had a positive and significant relationship, and the variable of the number of children had a negative and significant relationship with the total score and all fields of the questionnaire (p < 0.05). Also, increasing the level of female education and income both independently showed a significant relationship with increasing the score of violence.

Conclusions

Some of the variables of violence against women are known and the need for prevention and plans to take action before their occurrence is well felt. Also, supportive mechanisms with objective and taboo-breaking results should be implemented to minimize harm to women, and their children and families seriously.

Peer Review reports

Violence against women by husbands (physical, sexual and psychological violence) is one of the basic problems of public health and violation of women’s human rights. It is estimated that 35% of women and almost one out of every three women aged 15–49 experience physical or sexual violence by their spouse or non-spouse sexual violence in their lifetime [ 1 ]. This is a nationwide public health issue, and nearly every healthcare worker will encounter a patient who has suffered from some type of domestic or family violence. Unfortunately, different forms of family violence are often interconnected. The “cycle of abuse” frequently persists from children who witness it to their adult relationships, and ultimately to the care of the elderly [ 2 ]. This violence includes a range of physical, sexual and psychological actions, control, threats, aggression, abuse, and rape [ 3 ].

Violence against women is one of the most widespread, persistent, and detrimental violations of human rights in today’s world, which has not been reported in most cases due to impunity, silence, stigma and shame, even in the age of social communication [ 3 ]. In the United States of America, more than one in three women (35.6%) experience rape, physical violence, and intimate partner violence (IPV) during their lifetime. Compared to men, women are nearly twice as likely (13.8% vs. 24.3%) to experience severe physical violence such as choking, burns, and threats with knives or guns [ 4 ]. The higher prevalence of violence against women can be due to the situational deprivation of women in patriarchal societies [ 5 ]. The prevalence of domestic violence in Iran reported 22.9%. The maximum of prevalence estimated in Tehran and Zahedan, respectively [ 6 ]. Currently, Iran has high levels of violence against women, and the provinces with the highest rates of unemployment and poverty also have the highest levels of violence against women [ 7 ].

Domestic violence against women harms individuals, families, and society [ 8 ]. Violence against women leads to physical, sexual, psychological harm or suffering, including threats, coercion and arbitrary deprivation of their freedom in public and private life. Also, such violence is associated with harmful effects on women’s sexual reproductive health, including sexually transmitted infection such as Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), abortion, unsafe childbirth, and risky sexual behaviors [ 9 ]. There are high levels of psychological, sexual and physical domestic abuse among pregnant women [ 10 ]. Also, women with postpartum depression are significantly more likely to experience domestic violence during pregnancy [ 11 ].

Prompt attention to women’s health and rights at all levels is necessary, which reduces this problem and its risk factors [ 12 ]. Because women prefer to remain silent about domestic violence and there is a need to introduce immediate prevention programs to end domestic violence [ 13 ]. violence against women, which is an important public health problem, and concerns about human rights require careful study and the application of appropriate policies [ 14 ]. Also, the efforts to change the circumstances in which women face domestic violence remain significantly insufficient [ 15 ]. Given that few clear studies on violence against women and at the same time interviews with these people regarding their life experiences are available, the authors attempted to planning this research aims to investigate the prevalence and experiences of domestic violence against women in Semnan with the research question of “What is the prevalence of domestic violence against women in Semnan, and what are their experiences of such violence?”, so that their results can be used in part of the future planning in the health system of the society.

This study is a combination of cross-sectional and phenomenology studies in order to investigate the amount of domestic violence against women and some related factors (quantitative) and their experience of this violence (qualitative) simultaneously in the Semnan city. This study has been approved by the ethics committee of Semnan University of Medical Sciences with ethic code of IR.SEMUMS.REC.1397.182. The researcher introduced herself to the research participants, explained the purpose of the study, and then obtained informed written consent. It was assured to the research units that the collected information will be anonymous and kept confidential. The participants were informed that participation in the study was entirely voluntary, so they can withdraw from the study at any time with confidence. The participants were notified that more than one interview session may be necessary. To increase the trustworthiness of the study, Guba and Lincoln’s criteria for rigor, including credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability [ 16 ], were applied throughout the research process. The COREQ checklist was used to assess the present study quality. The researchers used observational notes for reflexivity and it preserved in all phases of this qualitative research process.

Qualitative method

Based on the phenomenological approach and with the purposeful sampling method, nine women who had referred to the counseling units of healthcare centers in Semnan city due to domestic violence in February 2021 to March 2022 were participated in the present study. The inclusion criteria for the study included marriage, a history of visiting a health center consultant due to domestic violence, and consent to participate in the study and unwillingness to participate in the study was the exclusion criteria. Each participant invited to the study by a telephone conversation about study aims and researcher information. The interviews place selected through agreement of the participant and the researcher and a place with the least environmental disturbance. Before starting each interview, the informed consent and all of the ethical considerations, including the purpose of the research, voluntary participation, confidentiality of the information were completely explained and they were asked to sign the written consent form. The participants were interviewed by depth, semi-structured and face-to-face interviews based on the main research question. Interviews were conducted by a female health services researcher with a background in nursing (M.Sh.). Data collection was continued until the data saturation and no new data appeared. Only the participants and the researcher were present during the interviews. All interviews were recorded by a MP3 Player by permission of the participants before starting. Interviews were not repeated. No additional field notes were taken during or after the interview.

The age range of the participants was from 38 to 55 years and their average age was 40 years. The sociodemographic characteristics of the participants are summarized in table below (Table  1 ).

Five interviews in the courtyards of healthcare centers, 2 interviews in the park, and 2 interviews at the participants’ homes were conducted. The duration of the interviews varied from 45 min to one hour. The main research question was “What is your experience about domestic violence?“. According to the research progress some other questions were asked in line with the main question of the research.

The conducted interviews were analyzed by using the 7 steps Colizzi’s method [ 17 ]. In order to empathize with the participants, each interview was read several times and transcribed. Then two researchers (M.Sh. and M.N.) extracted the phrases that were directly related to the phenomenon of domestic violence against women independently and distinguished from other sentences by underlining them. Then these codes were organized into thematic clusters and the formulated concepts were sorted into specific thematic categories.

In the final stage, in order to make the data reliable, the researcher again referred to 2 participants and checked their agreement with their perceptions of the content. Also, possible important contents were discussed and clarified, and in this way, agreement and approval of the samples was obtained.

Quantitative method

The cross-sectional study was implemented from February 2021 to March 2022 with cluster sampling of married women in areas of 3 healthcare centers in Semnan city. Those participants who were married and agreed with the written and verbal informed consent about the ethical considerations were included to the study. The questionnaire was completed by the participants in paper and online form.

The instrument was the standard questionnaire of domestic violence against women by Mohseni Tabrizi et al. [ 18 ]. In the questionnaire, questions 1–10, 11–36, 37–65 and 66–71 related to sociodemographic information, types of spousal abuse (psychological, economical, physical and sexual violence), patriarchal beliefs and traditions and family upbringing and learning violence, respectively. In total, this questionnaire has 71 items.

The scoring of the questionnaire has two parts and the answers to them are based on the Likert scale. Questions 11–36 and 66–71 are answered with always [ 4 ] to never (0) and questions 37–65 with completely agree [ 4 ] to completely disagree (0). The minimum and maximum score is 0 and 300, respectively. The total score of 0–60, 61–120 and higher than 121 demonstrates low, moderate and severe domestic violence against women, respectively [ 18 ].

In the study by Tabrizi et al., to evaluate the validity and reliability of this questionnaire, researchers tried to measure the face validity of the scale by the previous research. Those items and questions which their accuracies were confirmed by social science professors and experts used in the research, finally. The total Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was 0.183, which confirmed that the reliability of the questions and items of the questionnaire is sufficient [ 18 ].

Descriptive data were reported using mean, standard deviation, frequency and percentage. Then, to measure the relationship between the variables, χ2 and Pearson tests also variance and regression analysis were performed. All analysis were performed by using SPSS version 26 and the significance level was considered as p < 0.05.

Qualitative results

According to the third step of Colaizzi’s 7-step method, the researcher attempted to conceptualize and formulate the extracted meanings. In this step, the primary codes were extracted from the important sentences related to the phenomenon of violence against women, which were marked by underlining, which are shown below as examples of this stage and coding.

The primary code of indifference to the father’s role was extracted from the following sentences. This is indifference in the role of the father in front of the children.

“Some time ago, I told him that our daughter is single-sided deaf. She has a doctor’s appointment; I have to take her to the doctor. He said that I don’t have money to give you. He doesn’t force himself to make money anyway” (p 2, 33 yrs).

“He didn’t value his own children. He didn’t think about his older children” (p 4, 54 yrs).

