Dating violence and domestic violence

Barriers and facilitators of the reporting by family doctors of cases of domestic violence - a qualitative study across Portugal

BACKGROUND

Domestic violence (DV) is a serious and prevalent public health problem with devastating consequences for the victims and their families. Whilst the number of cases reported to the authorities has risen in recent years, many victims still chose not to present a complaint. In Portugal, to address this, DV became a public crime. As victims of DV present multiple health problems and frequently seek professional help, family doctors are in a privileged position to detect and report cases of DV to the authorities. However, little is known about what motivates these professionals to report or not the DV cases they encounter in their practice to the authorities.

METHODS

We conducted semi-structured interviews with family doctors from all regional health administrations of continental Portugal. Interviews occurred between July 2020 and September 2022, were conducted in person or remotely, audio recorded, transcribed, and analysed using thematic analysis. Content analysis was conducted to assess the agreement or disagreement regarding mandatory reporting in each of the themes and subthemes.

RESULTS

Fifty-four family doctors took part in this study (n = 39 women, n = 15 men). The main themes that arose from the analysis were: "Barriers related to the physician's activity," "Barriers related to the victim or aggressor," "Facilitators related to the physician's activity," "Facilitators related to the victim or aggressor." Although different barriers were described, most doctors agreed with the mandatory reporting of DV cases.

CONCLUSIONS

Family doctors encounter multiple barriers and facilitators when considering reporting a DV case to the authorities. The results of this study can help develop new interventions to address the barriers described by the doctors, increasing their compliance with mandatory reporting, the protection of victims and the just persecution of the aggressor.

Dating Violence and Mental Health in Emerging Adulthood

Dating violence constitutes a serious social and health problem. This study aims to increase knowledge on dating violence in emerging adulthood by analysing the relevance of gender and of having or not having a current partner in the victimization and perpetration of such violence. It also analyses the association between dating violence and mental health, as well as the relevance of traditional gender role attitudes and the internalization of feminine/expressive and masculine/instrumental traits in the victimization and perpetration of such types of violence. The participants were 930 Spanish emerging adults who were assessed by six self-report questionnaires and scales. Men reported more psychological and physical violence victimization and physical violence perpetration than women, and women and men without a current partner reported more psychological and sexual violence than women and men with a current partner. Dating violence victimization was associated with more mental symptomatology, less life satisfaction, and lower self-esteem in men with a current partner and in women without a current partner. The main predictor of dating violence victimization was dating violence perpetration, and the main predictor of dating violence perpetration was victimization by such violence. More traditional gender role attitudes also predicted greater victimization and perpetration of dating violence, except among women without a current partner.

The role of family doctors in the management of domestic violence cases - a qualitative study in Portugal

BACKGROUND

Domestic violence leads to multiple health problems in victims and their families. Family doctors are in a particularly privileged position to detect, follow up, refer and report cases of domestic violence. However, little is known about the perception of these physicians regarding their role in managing domestic violence cases.

METHODS

We conducted semi-structured interviews with family doctors from all regional health administrations of continental Portugal. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, and analysed using thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Fifty-four family doctors participated in this study (n = 39 women, n = 15 men). The themes and subthemes that emerged from the data analysis translated doctors' broad responsibilities when approaching victims and aggressors. These included: "Implement preventive measures", "Empower the victim leading them to recognize the violent situation", "Detect domestic violence cases", "Treat health problems related to violence", "Provide emotional support", "Refer victims to specialized services", "Register the episode on the victims and/or aggressor clinical records", "Incentivize the victim to report", "Report the case to the authorities", "Intervene with the aggressor", "Protect other individuals" and "Follow up the patient and the process".

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this study provide an overview of the current practical approaches being adopted by physicians and may provide a base for developing new interventions to support physicians to manage cases of domestic violence.

