The Role of Culture in the Justification and Perpetuation of Domestic Violence: The Perspectives of Service Providers in Kyrgyzstan.

The study explores the perspectives of service providers on cultural and social reasons used to justify domestic violence in Kyrgyzstan. Results indicate that cultural norms, notably patriarchal customs, immense pressure put on women to save the marriage, stigma of divorce, low status assigned to women, wide acceptance of violence as natural, and fear of retaliation were major reasons that perpetuated domestic violence. Scholars, policymakers, and service providers must collaborate to actively dispel widely accepted beliefs about gender, marriage, and women's status, and to break the cycle of abuse providing help at the individual and community levels.

"I Felt Better When I Moved Into My Own Place": Needs and Experiences of Intimate Partner Violence Survivors in Rapid Rehousing.

Accessing stable housing is a basic need for intimate partner violence (IPV) survivors, and rapid rehousing programs are a critical way to address homelessness. However, little is known about survivor experiences, needs, and outcomes in rapid rehousing services within IPV agencies. This study uses an exploratory approach to understand the needs and experiences of 31 survivors using vouchers facilitated by an IPV program in the U.S. Southwest. Thematic analysis of structured interviews resulted in four summary themes: getting to housing, managing multiple needs, accessing support, and facing barriers. Practice and evaluation implications are discussed.

"Don't Know where to Go for Help": Safety and Economic Needs among Violence Survivors during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic and related quarantine has created additional problems for survivors of interpersonal violence. The purpose of this study is to gain a preliminary understanding of the health, safety, and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on people that are experiencing or have previously experienced violence, stalking, threats, and/or abuse. An online survey, open from April to June 2020, was taken by people with safety concerns from interpersonal violence. Participants were recruited from IPV and sexual assault-focused agencies, state coalitions, and social media. Quantitative data were summarized using descriptive methods in SPSS and coding methods from thematic and content analysis was used to analyze qualitative data from open-ended questions. A total of 53 participants were recruited for the survey. Individuals with safety concerns have experienced increased challenges with health and work concerns, stress from economic instability, difficulties staying safe, and access resources and support. Over 40% of participants reported safety had decreased. Use of social media and avoidance strategies were the most common safety approaches used. Participants reported mixed experiences with virtual services. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated existing structural concerns for survivors of violence like IPV and sexual assault. Increased support and economic resource access, coupled with modified safety planning and improved virtual approaches, would better help meet survivor needs.

On the Front Lines of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Occupational Experiences of the Intimate Partner Violence and Sexual Assault Workforce.

In the face of increasing risk for intimate partner violence (IPV) and sexual assault during the COVID-19 pandemic, there is an urgent need to understand the experiences of the workforce providing support to survivors, as well as the evolving service delivery methods, shifting safety planning approaches, and occupational stress of frontline workers. We addressed this gap by conducting an online survey of members of IPV and sexual assault workforce using a broad, web-based recruitment strategy. In total, 352 staff from 24 states participated. We collaborated with practitioner networks and anti-violence coalitions to develop the brief survey, which included questions about work and health, safety planning, and stress. We used chi-square, t-test, and ANOVA analysis techniques to analyze differences within position and demographic variables. For qualitative data, we used thematic analysis to analyze responses from four open-ended questions. The sample was majority female-identified (93.7%) and essential workers in dual IPV and sexual assault programs (80.7%). Findings demonstrated that since the pandemic began, IPV and sexual assault staff are experiencing more personal and professional stressors, perceive a decrease in client safety, and lack resources needed to help survivors and themselves. Common problems included a lack of food or supplies at home and work and housing and financial support for survivors. There was a 51% increase in the use of video conference for work, which contributed to workforce strain. Reductions in overall service capacity and a shift to remote service provision have implications for both survivors and staff. These findings suggest a critical need for additional training, infrastructure, and support for the IPV and sexual assault workforce. There is an urgent need to classify IPV and sexual assault staff as first responders and address the occupational stress associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Facilitators of Formal Help-Seeking for Adult Survivors of IPV in the United States: A Systematic Review.

A survivor's decision to engage with formal services for experiences of intimate partner violence (IPV) is influenced by factors at the individual, interpersonal, and sociocultural levels. Understanding factors that facilitate survivors' choice to seek services could be beneficial to formal service providers including community agencies, health professionals, and the criminal justice system, providing guidance toward the development and implementation of accessible services for survivors of IPV. This systematic review of the literature aims to identify key factors that facilitate survivors' formal help-seeking. Ten electronic databases were searched for key terms related to help-seeking from formal services and facilitators of formal help-seeking. Articles were included in the review if the studies were conducted in the United States, focused on adults with experiences of IPV, and discussed facilitators of formal help-seeking. A total of 1,155 studies were initially identified, and after screening, 24 were included in the review. Seven factors were identified including provider knowledge, support, accessibility, desire to provide protection and to prevent future violence, and other factors such as knoweldge of and desire for services, policy factors, and personal factors. Findings demonstrate a need for more research on the facilitators of help-seeking among East Asian, South Asian, and Middle Eastern survivors living in the United States, as well as male-identified, trans, and gender nonconforming survivors. The review also indicates a need for culturally sensitive and accessible services that support survivors and the importance of raising awareness of the services and resources available for survivors.