The primary code extracted here included lack of commitment in the role of head of the household. This is irresponsibility towards the family and meeting their needs.

“My husband was fired from work after 10 years due to disorder and laziness. Since then, he has not found a suitable job. Every time he went to work, he was fired after a month because of laziness” (p 7, 55 yrs).

“In the evening, he used to get dressed and go out, and he didn’t come back until late. Some nights, I was so afraid of being alone that I put a knife under my pillow when I slept” (p 2, 33 yrs).

A total of 246 primary codes were extracted from the interviews in the third step. In the fourth step, the researchers put the formulated concepts (primary codes) into 85 specific sub-categories.

Twenty-three categories were extracted from 85 sub-categories. In the sixth step, the concepts of the fifth step were integrated and formed seven themes (Table  2 ).

These themes included “Facilitators”, “Role failure”, “Repressors”, “Efforts to preserve the family”, “Inappropriate solving of family conflicts”, “Consequences”, and “Inefficient supportive systems” (Fig.  1 ).

Themes of domestic violence against women

Some of the statements of the participants on the theme of “ Facilitators” are listed below:

Husband’s criminal record

“He got his death sentence for drugs. But, at last it was ended for 10 years” (p 4, 54 yrs).

Inappropriate age for marriage

“At the age of thirteen, I married a boy who was 25 years old” (p 8, 25 yrs).

“My first husband obeyed her parents. I was 12–13 years old” (p 3, 32 yrs).

“I couldn’t do anything. I was humiliated” (p 1, 38 yrs).

“A bridegroom came. The mother was against. She said, I am young. My older sister is not married yet, but I was eager to get married. I don’t know, maybe my father’s house was boring for me” (p 2, 33 yrs).

“My parents used to argue badly. They blamed each other and I always wanted to run away from these arguments. I didn’t have the patience to talk to mom or dad and calm them down” (p 5, 39 yrs).

Overdependence

“My husband’s parents don’t stop interfering, but my husband doesn’t say anything because he is a student of his father. My husband is self-employed and works with his father on a truck” (p 8, 25 yrs).

“Every time I argue with my husband because of lack of money, my mother-in-law supported her son and brought him up very spoiled and lazy” (p 7, 55 yrs).

Bitter memories

“After three years, my mother married her friend with my uncle’s insistence and went to Shiraz. But, his condition was that she did not have the right to bring his daughter with her. In fact, my mother also got married out of necessity” (p 8, 25 yrs).

Some of their other statements related to “ Role failure” are mentioned below:

Lack of commitment to different roles

“I got angry several times and went to my father’s house because of my husband’s bad financial status and the fact that he doesn’t feel responsible to work and always says that he cannot find a job” (p 6, 48 yrs).

“I saw that he does not want to change in any way” (p 4, 54 yrs).

“No matter how kind I am, it does not work” (p 1, 38 yrs).

Some of their other statements regarding “ Repressors” are listed below:

Fear and silence

“My mother always forced me to continue living with my husband. Finally, my father had been poor. She all said that you didn’t listen to me when you wanted to get married, so you don’t have the right to get angry and come to me, I’m miserable enough” (p 2, 33 yrs).

“Because I suffered a lot in my first marital life. I was very humiliated. I said I would be fine with that. To be kind” (p1, 38 yrs).

“Well, I tell myself that he gets angry sometimes” (p 3, 32 yrs).

Shame from society

“I don’t want my daughter-in-law to know. She is not a relative” (p 4, 54 yrs).

Some of the statements of the participants regarding the theme of “ Efforts to preserve the family” are listed below:

Hope and trust

“I always hope in God and I am patient” (p 2, 33 yrs).

Efforts for children

“My divorce took a month. We got a divorce. I forgave my dowry and took my children instead” (p 2, 33 yrs).

Some of their other statements regarding the “ Inappropriate solving of family conflicts” are listed below:

Child-bearing thoughts

“My husband wanted to take me to a doctor to treat me. But my father-in-law refused and said that instead of doing this and spending money, marry again. Marriage in the clans was much easier than any other work” (p 8, 25 yrs).

Lack of effective communication

“I was nervous about him, but I didn’t say anything” (p 5, 39 yrs).

“Now I am satisfied with my life and thank God it is better to listen to people’s words. Now there is someone above me so that people don’t talk behind me” (p 2, 33 yrs).

Some of their other statements regarding the “ Consequences” are listed below:

Harm to children

“My eldest daughter, who was about 7–8 years old, behaved differently. Oh, I was angry. My children are mentally depressed and argue” (p 5, 39 yrs).

After divorce

“Even though I got a divorce, my mother and I came to a remote area due to the fear of what my family would say” (p 2, 33 yrs).

Social harm

“I work at a retirement center for living expenses” (p 2, 33 yrs).

“I had to go to clean the houses” (p 5, 39 yrs).

Non-acceptance in the family

“The children’s relationship with their father became bad. Because every time they saw their father sitting at home smoking, they got angry” (p 7, 55 yrs).

Emotional harm

“When I look back, I regret why I was not careful in my choice” (p 7, 55 yrs).

“I felt very bad. For being married to a man who is not bound by the family and is capricious” (p 9, 36 yrs).

Some of their other statements regarding “ Inefficient supportive systems” are listed below:

Inappropriate family support

“We didn’t have children. I was at my father’s house for about a month. After a month, when I came home, I saw that my husband had married again. I cried a lot that day. He said, God, I had to. I love you. My heart is broken, I have no one to share my words” (p 8, 25 yrs).

“My brother-in-law was like himself. His parents had also died. His sister did not listen at all” (p 4, 54 yrs).

“I didn’t have anyone and I was alone” (p 1, 38 yrs).

Inefficiency of social systems

“That day he argued with me, picked me up and threw me down some stairs in the middle of the yard. He came closer, sat on my stomach, grabbed my neck with both of his hands and wanted to strangle me. Until a long time later, I had kidney problems and my neck was bruised by her hand. Given that my aunt and her family were with us in a building, but she had no desire to testify and was afraid” (p 3, 32 yrs).

Undesired training and advice

“I told my mother, you just said no, how old I was? You never insisted on me and you didn’t listen to me that this man is not good for you” (p 9, 36 yrs).

Quantitative results

In the present study, 376 married women living in Semnan city participated in this study. The mean age of participants was 38.52 ± 10.38 years. The youngest participant was 18 and the oldest was 73 years old. The maximum age difference was 16 years. The years of marriage varied from one year to 40 years. Also, the number of children varied from no children to 7. The majority of them had 2 children (109, 29%). The sociodemographic characteristics of the participants are summarized in the table below (Table  3 ).

The frequency distribution (number and percentage) of the participants in terms of the level of violence was as follows. 89 participants (23.7%) had experienced low violence, 59 participants (15.7%) had experienced moderate violence, and 228 participants (60.6%) had experienced severe violence.

Cronbach’s alpha for the reliability of the questionnaire was 0.988. The mean and standard deviation of the total score of the questionnaire was 143.60 ± 74.70 with a range of 3-244. The relationship between the total score of the questionnaire and its fields, and some demographic variables is summarized in the table below (Table  4 ).

As shown in the table above, the variables of age, age difference and number of years of marriage have a positive and significant relationship, and the variable of number of children has a negative and significant relationship with the total score and all fields of the questionnaire (p < 0.05). However, the variable of education level difference showed no significant relationship with the total score and any of the fields. Also, the highest average score is related to patriarchal beliefs compared to other fields.

The comparison of the average total scores separately according to each variable showed the significant average difference in the variables of the previous marriage history of the woman, the result of the previous marriage of the woman, the education of the woman, the education of the man, the income of the woman, the income of the man, and the physical disease of the man (p < 0.05).

In the regression model, two variables remained in the final model, indicating the relationship between the variables and violence score and the importance of these two variables. An increase in women’s education and income level both independently show a significant relationship with an increase in violence score (Table  5 ).

The results of analysis of variance to compare the scores of each field of violence in the subgroups of the participants also showed that the experience and result of the woman’s previous marriage has a significant relationship with physical violence and tradition and family upbringing, the experience of the man’s previous marriage has a significant relationship with patriarchal belief, the education level of the woman has a significant relationship with all fields and the level of education of the man has a significant relationship with all fields except tradition and family upbringing (p < 0.05).

According to the results of both quantitative and qualitative studies, variables such as the young age of the woman and a large age difference are very important factors leading to an increase in violence. At a younger age, girls are afraid of the stigma of society and family, and being forced to remain silent can lead to an increase in domestic violence. As Gandhi et al. (2021) stated in their study in the same field, a lower marriage age leads to many vulnerabilities in women. Early marriage is a global problem associated with a wide range of health and social consequences, including violence for adolescent girls and women [ 12 ]. Also, Ahmadi et al. (2017) found similar findings, reporting a significant association among IPV and women age ≤ 40 years [ 19 ].

