Battered women and help-seeking – a study of Swedish women subjected to partner violence

Battered women and help-seeking – a study of Swedish women subjected to

partner violence

Mariana Dufort, PhD Student, Dep. of Clinical neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet Marlene Stenbacka, Associate professor, Dep. of Public Health Sciences, Karolinska Institutet Annika Eriksson, PhD, The Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention Anders Tengström, Associate professor, Dep. of Clinical neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet

Mariana Dufort

Aim

To explore battered women who have not sought professional help due to IPV and compare these with battered women who sought help, regarding violence exposure and psychosocial characteristics.

Research questions:

Are there any differences between the groups concerning:

psychosocial health, socio-economic status and relationship to the perpetrator?

violence exposure?

Could any of these potential differences be related to help-seeking?

9 July 2012

Participants

Non help-seekers (n=136):Age 18 or older

Exposed to violence by a male partner sometime during the last 5 years

Have not received help due to IPV from the social services or women’s shelter

Help-seekers (n=353):Age 18 or older

exposed to violence by a male partner

Mariana Dufort 9 July 2012

Mariana Dufort

Non help-seekers (n=136):3 national newspapers4 regional papers7 women’s magazines

Procedure

Help-seekers (n=353):4 community based social service sites 20 women shelters around Sweden

9 July 2012

Measures

Psychosocial health: Symptom Checklist (SCL-90), GSI Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT)

Violence: Conflict Tactic Scales (CTS2)

Single questions about: Age, education, occupation Violence during childhood/prior relationships Relation to the perpetrator


Psychosocial and socioeconomic factors

Age Born in Sweden University studies Work Good economy

Psychological distress (GSI) Alcohol consumption

Non help-seekers Help-seekers

40 years* 34 years*

87%* 49%*

54%* 28%*

49%* 33%*

60%* 48%*

1,1 (0,75)* 1,5 (0,76)*

8,8 (6,92)* 2,9 (4,89)*


Relation to the perpetrator

Children together* Separated* New partner*


27%* 64%*

85%* 66%*

35%* 10%*


Violence exposure

During childhood

Prior relationships Physical violence Psychological violence Sexual violence

Severe violence by perpetrator Physical violence Psychological violence Sexual violence


68% 69%

42% 34%

52% 46%

20% 19%

88% 91%

87%* 95%*

38% 43%


Help-seeking…

decreases with age (OR=0,932)

decreases with university education (OR=0,368)

decreases if the woman has a new partner (OR=0,205)

decreases with higher alcohol consumption (OR=0,873)

Increases with higher levels of psychological distress (OR=2,829)

Increases if the woman has children together with the perpetrator (OR=3,801)


Majority of women (both groups) High levels of psychological distress Exposed to diverse and severe violence

Of relevance for help-seeking: Age, psychological health, education, alcohol

consumption, if children together with the perpetrator, new partner

Summary


Conclusions

Mariana Dufort

Great need of help and support among non help-seekers

Results support previous recommendations of general screening

Preventive interventions should be directed towards children with experiences of violence

Further research on women’s own reasons for not seeking help

9 July 2012

Thank [email protected]


Battered women and help-seeking – a study of Swedish women subjected to partner violence

Documents

Transcript of Battered women and help-seeking – a study of Swedish women subjected to partner violence