Power Point Presentation

Domestic violence is quite common in many forms in today’s contemporary society. In fact, domestic violence is more prevalent than it was in the past. In most of the cases of domestic violence, women tend to be victims more than men are. The woman in the relationship is often faced with the hard position of making the decision to leave or not. A number of factors often deter women from making the decision to leave their abusive lovers. These factors are often social/cultural, economic and or psychological (Loveisrespect.org, 2013). They depend on the nature or the status of the relationship and those in it.

Topic

Domestic Violence

Problem

Domestic violence is a major social problem. Domestic violence breaks down the society as well create an emotionally unhealthy family foundation. Studies have shown kids who grew up in homes where there was domestic violence tend to grow up to be abusers themselves, or they have the tendencies to stay in abusive relationships.

Research Question

What are the reasons that women give for choosing to stay in abusive relationships?

Purpose

By conducting this research study, it will help to narrow down the reasons why the woman stays in the abusive relationship or marriage. The research will better help psychologists to gain a clearer understanding of to handle this specific patient. In addition, the research will help community organizers to create effective programs and resources for the abusive woman.

Lived Experience

Capturing the lives of women who choose or chose to stay in domestic violence relationship

Participant Criteria

Females between the ages 18-35, who are in a domestic violence relationship or who has left a domestic violence relationship in the past twelve months.

Time

Currently in a domestic violence relationship or has left a domestic relationship within the past twelve months.

Literature Review

Dziegielewski S. F., Campbell K. & Turnage B. F. (2005). Domestic Violence: Focus Groups from the Survivors’ Perspective. Retrieved.

The authors did a study to find out why women who were in abusive relationships or were married were unable to leave. To carry out the study they grouped such women into three; the first group consisted of those who had a desire to leave, group two consisted of those women who already had a plan and lastly group three were women who had left and had no expectations of going back. They then asked them to write down the reasons why they had planned as above or could not do as above.

The authors found out that the reasons given by the three categories of women had similarity in terms of context. Despite the status to which they already belonged, they had similar reasons for leaving or returning to their relationships. Some of the reasons included fear, limited resources and quite weirdly, some of the women claimed that they could not leave because they loved their spouses (Dziegielewski, Campbell & Turnage, 2005). Limited resources, in this case, implied that the women were not financially stable and could not afford a house if they left. From the discussion presented by the three authors, the reasons that stand out quite clearly are the emotional reasons. Most of the women had children and could not imagine themselves wandering the streets with their children alone and in the cold.

Halket, M., Gormley, K., Mello, N., Rosenthal, L., & Mirkin, M. (2014). Stay With or Leave the Abuser? The Effects of Domestic Violence Victim’s Decision on Attributions Made by Young Adults.

According to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, each year in the United States 1 in 4 women are victims of domestic violence (Halket, Gormley, Rosenthal & Mirkin 2014). The Department of Justice state that this number could double being as this only represents the number of women that have actually reported the abuse. Studies show that there is a 4:1 ratio of women to men victims. Despite the astounding reported numbers of men initiated incidents, women are usually the ones that get the backlash and are blamed for the abuse by onlookers and their partners. The media has taken a role on how women are portrayed and blame the victim for the acts committed against them. The authors state how men are portrayed as “hapless victims, afloat in a sea of hormones” and incapable of controlling their own emotions (Halket, Gormley, Rosenthal & Mirkin 2014). The Rihanna and Chris Brown case is an example of how the media can place blame on the female for being a victim of domestic violence. This is even reflected in the judicial system, being as they have categorized domestic abuse under family court, instead of criminal court, leaving the woman to have to file the complaint.

There are so many obstacles that women are faced with, when trying to leave an abusive relationship. These reasons alone could cause a woman to stay in the relationship and endure the continuous abuse. One huge factor being financial burdens, attackers normally tries to exert power and control by handling all monies earned, making it hard for the woman to afford to leave. The abuser will try to alienate the victim from family, friends, and any types of support system, making the victim feel alone and helpless. Then there are the children, most women do not want to separate the children from their father’s, feeling that they owe it to their children to keep the family together, and will stay continue the relationship.

There were two studies done in this article that investigated acknowledgements made by young adults. If women stay or leave the abusive relationship, and how if the participants were educated on the risk of domestic violence and leaving the relationship, would it diminish negative decision-making. In each study, the young adults responded to the surveys that weighed in on the female victim. The results indicated that if the women left the relationship the participants were willing to give the female victims more of a positive review when it came to her personality and her parenting. However, informing the participants beforehand of all the possible risk associated with the female victims leaving the abusive relationships and their experiences did not change the effect, but interactions did lessen some of the effects. The results indicated, while informing the young adults beforehand of the risk of violence was useful, it did not change their attitudes towards blaming the female victims for the abuse.