Two others categories of “Facilitators” in the present study were “Husband’s criminal record” and “Overdependence” which had a sub-category of “Forced cohabitation”. Ahmadi et al. (2017) reported in their population-based study in Iran that husband’s addiction and rented-householders have a significant association with IPV [ 19 ].

The patriarchal beliefs, which are rooted in the tradition and culture of society and family upbringing, scored the highest in relation to domestic violence in this study. On the other hand, in qualitative study, “Normalcy” of men’s anger and harassment of women in society is one of the “Repressors” of women to express violence. In the quantitative study, the increase in the women’s education and income level were predictors of the increase in violence. Although domestic violence is more common in some sections of society, women with a wide range of ages, different levels of education, and at different levels of society face this problem, most of which are not reported. Bukuluki et al. (2021) showed that women who agreed that it is good for a man to control his partner were more likely to experience physical violence [ 20 ].

Domestic violence leads to “Consequences” such as “Harm to children”, “Emotional harm”, “Social harm” to women and even “Non-acceptance in their own family”. Because divorce is a taboo in Iranian culture and the fear of humiliating women forces them to remain silent against domestic violence. Balsarkar (2021) stated that the fear of violence can prevent women from continuing their studies, working or exercising their political rights [ 8 ]. Also, Walker-Descarte et al. (2021) recognized domestic violence as a type of child maltreatment, and these abusive behaviors are associated with mental and physical health consequences [ 21 ].

On the other hand and based on the “Lack of effective communication” category, ignoring the role of the counselor in solving family conflicts and challenges in the life of couples in the present study was expressed by women with reasons such as lack of knowledge and family resistance to counseling. Several pathologies are needed to investigate increased domestic violence in situations such as during women’s pregnancy or infertility. Because the use of counseling for couples as a suitable solution should be considered along with their life challenges. Lin et al. (2022) stated that pregnant women were exposed to domestic violence for low birth weight in full term delivery. Spouse violence screening in the perinatal health care system should be considered important, especially for women who have had full-term low birth weight infants [ 22 ].

Also, lack of knowledge and low level of education have been found as other factors of violence in this study, which is very prominent in both qualitative and quantitative studies. Because the social systems and information about the existing laws should be followed properly in society to act as a deterrent. Psychological training and especially anger control and resilience skills during education at a younger age for girls and boys should be included in educational materials to determine the positive results in society in the long term. Manouchehri et al. (2022) stated that it seems necessary to train men about the negative impact of domestic violence on the current and future status of the family [ 23 ]. Balsarkar (2021) also stated that men and women who have not had the opportunity to question gender roles, attitudes and beliefs cannot change such things. Women who are unaware of their rights cannot claim. Governments and organizations cannot adequately address these issues without access to standards, guidelines and tools [ 8 ]. Machado et al. (2021) also stated that gender socialization reinforces gender inequalities and affects the behavior of men and women. So, highlighting this problem in different fields, especially in primary health care services, is a way to prevent IPV against women [ 24 ].

There was a sub-category of “Inefficiency of social systems” in the participants experiences. Perhaps the reason for this is due to insufficient education and knowledge, or fear of seeking help. Holmes et al. (2022) suggested the importance of ascertaining strategies to improve victims’ experiences with the court, especially when victims’ requests are not met, to increase future engagement with the system [ 25 ]. Sigurdsson (2019) revealed that despite high prevalence numbers, IPV is still a hidden and underdiagnosed problem and neither general practitioner nor our communities are as well prepared as they should be [ 26 ]. Moreira and Pinto da Costa (2021) found that while victims of domestic violence often agree with mandatory reporting, various concerns are still expressed by both victims and healthcare professionals that require further attention and resolution [ 27 ]. It appears that legal and ethical issues in this regard require comprehensive evaluation from the perspectives of victims, their families, healthcare workers, and legal experts. By doing so, better practical solutions can be found to address domestic violence, leading to a downward trend in its occurrence.

Some of the variables of violence against women have been identified and emphasized in many studies, highlighting the necessity of policymaking and social pathology in society to prevent and use operational plans to take action before their occurrence. Breaking the taboo of domestic violence and promoting divorce as a viable solution after counseling to receive objective results should be implemented seriously to minimize harm to women, children, and their families.

Limitations

Domestic violence against women is an important issue in Iranian society that women resist showing and expressing, making researchers take a long-term process of sampling in both qualitative and quantitative studies. The location of the interview and the women’s fear of their husbands finding out about their participation in this study have been other challenges of the researchers, which, of course, they attempted to minimize by fully respecting ethical considerations. Despite the researchers’ efforts, their personal and professional experiences, as well as the studies reviewed in the literature review section, may have influenced the study results.

Data Availability

Data and materials will be available upon email to the corresponding author.

Abbreviations

Intimate Partner Violence

Human Immunodeficiency Virus

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Acknowledgements

The authors of this study appreciate the Deputy for Research and Technology of Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Social Determinants of Health Research Center of Semnan University of Medical Sciences and all the participants in this study.

Research deputy of Semnan University of Medical Sciences financially supported this project.

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M.Sh. contributed to the first conception and design of this research; M.Sh., Z.Kh., M.S., R.Gh. and S.H.Sh. contributed to collect data; M.N. and M.Sh. contributed to the analysis of the qualitative data; M.M. and M.Sh. contributed to the analysis of the quantitative data; M.SH., M.N. and M.M. contributed to the interpretation of the data; M.Sh., M.S. and S.H.Sh. wrote the manuscript. M.Sh. prepared the final version of manuscript for submission. All authors reviewed the manuscript meticulously and approved it. All names of the authors were listed in the title page.

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Shayestefar, M., Saffari, M., Gholamhosseinzadeh, R. et al. A qualitative quantitative mixed methods study of domestic violence against women. BMC Women's Health 23 , 322 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-023-02483-0

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Domestic Violence Curriculum: Objectives and Goals

• Objectives and Goals
• Course Outline
• Jig Saw Presentation
• Letter to Community Leaders
• Clothesline Project
• Lesson Plan: Day 1

Silenced Voices

Silenced Voices: Understanding Domestic Violence through Primary Sources

So often in our society, conversations about domestic violence begin with questioning the victim. Why didn’t she leave? What did she do to deserve it? But as one eloquent survivor of domestic violence wrote from her jail cell after killing her abusive husband, shouldn’t the questions start with the batterer? Why did he beat her?

When our society stops indicting the victim and seeing the true distribution of power in these situations, we can start creating laws and policies to prevent senseless tragedies and protect survivors of abusive relationships. This unit will aim to get students to start asking those difficult questions.

Silenced Voices: Unit Objectives

The overarching objectives of this unit are to…                                                               

1. Read letters from and critically analyze the perspective of survivors of domestic violence;

2. Discuss preconceived notions about domestic violence and then evaluate if and how these notions have changed after reading primary sources;

-discuss how these primary source texts function differently than secondary texts;

3. Understand and evaluate the effectiveness of policy about domestic violence and analyze how effective this policy is based on primary sources written by domestic violence survivors;

4. Develop and present a research based argument regarding policy change in a persuasive letter to community leaders;

         -effectively cite primary sources and research papers in an argumentative essay.

Silenced Voices: Unit Goals

-Students will present the information they have learned from reading the primary sources presented in the class. (Jig-saw presentation)

-Students will research community leaders in their area and find ways to contact them. ( List of community leaders and their contacts )

-Students will write persuasive letters suggesting policy changes to protect victims and survivors of domestic violence. ( Letter to community leaders )

-Students will create a t-shirt with a story, poem, quote, or picture that gives voice to  a silenced voice they have read about in the primary sources shown in this unit. ( Clothesline Project )

Silenced Voices: Suggested Texts

You may want to consider using this unit to enrich the following texts:

-The Color Purple by Alice Walker

-“Sweat” by Zora Neale Hurston

-Breathing Underwater by Alex Flinn

-Tornado Warning by Elin Stebbins Waldal

-But I Love Him by Amanda Grace

Silenced Voices: Objectives and Goals Documents

• Rationale, Objectives, and Goals

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Understanding Domestic Violence

• First Online: 31 May 2018

Cite this chapter

• Meerambika Mahapatro 2  

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Domestic violence has been a longstanding and ubiquitous public health and human rights concern, and an important constituent of women’s inequality. In the last two decades, research in the field of domestic violence has increased dramatically, enhancing public awareness and understanding of this serious social problem. Domestic violence is the most widely present common form of violence against women across the world and the most difficult to deal with, since it is perpetrated within the four walls of the home and family in privacy. Domestic violence is a multi-factorial problem with far-reaching socioeconomic and biomedical consequences, some of which are currently not very well understood. This chapter on domestic violence requires a multidimensional explanation of this problem in different social contexts and vulnerable populations. The focus of this chapter is on violence and abuse by men against women in a domestic sphere. It explores the intersection of domestic violence. The chapter presents a discussion on the concepts, forms, causes and the prevalence of domestic violence within global and national perspectives. The classification of domestic violence is merely a theoretical construct, as different types of violence are not easy to separate from one another. It seeks to explore the contextual framework and the multiplicity of factors that collectively construct domestic violence.