Variables asociadas a los malos tratos en el noviazgo en adolescentes y adultos jóvenes

Se comparó un grupo de adolescentes y jóvenes adultos solteros y sin hijos que ejerció por lo menos una conducta de maltrato hacia su pareja, con un grupo similar que no realizó este tipo de maltrato. Las variables tenidas en cuenta fueron el número de actos de violencia observados entre los padres, el porcentaje de participantes de acuerdo con afirmaciones a favor de la violencia en el matrimonio y su puntuación en rasgos agresivos y comunicación de pareja. Asimismo, se realizó un análisis correlacional entre la frecuencia de malos tratos informados y las demás variables. Participaron 417 varones y 485 mujeres, entre 15 y 35 años. Los participantes del primer grupo reportaron haber presenciado más actos de violencia entre sus padres, estuvieron más de acuerdo con afirmaciones a favor de la violencia en el matrimonio y se adjudicaron más rasgos agresivos, variables que correlacionaron positivamente con la frecuencia de malos tratos. Estos resultados señalan que estas variables deberían contemplarse en la evaluación, el tratamiento y en los programas de prevención de la violencia en el noviazgo.

Friends can hurt you: Examining the coexistence of friendship and bullying among early adolescents

Friendship is typically assumed to be a protective factor for victims of school bullying, so the possibility of victimization by friends is rarely explored. This study examines the prevalence of positive affiliation between the victims and aggressors in verbal and physical bullying. Peer nomination inventories were used to assess the friendship and dyadic bullying tendency among 237 Taiwanese middle school 7th graders. A total of 1,084 incidents of dyadic verbal bullying and 1,327 incidents of physical bullying were reported by the respondents. Friendship nominations among aggressors and victims could be unilateral (a peer nominates someone who does not in turn nominate them) or reciprocal (both the aggressor and the victim nominate each other as friends). Reciprocal nominations between victims and aggressors occurred in approximately 8% of cases of verbal bullying incidents and about 12% of physical bullying incidents. About 8% of victims of verbal or physical bullying unilaterally nominated the aggressor as a friend, with 9% and 12% of aggressors nominating victims as friends in the two cases. The self-reported strength of friendships was high among the reciprocal friends. Implications for the existence of bullying within friendship dyads for research and practice are discussed.

Relationships and betrayal among young women: theoretical perspectives on adolescent dating abuse

AIMS

Adolescent dating abuse is not specifically described by any current nursing theory, and this article presents discussion of some existing theories that could inform a nursing theory of adolescent dating abuse. To account for the effects of gender, this discussion is limited to young women.

BACKGROUND

Adolescent dating abuse is an important and understudied international issue for nursing. Theoretical frameworks can support development of nursing scholarship for such issues. No single theory yet exists in nursing to explain the experiences and health ramifications of dating abuse among young women.

DATA SOURCES

A summary table of theories is provided. Literature was gathered via database search and bibliographic snowballing from reference lists of relevant articles. Included literature dates from 1982 through 2010.

DISCUSSION

Theories of relationship formation and function are discussed, including attachment, investment, feminist and gender role conflict theories. Betrayal trauma theory is considered as a mechanism of injury following an abusive dating experience.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING

Gender, relationship and adolescence combine in a complex developmental moment for young women. To improve nursing care for those at risk for or in the throes of abusive relationships, it is critical to develop specific nursing approaches to understanding these relationships.

CONCLUSION

Existing theories related to relationship and traumatic experiences can be combined in the development of a nursing theory of adolescent dating abuse among young women.

Intimate partner violence

Intimate partner violence (IPV) has a lifetime prevalence of approximately 60% and is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality for women of all reproductive ages, especially among younger women and during pregnancy. Providers should recognize that every woman who has ever been partnered is at risk for IPV and should screen appropriately. When a woman screens positive for IPV, it important to consider the stages of change, to frame the response appropriately, to perform a risk assessment, to discuss interventions, and to document in the medical record accordingly. Screening has yet to translate into reduced rates of abuse, indicating that IPV is not simply a medical problem, but involves complex psychological, financial, familial, cultural, and legal issues.