Creating a Digital Trauma Informed Space: Chat and Text Advocacy for Survivors of Violence.

There is little research on virtual service models like chat and text services in agencies that work with survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) and sexual assault (SA). This study fills a gap in the research by exploring how chat and text services are provided in one IPV and SA-focused community organization. We analyzed chat and text transcripts (n = 392) from a large multiservice, multivictimization focused agency, and conducted interviews with 11 advocates providing chat and text services through the agency hotline. Staff interviews were analyzed using grounded theory and transcripts were analyzed using content analysis. Results indicate chat/text services provide a space for connection, resource provision, education, and access to resource gain in a timely, concise, and survivor-centered way. The five major goals for chat/text advocacy models include the following: (1) rapid access to support and connection; (2) identification of options and needs for each service user; (3) increased access to resources and supports; (4) expanded understanding of violence, abuse, and harm; and (5) improvement of survivor safety. The research team identified 15 general advocacy skills and 4 chat and text specific skills used by chat/text advocates to reach program goals. Findings highlight the utility of chat/text services for increasing access to support services for survivors of violence, particularly adolescents, emerging adults, those living with an abusive individual, and during times of emergency. Future research should continue to explore the promising practice modality of chat/text services for providing advocacy to underserved and hard-to-reach populations.

Survivors' Experiences of Intimate Partner Violence and Shelter Utilization During COVID-19.

This paper examines the effects of COVID-19 on service-engaged female survivors of IPV and makes recommendations for service providers based on these survivors' voices. The researchers adopted an exploratory, descriptive, and qualitative approach to inquiry due to the novelty of the research questions during the early days of the COVID-19 in March 2020. Semi-structured interviews with service-engaged survivors were analyzed using inductive and deductive coding processes. Two categories arose from our qualitative questions. The first category, related to experiences with service providers, included the themes of varying levels of support and isolation. Within the theme of isolation, survivors discussed both positive and negative aspects of isolation. The second category refers to the impact of COVID-19 on survivors' daily lives and focused on the theme of escalation. The theme of escalation had two subthemes 1) escalation of life-generated risks and 2) escalation of partner-generated risks. Given that the pandemic will continue until vaccines are fully distributed and that future public health emergencies may mirror many of the challenges identified in the current context, survivors residing at home will continue to need services, and agencies will continue to need additional resources to provide them. Therefore, we discuss recommendations that can have a bearing on services offered in the future.

Coping Behaviors Mediate Associations between Occupational Factors and Compassion Satisfaction among the Intimate Partner Violence and Sexual Assault Workforce.

The intimate partner violence (IPV) and sexual assault (SA) workforce faces significant occupational stressors yet little is known about positive occupational outcomes associated with this work. Therefore, this study analyzed factors associated with compassion satisfaction among the IPV/SA workforce in one southwestern U.S. state (n = 623). Drawing from the Resilience Portfolio Model (Grych et al. 2015), researchers examined the possible role of coping behaviors in mediating associations between compassion satisfaction and workplace resources / assets, perceived job security, and resilience. Analyses revealed partial mediation in the models that included workload, values, and resilience as independent variables, suggesting that these factors both influence workers' coping behaviors and have an independent association with compassion satisfaction. Models investigating control, rewards, community, fairness, and perceived job security indicated significant total effects of the independent variables on compassion satisfaction. Overall, IPV/SA workers who engaged more frequently in a range of coping behaviors reported higher levels of compassion satisfaction. The findings point to implications for organizational and employee practice, including building in worktime for key individual coping behaviors, balancing workloads among staff members, and enhancing organizational level coping strategies, such as team supervision and team care planning.

Pathways From Intimate Partner Violence to Academic Disengagement Among Women University Students.

More knowledge is needed related to collegiate intimate partner violence (IPV) and the pathways between experiencing physical and psychological IPV and academic disengagement. Students in a University System in the southwest completed an online survey including measures of physical and psychological IPV, academic disengagement, sense of community, and safety on campus. Conditional process analyses were used to understand key pathways for 6,818 woman identified students. All models found a significant indirect path between physical and psychological IPV and academic disengagement via depression symptoms. Students' sense of community on campus was associated with less academic disengagement regardless of physical violence. The impact of psychological IPV on disengagement was stronger for those with lower senses of community. Enhancing screening and education, providing effective mental health counseling, and increasing advocacy will help institutions better address IPV.