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Domestic Violence Facts and Statistics    *  Domestic Violence Video Presentations   *   Online CEU Courses

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Over the years, research on partner abuse has become unnecessarily fragmented and politicized. The purpose of The Partner Abuse State of Knowledge Project (PASK) is to bring together in a rigorously evidence-based, transparent and methodical manner existing knowledge about partner abuse with reliable, up-to-date research that can easily be accessed both by researchers and the general public.

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In this unprecedented undertaking, a total of 42 scholars and 70 research assistants at 20 universities and research institutions spent two years or more researching their topics and writing the results. Approximately 12,000 studies were considered and more than 1,700 were summarized and organized into tables. The 17 manuscripts, which provide a review of findings on each of the topics, for a total of 2,657 pages, appear in 5 consecutive special issues of the peer-reviewed journal Partner Abuse . All conclusions, including the extent to which the research evidence supports or undermines current theories, are based strictly on the data collected.

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Arthur Cantos, Ph.D. University of Texas

Denise Hines, Ph.D. Clark University

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Don Dutton, Ph.D University of British Columbia (Canada)

K. Daniel O'Leary State University of New York at Stony Brook

Jennifer Langhinrichsen-Rohling, Ph.D. University of South Alabama

ABUSE WORLDWIDE ETHNIC/LGBT GROUPS

Fred Buttell, Ph.D. Tulane University

Clare Cannon, Ph.D. University of California, Davis

Vallerie Coleman, Ph.D. Private Practice, Santa Monica, CA

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Esteban Eugenio Santovena, Ph.D. Universidad Autonoma de Ciudad Juarez, Mexico

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Louise Dixon, Ph.D. University of Birmingham (U.K.)

Sandra Stith, Ph.D. Kansas State University

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Deborah Capaldi, Ph.D. Oregon Social Learning Center

Patrick Davies, Ph.D. University of Rochester

Miriam Ehrensaft, Ph.D. Columbia University Medical Ctr.

Amy Slep, Ph.D. State University of New York at Stony Brook

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Carol Crabsen, MSW Valley Oasis, Lancaster, CA

Emily Douglas, Ph.D. Bridgewater State University

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Jeffrey Fagan, Ph.D. Columbia University

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Michelle Carney, Ph.D. University of Georgia

Christopher Eckhardt, Ph.D. Purdue Univerity

Kimberly Flemke, Ph.D. Drexel University

Nicola Graham-Kevan, Ph.D. Univ. Central Lancashire (U.K.)

Peter Lehmann, Ph.D. University of Texas at Arlingon

Penny Leisring, Ph.D. Quinnipiac University

Christopher Murphy, Ph.D. University of Maryland

Ronald Potter-Efron, Ph.D. Private Practice, Eleva, WI

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Lynn Stewart, Ph.D. Correctional Service, Canada

Casey Taft, Ph.D Boston University School of Medicine

Jeff Temple, Ph.D. University of Texas Medical Branch

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A Comprehensive Strategy for Addressing Domestic Violence in Houston: A Call for Collaboration and Investment

UH IRWGS DV Providers Study – Report to the Community – February 2023

UH  IRWGS Report to the Community – Houston Area Domestic Violence Providers Study – Executive Summary – February 2023

Domestic violence (DV) is a severe problem in the Houston region, with high rates of intimate partner violence (IPV) and other forms of family and gender-based violence. This report presents initial findings from a study conducted by the University of Houston Institute for Research on Women, Gender & Sexuality (UH IRWGS) in collaboration with local DV service providers and highlights the need for a comprehensive and collaborative approach to addressing DV in the region. The study’s findings reveal a significant gap between the demand for DV services and the capacity of existing providers, emphasizing need for increased resources to expand services and support survivors.

Key Findings

• High Prevalence of DV: The Houston region experiences high rates of DV, including an alarming rise in IPV-related homicides (2019 to 2022) and calls for service to police. This underscores the urgent need for interventions to prevent and respond to DV.
• Underfunded Services: DV service providers in the Houston region are severely underfunded, hindering their ability to meet the overwhelming demand for shelter, nonresidential services, affordable housing, and other essential support. This funding shortage limits the capacity of providers to offer timely and comprehensive services to survivors.
• Gaps in Service Provision: There is a significant geographic disparity in the distribution of DV shelters, with large areas of the region lacking accessible options. This disparity creates barriers for survivors seeking refuge from abusive situations.

• Need for Collaboration/Centralization: The fragmented nature of DV service provision in the Houston region leads to inefficiencies and hinders the sharing of resources and best practices among providers. A collaborative approach, where providers work together, including centralization of some services, could optimize resource allocation, improve service coordination, and enhance the overall response to DV.
• An initial infrastructure investment of $1 million per year for five years is recommended.
• Importance of Survivor Input: Engaging survivors in the design and implementation of DV services is crucial for ensuring that services are responsive to their needs.

Recommendations

The report proposes a plan to address DV in the Houston region, focusing on collaboration and investment:

• Establish and Fund a Centralized DV Collaborative: Create a centralized DV collaborative that brings together and provides infrastructure for service providers, advocates, and community stakeholders to coordinate efforts, share resources, and develop a unified response to DV.
• Increase Funding for DV Services: Significantly grow funding for services, including shelter expansion, nonresidential support, legal aid, and counseling, to enable providers to meet demand.
• Expand Shelter Capacity: Prioritize the expansion of shelter capacity, particularly in underserved areas, to ensure that all survivors have access to safe shelter when needed.
• Invest in Data Collection and Analysis: Invest in data gathering to collect accurate information on the prevalence, patterns, and causes of DV in the region. This data will inform evidence-based policy development, allowing for targeted, effective interventions.
• Engage Survivors in Design: Actively engage survivors in the design and implementation of DV services to ensure they are responsive to their needs. This engagement can be facilitated through survivor advisory boards, focus groups, etc.
• Promote Collaboration and Information Sharing: Foster collaboration among DV service providers, law enforcement agencies, and other stakeholders to facilitate information sharing, improve service coordination, and enhance overall response.
• Address Underlying Causes: Develop and implement strategies to address the root causes of DV, such as poverty, gendered wage inequity and other gender inequalities, and systemic oppression. This requires a collaborative effort involving multiple sectors, including business, education, housing, healthcare, and criminal justice.

This report serves as a call to action for a comprehensive and collaborative response to DV in the Houston region. By investing in DV services, promoting collaboration, and addressing the underlying causes of violence, the community can create a safer and more equitable environment for all.

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Domestic violence research topics.

The list of domestic violence research paper topics below will show that domestic violence takes on many forms. Through recent scientific study, it is now known that domestic violence occurs within different types of households. The purpose of creating this list is for students to have available a comprehensive, state-of-the-research, easy-to-read compilation of a wide variety of domestic violence topics and provide research paper examples on those topics.

Domestic violence research paper topics can be divided into seven categories:

• Victims of domestic violence,
• Theoretical perspectives and correlates to domestic violence,
• Cross-cultural and religious perspectives,
• Understudied areas within domestic violence research,
• Domestic violence and the law,
• Child abuse and elder abuse, and
• Special topics in domestic violence.

100+ Domestic Violence Research Topics

Victims of domestic violence.

Initial research recognized wives as victims of domestic violence. Thereafter, it was acknowledged that unmarried women were also falling victim to violence at the hands of their boyfriends. Subsequently, the term ‘‘battered women’’ became synonymous with ‘‘battered wives.’’ Legitimizing female victimization served as the catalyst in introducing other types of intimate partner violence.

• Battered Husbands
• Battered Wives
• Battered Women: Held in Captivity
• Battered Women Who Kill: An Examination
• Cohabiting Violence
• Dating Violence
• Domestic Violence in Workplace
• Intimate Partner Homicide
• Intimate Partner Violence, Forms of
• Marital Rape
• Mutual Battering
• Spousal Prostitution

Read more about victims of domestic violence .