Hendy, H. M., Eggen, D., Gustitus, C., McLeod, K. C., & Ng, P. (2003). Decision to Leave Scale: Perceived Reasons to Stay In or Leave Violent Relationships. Psychology of Women Quarterly

The authors in this article discuss how they came up with a 30-item Decision to Leave Scale (DLS). It was developed with 631 college students of only women and women in shelters. The scale was designed to show the top seven reasons why some women chose to stay or leave these abusive relationships. Those seven were, Hopes Things Change, Fear of Loneliness, Financial Problems, Child Care Needs, Social Embarrassment, Fear of Harm, and Poor Social Support (Hendy, Eggen, Gustitus, McLeod, Ng 2003). Measured validity demonstrated by more DLS concerns for the women that were in the shelter as to the women in the college. The women that were in the violent relationships and reported that they stayed for Fear of Loneliness than the women who decided to leave.

McDonald, P. W., & Dickerson, S. (2013). Engendering Independence While Living With Purpose: Women’s Lives after Leaving Abusive Intimate Partners. Journal of Nursing Scholarship

The authors in this article conducted a study that would determine the common meanings a history of violence can have for women that have been out of their abusive relationships for 5 or more years. The article discussed the many trials and tribulations that they faced trying to rebuild from scratch and their healing process. They also discussed the resources they used to tackle those challenges. They also wanted to allow these women to share their stories for other women that may be in that same situation that they once were in.

They recruited their participants by using fliers that were circulated through a domestic violence clinic in New York. The interviews were transcribed and recorded. They used a hermeneutic approach with the team to analyze and interpret the data collected. 21 women of all ages, backgrounds and ethnicities who had been out of their abusive relationships for 5 or more years were interviewed. They used 6 themes to identify: developing and maintaining self-reliance; creating a safe and supportive environment, negotiating relationships, challenging societal roles and expectations, protecting the children and nurturing the self (McDonald & Dickerson, 2013). The conclusion was that women could actually escape abusive relationship and become successful enough to establish productive and meaningful lives after all the violence and pain. However, they still struggled with trust issues and letting their guards down, from fear of being hurt again.

Rhodes, K. V., Frankel, R. M., Levinthal, N., Prenoveau, E., Bailey, J., & Levinson, W. (2007). "You're Not a Victim of Domestic Violence, Are You?" Provider-Patient Communication about Domestic Violence.

Rhodes et al. (2007) details a number of studies involving narratives from domestic violence victims. Domestic violence victims shared the narratives when they sought medical treatment. It was interesting that a number of participants felt inclined to share their domestic violence experiences with the healthcare providers. Provider response to disclosure is just as important as asking the right questions and being sensitive to the patient’s initial response or hesitation (Rhodes, et al., p.626, 2007). Taking the time to listen to a domestic violence victim’s story could very well mean the difference between them staying with an abusive partner or her walking away from him.

Rhodes et al. (2007) shared both the positive as well as the negative factors involved are the study domestic violence victims sharing their story with medical personnel. The article concluded with suggesting that there being better communication efforts made by healthcare providers with victims of domestic violence.

Halligan, C., Knox, D., & Brinkley, J. (2013). TRAPPED: TECHNOLOGY AS A BARRIER TO LEAVING AN ABUSIVE REALTIONSHIP. College Student Journal

A study was done at a large southeastern university where there was a 42 questionnaire that was submitted via email through the university to be completed. About 259 undergraduates completed the questionnaire. The questionnaire was to examine the degree of how many females involved in abusive relationships would report that they would use technology such as an emails, text messages or Facebook as a way to end an abusive relationship. Roughly, 60 percent of the participants, which consisted of all races and backgrounds, stated that they frequently used technology. The participants responded more to the perceived barriers as to being able to leave the abusive relationship. Those that were “abuse prone” were likely to stay in those abusive relationships, regardless of whether family and friends disapproved (Halligan, Knox, & Brinkley 2013).

Anderson & Aviles. (2006) .There is different many, many forms of domestic violence that doctors, and counselors should watch out for.

In this article, the authors exploit the different but quite hidden forms, what they refer to as faces, of domestic violence. They ask the doctors to watch out for these forms for sometimes the victims are afraid to speak or reveal that they exist. Often the victims assume that these forms are so little or that others also go through the same but do not speak about them. An example highlighted by the authors is sexual form of domestic violence (Anderson & Aviles, 2006). Often most doctors only watch out for the physical or emotional exhibits of domestic violence but leave it at that. The author, therefore, advises that doctors be very keen in determining the exact forms of domestic violence that their patients go through.

Methods

Ethical Considerations

The identity of the survey participants will remain confidential. The participants will be given a number by which they can be distinguished from the other participants. A voice-recording device will also be used to record narrative from the participants. The agency will have sole access to the identity of the actual names and other relevant demographic participant identifiers and will not disclose this information without expressed written consent from the participant. Protecting the identity of the survey participants, their families and jobs is critical to the agency and we will take measures to ensure the privacy of your personal information.

