The attached document may provide the author's accepted version of a published work. See Cit... more The attached document may provide the author's accepted version of a published work. See Citation for details of the published work.
Domestic abuse (DA) against women is an international issue which, despite a plethora of research... more Domestic abuse (DA) against women is an international issue which, despite a plethora of research adding to our knowledge and the implementation of numerous intervention programs, continues to be perpetrated. Research to date has investigated the process of leaving the partner with less consideration for women who remain. Considering, the majority of women do not leave after the first abusive act there are a considerable number of women who continue to live with an abusive partner whether or not they plan on leaving in the future. Further, although DA has been extensively researched within Australia and internationally, there have not been any studies exclusively investigating the experience of women who remain living with their male abuser. Therefore, the aim of this thesis is to explore the experience of women who are currently living with an abusive male partner. Subjectivist interpretative phenomenological analysis was utilised upon data collected from 16 women currently residin...
Domestic abuse (DA) against women is an international issue which,
despite a plethora of researc... more Domestic abuse (DA) against women is an international issue which, despite a plethora of research adding to our knowledge and the implementation of numerous intervention programs, continues to be perpetrated. Research to date has investigated the process of leaving the partner with less consideration for women who remain. Considering, the majority of women do not leave after the first abusive act there are a considerable number of women who continue to live with an abusive partner whether or not they plan on leaving in the future. Further, although DA has been extensively researched within Australia and internationally, there have not been any studies exclusively investigating the experience of women who remain living with their male abuser. Therefore, the aim of this thesis is to explore the experience of women who are currently living with an abusive male partner. Subjectivist interpretative phenomenological analysis was utilised upon data collected from 16 women currently residing with their abusive male partner, who were residing within Perth, Western Australia. The same sample of 16 women was used for all the analysis chapters in this thesis. IPA study of women’s experience, of living with DA. The data were collected using semi-structured episodic style interview techniques. Interpretation of the data indicated, women were fighting the socially acceptable script in their attempts to find meaning for who they were and the reason for the abuse to which they were exposed. In women’s attempts to find meaning for the situation they faced, all women felt compelled to explain their reasons for staying. In Chapter 4, I discussed women’s experience of attempts by the partner to close down their sense of self. Women displayed resistance to attempts to diminish their positive and strong personhood by strategically silencing self in times of danger. Actions of strategic silencing provided women with feelings of control over their uncontrolled environment. Adaptive coping strategies, such as these, reinforced women’s feelings of strength and their positive sense of self. Women reported that closing down and silencing was also experienced from service providers, family, and friends, and these reactions from others often initiated a reconnection with the partner, where women viewed abuse from others no lesser than that of the partner. However, when able to access appropriate support from others, women experienced internal growth and reinforcement to their belief of themselves as good, worthy, and valued individuals. Women were also able to find self-affirmation outside the abusive relationship, which enabled them to find an identity divorced from that of an abused woman, further reinforcing their experience of being a valued and important individual. In Chapter 5, I identified women’s need to find meaning for their experience of being abused. Women drew on the social narrative to find explanations for the abusive events, which appeared to alleviate the cognitive disequilibrium experienced, because of the abuse they were facing. However, the socially acceptable explanations of substance use, psychological disorders, and past abuse, did not hold credence when women began to identify that abuse occurred before these issues had presented for the partner. In questioning the reasons for abuse women began to expect change from the partner and were actively making attempts to initiate positive change for themselves and their family. In Chapter 6, I reported on the stay/leave issues, a topic that was initiated in the interviews by the participants in this study. Women were fighting the social script, which encourages them to leave the partner when faced with abuse. They presented as strong and capable individuals, who were strategically managing their lives using adaptive coping strategies, providing them with agency and reinforcing their feelings of strength and control, particularly over their emotional and psychological wellbeing. Difficulties in accessing appropriate services was identified by women who found many support services, whether formal or informal, judgemental and attempting to encourage women to display the socially appropriate behaviour of leaving, with little consideration of what was appropriate for women themselves. In the final Chapter, I complete the interpretative phenomenological journey for women, by positioning the analysis of the 16 women’s narratives within the current literature on women who have experienced DA. The novel contribution my research brings to research on DA is unique insight into the experience of women who are currently living with their abusive partner, not a retrospective view of this experience. By interviewing women during their experience of DA, I was able to capture a depth of knowledge not possible from past retrospective studies. The narratives revealed a lack of service provision from providers who are purported to be available to assist women facing abuse. Through no fault of service providers, they are currently presenting as judgemental and not helpful to women who choose to stay. It would appear, a paradigm shift in the thinking of service provision is required, where there is a willingness to listen to women’s needs, devoid of judgement of those who stay, to ensure all women facing abuse are provided with support as they manage their difficult journey.