Part 2: Research Paper Topics on

Theoretical Perspectives and Correlates to Domestic Violence

There is no single causal factor related to domestic violence. Rather, scholars have concluded that there are numerous factors that contribute to domestic violence. Feminists found that women were beaten at the hands of their partners. Drawing on feminist theory, they helped explain the relationship between patriarchy and domestic violence. Researchers have examined other theoretical perspectives such as attachment theory, exchange theory, identity theory, the cycle of violence, social learning theory, and victim-blaming theory in explaining domestic violence. However, factors exist that may not fall into a single theoretical perspective. Correlates have shown that certain factors such as pregnancy, social class, level of education, animal abuse, and substance abuse may influence the likelihood for victimization.

• Animal Abuse: The Link to Family Violence
• Assessing Risk in Domestic Violence Cases
• Attachment Theory and Domestic Violence
• Battered Woman Syndrome
• Batterer Typology
• Bullying and the Family
• Coercive Control
• Control Balance Theory and Domestic Violence
• Cycle of Violence
• Depression and Domestic Violence
• Education as a Risk Factor for Domestic Violence
• Exchange Theory
• Feminist Theory
• Identity Theory and Domestic Violence
• Intergenerational Transfer of Intimate Partner Violence
• Popular Culture and Domestic Violence
• Post-Incest Syndrome
• Pregnancy-Related Violence
• Social Class and Domestic Violence
• Social Learning Theory and Family Violence
• Stockholm Syndrome in Battered Women
• Substance Use/Abuse and Intimate Partner Violence
• The Impact of Homelessness on Family Violence
• Victim-Blaming Theory

Read more about domestic violence theories .

Part 3: Research Paper Topics on

Cross-Cultural and Religious Perspectives on Domestic Violence

It was essential to acknowledge that domestic violence crosses cultural boundaries and religious affiliations. There is no one particular society or religious group exempt from victimization. A variety of developed and developing countries were examined in understanding the prevalence of domestic violence within their societies as well as their coping strategies in handling these volatile issues. It is often misunderstood that one religious group is more tolerant of family violence than another. As Christianity, Islam, and Judaism represent the three major religions of the world, their ideologies were explored in relation to the acceptance and prevalence of domestic violence.

• Africa: Domestic Violence and the Law
• Africa: The Criminal Justice System and the Problem of Domestic Violence in West Africa
• Asian Americans and Domestic Violence: Cultural Dimensions
• Child Abuse: A Global Perspective
• Christianity and Domestic Violence
• Cross-Cultural Examination of Domestic Violence in China and Pakistan
• Cross-Cultural Examination of Domestic Violence in Latin America
• Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Domestic Violence
• Cross-Cultural Perspectives on How to Deal with Batterers
• Dating Violence among African American Couples
• Domestic Violence among Native Americans
• Domestic Violence in African American Community
• Domestic Violence in Greece
• Domestic Violence in Rural Communities
• Domestic Violence in South Africa
• Domestic Violence in Spain
• Domestic Violence in Trinidad and Tobago
• Domestic Violence within the Jewish Community
• Human Rights, Refugee Laws, and Asylum Protection for People Fleeing Domestic Violence
• Introduction to Minorities and Families in America
• Medical Neglect Related to Religion and Culture
• Multicultural Programs for Domestic Batterers
• Qur’anic Perspectives on Wife Abuse
• Religious Attitudes toward Corporal Punishment
• Rule of Thumb
• Same-Sex Domestic Violence: Comparing Venezuela and the United States
• Worldwide Sociolegal Precedents Supporting Domestic Violence from Ancient to Modern Times

Part 4: Research Paper Topics on

Understudied Areas within Domestic Violence Research

Domestic violence has typically examined traditional relationships, such as husband–wife, boyfriend–girlfriend, and parent–child. Consequently, scholars have historically ignored non-traditional relationships. In fact, certain entries have limited cross-references based on the fact that there were limited, if any, scholarly publications on that topic. Only since the 1990s have scholars admitted that violence exists among lesbians and gay males. There are other ignored populations that are addressed within this encyclopedia including violence within military and police families, violence within pseudo-family environments, and violence against women and children with disabilities.

• Caregiver Violence against People with Disabilities
• Community Response to Gay and Lesbian Domestic Violence
• Compassionate Homicide and Spousal Violence
• Domestic Violence against Women with Disabilities
• Domestic Violence by Law Enforcement Officers
• Domestic Violence within Military Families
• Factors Influencing Reporting Behavior by Male Domestic Violence Victims
• Gay and Bisexual Male Domestic Violence
• Gender Socialization and Gay Male Domestic Violence
• Inmate Mothers: Treatment and Policy Implications
• Intimate Partner Violence and Mental Retardation
• Intimate Partner Violence in Queer, Transgender, and Bisexual Communities
• Lesbian Battering
• Male Victims of Domestic Violence and Reasons They Stay with Their Abusers
• Medicalization of Domestic Violence
• Police Attitudes and Behaviors toward Gay Domestic Violence
• Pseudo-Family Abuse
• Sexual Aggression Perpetrated by Females
• Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity: The Need for Education in Servicing Victims of Trauma

Part 5: Research Paper Topics on

Domestic Violence and the Law

The Violence against Women Act (VAWA) of 1994 helped pave domestic violence concerns into legislative matters. Historically, family violence was handled through informal measures often resulting in mishandling of cases. Through VAWA, victims were given the opportunity to have their cases legally remedied. This legitimized the separation of specialized domestic and family violence courts from criminal courts. The law has recognized that victims of domestic violence deserve recognition and resolution. Law enforcement agencies may be held civilly accountable for their actions in domestic violence incidents. Mandatory arrest policies have been initiated helping reduce discretionary power of police officers. Courts have also begun to focus on the offenders of domestic violence. Currently, there are batterer intervention programs and mediation programs available for offenders within certain jurisdictions. Its goals are to reduce the rate of recidivism among batterers.

• Battered Woman Syndrome as a Legal Defense in Cases of Spousal Homicide
• Batterer Intervention Programs
• Clemency for Battered Women
• Divorce, Child Custody, and Domestic Violence
• Domestic Violence Courts
• Electronic Monitoring of Abusers
• Expert Testimony in Domestic Violence Cases
• Judicial Perspectives on Domestic Violence
• Lautenberg Law
• Legal Issues for Battered Women
• Mandatory Arrest Policies
• Mediation in Domestic Violence
• Police Civil Liability in Domestic Violence Incidents
• Police Decision-Making Factors in Domestic Violence Cases
• Police Response to Domestic Violence Incidents
• Prosecution of Child Abuse and Neglect
• Protective and Restraining Orders
• Shelter Movement
• Training Practices for Law Enforcement in Domestic Violence Cases
• Violence against Women Act

Read more about Domestic Violence Law .

Part 6: Research Paper Topics on

Child Abuse and Elder Abuse

Scholars began to address child abuse over the last third of the twentieth century. It is now recognized that child abuse falls within a wide spectrum. In the past, it was based on visible bruises and scars. Today, researchers have acknowledged that psychological abuse, where there are no visible injuries, is just as damaging as its counterpart. One of the greatest controversies in child abuse literature is that of Munchausen by Proxy. Some scholars have recognized that it is a syndrome while others would deny a syndrome exists. Regardless of the term ‘‘syndrome,’’ Munchausen by Proxy does exist and needs to be further examined. Another form of violence that needs to be further examined is elder abuse. Elder abuse literature typically focused on abuse perpetrated by children and caregivers. With increased life expectancies, it is now understood that there is greater probability for violence among elderly intimate couples. Shelters and hospitals need to better understand this unique population in order to better serve its victims.

• Assessing the Risks of Elder Abuse
• Child Abuse and Juvenile Delinquency
• Child Abuse and Neglect in the United States: An Overview
• Child Maltreatment, Interviewing Suspected Victims of
• Child Neglect
• Child Sexual Abuse
• Children Witnessing Parental Violence
• Consequences of Elder Abuse
• Elder Abuse and Neglect: Training Issues for Professionals
• Elder Abuse by Intimate Partners
• Elder Abuse Perpetrated by Adult Children
• Filicide and Children with Disabilities
• Mothers Who Kill
• Munchausen by Proxy Syndrome
• Parental Abduction
• Postpartum Depression, Psychosis, and Infanticide
• Ritual Abuse–Torture in Families
• Shaken Baby Syndrome
• Sibling Abuse

Part 7: Research Paper Topics on

Special Topics  in Domestic Violence

Within this list, there are topics that may not fit clearly into one of the aforementioned categories. Therefore, they are be listed in a separate special topics designation. Analyzing Incidents of Domestic Violence: The National Incident-Based Reporting System

• Community Response to Domestic Violence
• Conflict Tactics Scales
• Dissociation in Domestic Violence, The Role of
• Domestic Homicide in Urban Centers: New York City
• Fatality Reviews in Cases of Adult Domestic Homicide and Suicide
• Female Suicide and Domestic Violence
• Healthcare Professionals’ Roles in Identifying and Responding to Domestic Violence
• Measuring Domestic Violence
• Neurological and Physiological Impact of Abuse
• Social, Economic, and Psychological Costs of Violence
• Stages of Leaving Abusive Relationships
• The Physical and Psychological Impact of Spousal Abuse

Domestic violence remains a relatively new field of study among social scientists but it is already a popular research paper subject within college and university students. Only within the past 4 decades have scholars recognized domestic violence as a social problem. Initially, domestic violence research focused on child abuse. Thereafter, researchers focused on wife abuse and used this concept interchangeably with domestic violence. Within the past 20 years, researchers have acknowledged that other forms of violent relationships exist, including dating violence, battered males, and gay domestic violence. Moreover, academicians have recognized a subcategory within the field of criminal justice: victimology (the scientific study of victims). Throughout the United States, colleges and universities have been creating victimology courses, and even more specifically, family violence and interpersonal violence courses.