Informed Consent

The Informed consent is to the participant aware of the reasons why the survey is being conducted. The pro and cons of taking part of the research study and what to expect. The informed consent also gives the participants a chance to ask questions and for us the agency to answer the participants questions to their satisfaction. The consent form also wills provide the participants with contact information with the agency. In addition, how their personal information will be protected during and after the research process. Moreover, the consent informs the participant they can withdraw from the research study at any given time. (See appendix)

Data Collection

To ensure the correct and accurate date is collect we will use a recording device. The recording device is best used to minimize incorrect interpretation. The voice recording will be kept on file under a participant number for five years. In addition, the surveyor will be using case notes to document the participant behavior during the interview.

References Aviles A. M. & Anderson T. R. (2006). Diverse faces of domestic violence.  ABNF Journal. Retrieved from. Dziegielewski S. F., Campbell K. & Turnage B. F. (2005). Domestic Violence: Focus Groups from the Survivors’ Perspective. Retrieved from Halket, M., Gormley, K., Mello, N., Rosenthal, L., & Mirkin, M. (2014). Stay With or Leave the Abuser? The Effects of Domestic Violence Victim’s Decision on Attributions Made by Young Adults. Journal Of Family Violence, 29(1), 35-49, doi:10.1007/s10896-013-9555-4 Halligan, C., Knox, D., & Brinkley, J. (2013). TRAPPED: TECHNOLOGY AS A BARRIER TO LEAVING AN ABUSIVE REALTIONSHIP. College Student Journal, 47(4), 644-648. Hendy, H. M., Eggen, D., Gustitus, C., McLeod, K. C., & Ng, P. (2003). Decision to Leave Scale: Perceived Reasons to Stay In or Leave Violent Relationships. Psychology Of Women Quarterly, 27(2), 162173. doi:10.1111/14716402.00096. Lehrner, A., & Allen, N. E. (2008). Social Change Movements and the Struggle Over Meaning-Making: A Case Study of Domestic Violence Narratives. American Journal of Community Psychology, 42(3/4), 220-234. Doi: 10.1007/s10464-008-9199- McDonald, P. W., & Dickerson, S. (2013). Engendering Independence While Living With Purpose: Women’s Lives after Leaving Abusive Intimate Partners. Journal Of Nursing Scholarship, 45(4), 388-396. doi:10.1111/jnu.12044.3 Rhodes, K. V., Frankel, R. M., Levinthal, N., Prenoveau, E., Bailey, J., & Levinson, W. (2007). "You're Not a Victim of Domestic Violence, Are You?" Provider-Patient Communication about Domestic Violence. Annals Of Internal Medicine, 147(9), 620-W204. Loveisrespect.org (2013). Is This Abuse? Why do people stay in abusive relationships? Retrieved from http://www.loveisrespect.org/is-this-abuse/why-do-people-stay/ References continued.

Appendices

Appendix A: Consent Form

Appendix B: Structure Interview Guide

Consent form

· The purpose of the research study is to determine why females who are in domestic violence relationship to choose to stay in the relationship or situation.

· If you chose to participate in the study, you would meet with an investigator. The investigator will explain what you can expect during and after the survey. The whole survey process will take place over two consecutive days meeting for four hours each section.

· There are no known risks to participation in the study.

· The information collected will be use to understand better the reasons behind the female decision to stay. In, addition the information will be helpful to community leader to accumulate enough information to implement beneficial programs and not generic programs that can fall under an umbrella of different programs.

· The agency will protect my identity and the confidentiality of my participation in the survey

· The data I provided shall not be used in a manner that will disclose my names.

I accept that my participation in the survey is of my free will and therefore I can withdraw at any given time. I am also aware that the data I give will be used to tackle domestic violence as a social problem in the society. Having read and understood all the terms of the survey, I hereby agree to participate in the survey.

I (insert name) , give permission to T.N.T agency the right to use my participation in the survey titled “Domestic violence; why women choose to stay with their abusive male lovers.” I agree that the information I have given in the study be used as they wish as long as the following ethical considerations are met.

Sign: Date:

Name:

STRUCTURE

INTERVIEW GUIDE

Initial questions

1. What is your age?

2. What type of community do you live in?

3. What is your annually income?

1. What is your definition of domestic violence?

2. Tell me about your first encounter with violence. 3. What are your beliefs in regards to gender roles in a household or relationship? 4. Give details about the first five time an incident occurred, and what were the results.

5. Did being in this relationship put any strain on your personal or professional relationships? If so, explain how?

6. Describe how or what a particular attack would look like for you.

S7. Tell me where you see your relationship and the next two years.

8. Discuss how your relationship damaged you mentally and or physically

9. Tell me the reason or reasons why you stayed or are staying?

10. What crosses your mind when you are being assaulted? 11. How do you react to the physical abuse after it is over?

12. What was going on in your life during this time to make you stay in the relationship?