The media have informed us that domestic violence is so commonplace that the public has unfortunately grown accustomed to reading and hearing about husbands killing their wives, mothers killing their children, or parents neglecting their children. While it is understood that these offenses take place, the explanations as to what factors contributed to them remain unclear. In order to prevent future violence, it is imperative to understand its roots. There is no one causal explanation for domestic violence; however, there are numerous factors which may help explain these unjustified acts of violence. Highly publicized cases such as the O.J. Simpson and Scott Peterson trials have shown the world that alleged murderers may not resemble the deranged sociopath depicted in horror films. Rather, they can be handsome, charming, and well-liked by society. In addition, court-centered programming on television continuously publicizes cases of violence within the home informing the public that we are potentially at risk by our caregivers and other loved ones. There is the case of the au pair Elizabeth Woodward convicted of shaking and killing Matthew Eappen, the child entrusted to her care. Some of the most highly publicized cases have also focused on mothers who kill. America was stunned as it heard the cases of Susan Smith and Andrea Yates. Both women were convicted of brutally killing their own children. Many asked how loving mothers could turn into cold-blooded killers.

Browse other criminal justice research topics .

Resources for

Domestic violence series.

$90 per session | 3.5 CEUs per session | Virtual

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Delivery:  Synchronous Virtual Classroom via Zoom

Time: 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m. ET

Continuing Education Credit: 3.5 CEUs per session  | Series: 10.5 CEUs

Program Cost: $90 per session ( Discount available for registering in the full series - see below.)

Series Overview:

This series will start with an introduction to the dynamics of domestic violence and its impact on the victim. It will address in detail the types of abuse and provide clear understanding of how the cycle of abuse occurs and how often early warning signs of abuse in relationships can be missed. Discussions will also touch on insight to batterer behavior. Real cases of abusive relationships will be shared and we will examine all ways in which power and control can be used to abuse an intimate partner. Participants will learn to how to assist their clients in recognizing ways to keep victims/survivors safe and how to work towards the road to empowerment and self-determination.

Instructor: Allison Bressler has devoted her career to empowering victims of abuse and educating first responders as co-founder of A Partnership for Change.

Session One: Domestic Violence 101 - Friday, December 2, 2022

Objectives:

• Identify and define all types of abuse and the dynamics of power and control.
• Identify the warning signs that someone may be in an abusive relationship.
• Understand the risk factors associated with leaving an abuser and what prevents victim/survivors from leaving.
• Learn the components of a safety plan and resources for support.

Session Two: Domestic Violence 102 - Friday, December 9, 2022

• Discuss current theory around domestic violence and its prevalence.
• Identify how culture, ethnicity, race, age, gender, sexual orientation, age, ability and socio-economic status affect a victim’s decisions and limits their options.
• Understand the behavioral/emotional impact domestic violence has on a survivor.
• Learn essential information and techniques that counselors use to empower victims.
• Do's and Don'ts of counseling a survivor of DV

Session Three: Insight to Batterer Behavior - Friday, January 13, 2023

• Understand how abusers manipulate and maintain power and control over a victim.
• Learn standard characteristics of a batterer shown through actual case studies.
• Learn early warning signs of batterer behavior that are often missed.
• Review of batterer intervention programs and suggested best practices for holding batterers accountable.

This series is appropriate for all levels of social work professionals.

Instructor:

Allison Bressler  holds a Master’s degree in Counseling and Human Development and is the Co-founder of a NJ based non-profit called A Partnership For Change.  She has worked within the field of domestic violence and dating abuse since 1999. Prior and since launching and operating A Partnership For Change (APFC), her experience has and continues to include counseling and advocating for victim/survivors of intimate partner violence and developing and implementing successful and replicable prevention programs. Ms. Bressler has presented hundreds of workshops and seminars on intimate partner violence and dating abuse.  She has been a keynote speaker, sat on many domestic violence panels hosted by state Prosecutors’ offices and county officials and is a sought-out speaker on the topic to audiences in New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.  

Ms. Bressler continues to support victims within her private practice in northern New Jersey; and has served as an expert witness on domestic violence cases throughout the state NJ. She has provided Scientific American Mind magazine their first feature article on intimate partner abuse in affluent communities. Ms. Bressler is a dynamic and insightful speaker on the issue of intimate partner abuse and serves as the lead trainer for APFC while overseeing all of the agency’s programmatic performance measures.  

Program Cost | *Discount | Payment Options

Session Cost: $90 per session ($270 for series)

*Discount Rate: $80 per session ($240 for series)   Note: In order to receive the discount rate, payment in full must be made at the time of registration for the series.

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NCJRS Virtual Library

Offenders of domestic violence: backgrounds, objectives, and research questions, additional details.

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Domestic violence research makes positive impact

A research project designed to assist victims of domestic violence has helped to raise awareness and significantly improve the support given, according to Staffordshire Women’s Aid.

Addressing the needs of domestic abuse victims

The Families: Social Exclusion and Places of Safety (FSEPS) project was developed by Professor Morag MacDonald in collaboration with Staffordshire Women’s Aid and a host of European partners, including institutions in Spain, Austria, Romania, Italy and Bulgaria.

The project builds on Professor MacDonald’s work as Director of Birmingham City University’s Social Research and Evaluation Unit (SREU).

The FSEPS project addressed female survivors of domestic violence, as well as their children.

Its aims were to combat social exclusion, aid recovery from abuse and facilitate stable, sustainable family relationships.

Filling an important knowledge gap

Staffordshire Women’s Aid were inspired to participate in the FSPS project in order to develop their existing knowledge and work with multiple European partners. They were also able to contribute their existing expertise to the partnership.

“We are acutely aware of the profound impacts of domestic violence on the relationships between mothers and their children,” says Dickie James of Staffordshire Women’s Aid.

“This was an opportunity for us to fill a gap in responses to children and young people in terms of repairing the damage done to their relationships with their mothers, to rebuild their confidence and to enhance their trust in others.”

Making a positive difference

Through FSEPS, the partners created the Our Time programme, which advocates a fun approach to tackling relevant issues and enabling the families to have happier, healthier futures.

Designed to be flexible and adaptable, the Our Time programme works with mothers and children at the same time, as well as through group interventions involving more than one family.

“Our Time has already made such a positive difference to so many children,” Dickie says. “It also means we now have a purpose-developed intervention for addressing the impacts of domestic violence on the mother/child relationship.”

Uncovering new information

The project has enabled Staffordshire Women’s Aid and the partners to uncover some vital new information about domestic abuse.

“We identified it’s a global issue, impacting thousands of children, and that the needs of these children remain overlooked,” she says. “We also feel the project has empowered each partner to respond more effectively to the needs of these children.”

Building confidence and understanding

Dickie feels that she and the team have learned a great deal from the FSEPS project, from strengthening their understanding of what their clients need to help them appreciate the importance of knowledge sharing.

“We have really built on our knowledge concerning the needs of children and young people who have lived with domestic violence, and we aim to share this through increasing our own training portfolio,” Dickie says.

“Developing Our Time as a shared project with European partners has also deepened our understanding of partnership.

“Staffordshire Women’s Aid is a more confident organisation from working in the FSEPS project.”

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Study finds distinct patterns lead to domestic partner homicide

A new study has explored the complex patterns which lead to an intimate partner homicide (IPH), in an effort to better understand and prevent the tragic event happening.

The research delved into the criminal careers of people who had been involved in at least one incidence of lethal and non-lethal intimate partner violence in Quebec, Canada, over three decades.

Statistics indicate that approximately 20% of all homicides in the country are attributed to IPH.

Co-author Dr. Sarah Paquette from the University of Portsmouth's Department of Psychology, said, "Intimate partner homicide is the ultimate manifestation of a spectrum of violence within current or past relationships.

"The fact that this type of killing makes up a fifth of all murders in Canada means understanding the predictors and risk factors of the crime is a matter of life or death."

The study, published in the British Journal of Criminology , gathered insights from a database of criminal events recorded by police in the Quebec province between 1990 and 2022. It includes information on offenders' criminal careers as well as crime characteristics.

A total of 175,985 individuals had been involved in at least one incidence of intimate partner violence during this time. Of these, 1,219 had either attempted to or killed their partner.

Researchers examined a random sample of 1,276 offenders, who were mostly men (87%). Of these, 276 had killed their partner (92% men), while the other 1,000 had a history of violence against them.

The team found similar characteristics between individuals who committed lethal and non-lethal violence towards their partner. On average, offenders committed two incidents of violence against their partner and seven other criminal events, with the first event happening in their early 30s.

Factors associated with intimate partner homicide include violent criminal history and repetition of criminal acts. Both male and female IPH offenders used sharp weapons, with patterns suggesting various motives including self-defense, fear, and anger.

The findings also suggest the likelihood of an intimate partner homicide is stable over a criminal career.

There were two distinct categories of violence that indicated how long until an intimate partner homicide was committed. The first was severe violence—such as sexual assaults and physical violence—which would result in the victim's death early in the offender's criminal career. The second was chronic violence, where there was a persistent pattern of aggression and abuse over an extended period and the death occurred after a longer period of time.

"The objective of this study was to expand understanding of intimate partner homicide," added Dr. Paquette.

"Our findings show severe episodes of intimate partner violence increase short-term risk of IPH, while repeated instances of various violent episodes heighten mid-to long-term risk. Law enforcement agencies can utilize this knowledge to develop targeted prevention strategies."

The study was a collaboration between the University of Portsmouth in England, led by Dr. Chopin from University of Lausanne in Switzerland, and academics from the University of Montreal and the Quebec Provincial Police in Canada.

The authors acknowledge several limitations to the research, including regional specificity and the exclusion of broader social and environmental factors. They recommend future work to address these gaps and further refine predictive models for intimate partner homicide.

More information: Julien Chopin et al, Earlier or Later? A Survival Analysis of Criminal Career and Contextual Factors Associated With Intimate Partner Homicide in Canada, The British Journal of Criminology (2024). DOI: 10.1093/bjc/azae023

Provided by University of Portsmouth

Queensland Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Month 2024

QUT Centre for Justice will this month commemorate Queensland Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Month.

QUT Centre for Justice has many researchers working in the area of Domestic and Family Violence, particularly in the areas of:

• interpersonal violence and its prevention, focusing on engaging men in violence prevention, and on men, masculinities, and gender justice
• technology facilitated violence in both Australian and international settings
• Women, violence and homelessness
• Domestic violence in family court cases, including the perverse consequences of The Hague Convention

—————————————————————————

The QUT Centre for Justice hosts the ‘Stopping Gender Violence’ Advisory Board which includes QUT academics, representatives from industry and community practitioners from across Australia. The Board meet quarterly to share information and collaborate on policy, practice and research with the ultimate goal of reducing gender and family violence nationally. The Board is chaired by Professor Michael Flood .

————————————————————————–

During May QUT Centre for Justice will be hosting two events , which will include industry organisations working in this field:

10.00am, Kelvin Grove Campus and via Zoom

Event:  anrows evidence portal.

The ANROWS Evidence Portal, launched in September 2023, is a living online resource that allows users to quickly and easily find high-quality, curated information about what might work to address or end violence against women.  The Portal is designed to promote a collective understanding of where the evidence exists and where there are gaps, what interventions might work, to inform evidence-based policymaking, and to support quality decision-making and implementation.

Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety Limited (ANROWS) is a not-for-profit independent national research organisation. ANROWS was established as an initiative of  Australia’s National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children 2010–2022  and is continuing under the  National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032 . ANROWS was established by the Commonwealth and all state and territory governments of Australia to produce, disseminate, and assist in applying evidence for policy and practice addressing violence against women and their children. ANROWS is the only such research organisation in Australia.

Lorelei Hine, ANROW’s Research Manager, will provide an overview of the portal, an illustration of how it works and some reflections on how universities and violence prevention advocates can make use of this resource.

This session will be facilitated by Professor Michael Flood.

———————————————————————————

28 May 2023

Event:   keynote and panel discussion – technology facilitated violence.

Belinda Cox works in the DV Service Technology Abuse and Detection Assessment Hub of Micah Projects .  Belinda will provide a keynote address:

Tech-facilitated abuse and stalking have become pervasive issues in the digital age, exploiting emerging innovation and the interconnectedness of our virtual lives. Perpetrators leverage various technologies, from social media platforms to GPS tracking apps, to invade the privacy of their targets. The ease of communication afforded by technology can be weaponized, enabling harassment through incessant messaging, doxing, and the dissemination of sensitive information. The blurred boundaries between the virtual and physical realms exacerbate the impact, leaving victims feeling constantly under surveillance.

  Technology facilitated abuse is a fast-emerging issue and is used by perpetrators of domestic violence with ever growing frequency. As practitioners it is important that we stay abreast of this challenge and are informed of the strategies to be alert to, and safeguards that can be taken.

Following the keynote QUT Centre for Justice will launch  a Briefing Paper Series, published in January 2024, around the topic of Technology Facilitated Violence .  This is a unique series authored entirely by HDR students.  A number of these students have now completed their theses and are working in academia.  They will return to QUT to be part of a panel discussion on this very important topic,  facilitated by  Dr Laura Vitis who also researches in this area.

• Gisella Lopes Pinto Ferreira, PhD student, QUT Centre for Justice   Understanding adolescent digital dating abuse victimisation in Australia and Brazil
• Dr Rahul Sinha-Roy, Lecturer, Crime Justice and Legal Studies, Latrobe University (former PhD student, QUT Centre for Justice)   Gay dating app–related blackmail: Anatomy, contexts and risk factor s
• Dr Sahana Sarkar, Lecturer in Criminology, Flinders University (former PhD student, QUT Centre for Justice)  Experiences of backlash against women in the form of technology-facilitated sexual violence in India

————————————————————————————–

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nh6Fj5CKwec&list=PLqdK0bEe0IcOi-_ENDiDH2PCOHaUQbUfO&index=19&pp=iAQB

Dr Flood often appears in the media providing commentary on domestic, gender and family violence issues.

If you are interested to attend any of the Events listed above, or would like to partner with QUT Centre for Justice, please contact [email protected]

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• Final Report of ARC Field Research on Women’s Police Stations Now Published in English and Spanish

Sherele counts female victims of violence. This is what she wants you to know

Violence against women is on the rise, and one of the key sources of up-to-date victim data is a lone journalist, not a government body..

When journalist Sherele Moody noticed a lack of reporting on the deaths of women and children, she stepped in to fill the gap. Credit: Supplied: Sherele Moody

Australia's domestic violence 'crisis' — and how you can support someone experiencing it

A personal reason to seek answers

'Men need to step up': Attorney-General's call as Australians rally over violence 'epidemic'

Why do numbers differ?

The need for more research.

We need to look at the perpetrators of all of these acts of violence and we need to find the common themes here. Sherele Moody

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What Are Americans’ Top Foreign Policy Priorities?

Protecting the u.s. from terrorism and reducing the flow of illegal drugs are top issues overall, but democrats and republicans have very different priorities, table of contents.

• Differences by partisanship
• Differences by age
• Acknowledgments
• The American Trends Panel survey methodology

Pew Research Center conducted this analysis to better understand Americans’ long-range foreign policy priorities. For this analysis, we surveyed 3,600 U.S. adults from April 1 to April 7, 2024. Everyone who took part in this survey is a member of the Center’s American Trends Panel (ATP), an online survey panel that is recruited through national, random sampling of residential addresses. This way nearly all U.S. adults have a chance of selection. The survey is weighted to be representative of the U.S. adult population by gender, race, ethnicity, partisan affiliation, education and other categories. Read more about the ATP’s methodology .

Here are the questions used for this analysis, along with responses, and its methodology .

Americans have a lot on their plates in 2024, including an important election to determine who will remain or become again president. But the world does not stop for a U.S. election, and multiple conflicts around the world as well as other issues of global prominence continue to concern Americans.

When asked to prioritize the long-range foreign policy goals of the United States, the majority of Americans say preventing terrorist attacks (73%), keeping illegal drugs out of the country (64%) and preventing the spread of weapons of mass destruction (63%) are top priorities. Over half of Americans also see maintaining the U.S. military advantage over other countries (53%) and preventing the spread of infectious diseases (52%) as primary foreign policy responsibilities.

About half of Americans say limiting the power and influence of Russia and China are top priorities. A recent annual threat assessment from the U.S. intelligence community focused heavily on those countries’ strengthening military relationship and their ability to shape the global narrative against U.S. interests.

Fewer than half of Americans say dealing with global climate change (44%) and getting other countries to assume more of the costs of maintaining world order (42%) are top priorities. The partisan gaps on these two issues are quite large:

• 70% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents say climate change should be a top priority, while 15% of Republicans and Republican leaners say this.
• 54% of Republicans say getting other countries to assume more of the costs of maintaining world order should be a top priority, compared with 33% of Democrats.

About four-in-ten Americans see limiting the power and influence of North Korea and Iran as top priorities. (The survey was conducted before Iran’s large-scale missile attack on Israel on April 13.) And about a third say the same about the U.S. being a leader in artificial intelligence, a technology that governments around the world are increasingly concerned about .

When it comes to goals that focus on international engagement, like strengthening the United Nations and NATO or finding a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, fewer than a third of Americans mark these as top foreign policy priorities.

Related: Fewer Americans view the United Nations favorably than in 2023

Only about a quarter of Americans prioritize promoting human rights in other countries, leading other countries in space exploration and reducing military commitments overseas. And similar shares say supporting Ukraine (23%) and Israel (22%) are top issues.

At the bottom of this list of foreign policy priorities are promoting global democracy ( a major policy push from the Biden administration ) and aiding refugees fleeing violence around the world – about two-in-ten Americans describe these as top concerns. These assessments come amid a recent global surge in asylum claims . Still, in Center surveys, democracy promotion has typically been at the bottom of Americans’ list of foreign policy priorities, even dating back to George W. Bush’s and Barack Obama’s administrations .

Overall, a majority of Americans say that all 22 long-range foreign policy goals we asked about should be given at least some priority. Still, about three-in-ten Americans say supporting Israel (31%), promoting democracy (28%) and supporting Ukraine (27%) should be given no priority.

The long-range foreign policy priority questions were also asked in 2018 and 2021, and since then there have been some significant shifts in responses:

• Since 2018, the public has become significantly more likely to say limiting the power and influence of China (+17 percentage points) and finding a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (+11) are top foreign policy priorities.
• Americans have also increased the emphasis they place on limiting the power and influence of Russia, particularly in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine (+8 points since 2021).
• On the decline since 2018 are strengthening the UN and aiding refugees (-8 points each), reducing foreign military commitments (-6), and promoting and defending human rights in other countries (-5).
• Preventing the spread of infectious diseases is down 19 percentage points since 2021 – during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic – and about back to where it was in 2018.

These are among the findings from a Pew Research Center survey conducted April 1-7, 2024.

The survey of 3,600 U.S. adults shows that foreign policy remains a partisan issue. Republicans prioritize the prevention of terrorism, reducing the flow of illegal drugs into the country, and maintaining a military advantage over other nations. Meanwhile, Democrats prioritize dealing with climate change and preventing the spread of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs), but also preventing terrorist attacks.

There are also stark age differences on many of the policy goals mentioned, but for the most part, young adults are less likely than older Americans to say the issues we asked about are top priorities. The exceptions are dealing with climate change, reducing military commitments overseas, and promoting and defending human rights abroad – on these issues, 18- to 29-year-olds are significantly more likely than older Americans to assign top priority.

Even with these priorities, foreign policy generally takes the backset to domestic policy for most Americans: 83% say it is more important for President Joe Biden to focus on domestic policy, compared with 14% who say he should focus on foreign policy.

Americans are even less likely to prioritize international affairs than they were in 2019, when 74% wanted then-President Donald Trump to focus on domestic policy and 23% said he should focus on foreign policy.

Americans’ foreign policy priorities differ greatly by party. The largest divide, by a significant margin, is the 55 percentage point gap between Democrats and Republicans on dealing with global climate change (70% vs. 15%, respectively, see it as a top priority).

Supporting Ukraine, aiding refugees, reducing the spread of diseases, protecting human rights, and strengthening the UN are also issues on which Democrats are at least 20 points more likely than Republicans to prioritize. For example, 63% of Democrats say reducing the spread of infectious diseases is a top priority, compared with 41% of Republicans.

Republicans prioritize supporting Israel, reducing the flow of illegal drugs and maintaining a military advantage over other countries – among other security and hard power issues – significantly more than Democrats do. For example, more than half of Republicans (54%) say getting other countries to assume more of the costs of maintaining world order should be a top focus in foreign policy. Only a third of Democrats say the same.

The priority assigned to several issues is divided even further by ideology within parties. Take support for Israel and Ukraine as examples. Supporting Israel is generally a higher priority for Republicans than Democrats, but within the Republican Party, 48% of conservatives say it’s a top concern, while 18% of moderates and liberals agree. Previous Center research shows that conservative Republicans are especially likely to favor military aid to Israel .

Supporting Ukraine, something Democrats emphasize more than Republicans, is a top priority particularly for liberal Democrats (47%), while about three-in-ten moderate and conservative Democrats agree (29%). Democrats have also shown more willingness than Republicans to provide aid to Ukraine in its conflict with Russia.

Generally, the partisan differences on the importance of several foreign policy issues have gotten smaller since 2021 , when most of these questions were last fielded. This is especially true for items related to the relative power of major countries, like the U.S. maintaining a military advantage and limiting the power and influence of both Russia and China.

However, finding a solution to the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians – a priority that saw no partisan difference at all when it was last asked about in 2018 – has an emerging partisan gap today. The share of Democrats who call this a top priority has more than doubled, while the share of Republicans has changed little.

Age differences persist on foreign policy issues. Older Americans prioritize most of the issues we asked about at higher rates than those ages 18 t0 29.

On four issues, there is at least a 40 percentage point gap between Americans ages 65 and older and young adults ages 18 to 29. The oldest Americans are more likely to prioritize reducing the flow of illegal drugs, limiting the power and influence of China and Iran, and maintaining a U.S. military advantage.

Those in the oldest age group are also more concerned than their younger counterparts on an additional 11 issues, ranging from support for Israel to U.S. leadership in space exploration.

For their part, young adults are more likely to say dealing with global climate change, reducing U.S. military commitments overseas, and promoting and defending human rights in other countries should be top foreign policy priorities.

Even starker patterns appear when looking at partisanship within two age groups – adults ages 18 to 49 and those 50 and older.

Among Democrats, older adults place particularly high priority on supporting Ukraine, strengthening NATO, and limiting the power and influence of Russia amid its war with Ukraine. Older Democrats are also more likely than younger ones to prioritize preventing the development of WMDs, curbing the spread of diseases, strengthening the UN and promoting democracy around the world, among other issues.

Among Republicans, those ages 50 and older are more likely than those ages 18 to 49 to prioritize supporting Israel, limiting the power and influence of Iran and China, getting other countries to assume more foreign policy costs, reducing the amount of illegal drugs entering the U.S., preventing terrorism, and maintaining a military advantage.

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As biden and trump seek reelection, who are the oldest – and youngest – current world leaders, a growing share of americans have little or no confidence in netanyahu, fewer americans view the united nations favorably than in 2023, rising numbers of americans say jews and muslims face a lot of discrimination, most popular, report materials.

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MPD captain recognized nationally as a rising police leader

MADISON, Wis. –  A Captain with the Madison Police Department was recognized in Las Vegas last week as a rising police leader and for her research on domestic violence homicides.

Captain Stephanie Drescher was honored with the 2024 Past President Scholarship at the National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives (NAWLEE) conference.

At the conference, Captain Drescher served on a panel discussing the Policing Leadership Academy through the University of Chicago Crime Lab and how it has benefited local communities.

Captain Drescher was part of the inaugural cohort for the Police Leadership Academy, a police management and training course designed to address gun violence.

The first class featured 25 police leaders from 24 cities across the country and the United Kingdom. For six months, they would spend a week at the University of Chicago, learning from one another and others making positive changes to policing.

Each participant was also required to conduct a community capstone project of their choice. Captain Drescher chose to research domestic-related homicides after noticing a recent increase of this type of violence in the Madison community.

There were 10 homicides in Madison last year. Of those, four were domestic violence-related. As part of her research, Captain Drescher worked closely with Domestic Abuse Intervention Services (DAIS) on prevention, outreach and ways MPD can support those who have or are experiencing this type of violence.

“You can see how much Captain Drescher cares about people in her work product. She has a compassion for helping others. Our department is learning a lot from her research and she is demonstrating our department’s dedication to Evidence-Based Policing,” said Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes.

Captain Drescher joined MPD in 2009. She currently serves as the Executive Section and Operations Captain.

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