The attached document may provide the author's accepted version of a published work. See Cit... more The attached document may provide the author's accepted version of a published work. See Citation for details of the published work.
Domestic abuse (DA) against women is an international issue which, despite a plethora of research... more Domestic abuse (DA) against women is an international issue which, despite a plethora of research adding to our knowledge and the implementation of numerous intervention programs, continues to be perpetrated. Research to date has investigated the process of leaving the partner with less consideration for women who remain. Considering, the majority of women do not leave after the first abusive act there are a considerable number of women who continue to live with an abusive partner whether or not they plan on leaving in the future. Further, although DA has been extensively researched within Australia and internationally, there have not been any studies exclusively investigating the experience of women who remain living with their male abuser. Therefore, the aim of this thesis is to explore the experience of women who are currently living with an abusive male partner. Subjectivist interpretative phenomenological analysis was utilised upon data collected from 16 women currently residin...
Domestic abuse (DA) against women is an international issue which,
despite a plethora of researc... more Domestic abuse (DA) against women is an international issue which, despite a plethora of research adding to our knowledge and the implementation of numerous intervention programs, continues to be perpetrated. Research to date has investigated the process of leaving the partner with less consideration for women who remain. Considering, the majority of women do not leave after the first abusive act there are a considerable number of women who continue to live with an abusive partner whether or not they plan on leaving in the future. Further, although DA has been extensively researched within Australia and internationally, there have not been any studies exclusively investigating the experience of women who remain living with their male abuser. Therefore, the aim of this thesis is to explore the experience of women who are currently living with an abusive male partner. Subjectivist interpretative phenomenological analysis was utilised upon data collected from 16 women currently residing with their abusive male partner, who were residing within Perth, Western Australia. The same sample of 16 women was used for all the analysis chapters in this thesis. IPA study of women’s experience, of living with DA. The data were collected using semi-structured episodic style interview techniques. Interpretation of the data indicated, women were fighting the socially acceptable script in their attempts to find meaning for who they were and the reason for the abuse to which they were exposed. In women’s attempts to find meaning for the situation they faced, all women felt compelled to explain their reasons for staying. In Chapter 4, I discussed women’s experience of attempts by the partner to close down their sense of self. Women displayed resistance to attempts to diminish their positive and strong personhood by strategically silencing self in times of danger. Actions of strategic silencing provided women with feelings of control over their uncontrolled environment. Adaptive coping strategies, such as these, reinforced women’s feelings of strength and their positive sense of self. Women reported that closing down and silencing was also experienced from service providers, family, and friends, and these reactions from others often initiated a reconnection with the partner, where women viewed abuse from others no lesser than that of the partner. However, when able to access appropriate support from others, women experienced internal growth and reinforcement to their belief of themselves as good, worthy, and valued individuals. Women were also able to find self-affirmation outside the abusive relationship, which enabled them to find an identity divorced from that of an abused woman, further reinforcing their experience of being a valued and important individual. In Chapter 5, I identified women’s need to find meaning for their experience of being abused. Women drew on the social narrative to find explanations for the abusive events, which appeared to alleviate the cognitive disequilibrium experienced, because of the abuse they were facing. However, the socially acceptable explanations of substance use, psychological disorders, and past abuse, did not hold credence when women began to identify that abuse occurred before these issues had presented for the partner. In questioning the reasons for abuse women began to expect change from the partner and were actively making attempts to initiate positive change for themselves and their family. In Chapter 6, I reported on the stay/leave issues, a topic that was initiated in the interviews by the participants in this study. Women were fighting the social script, which encourages them to leave the partner when faced with abuse. They presented as strong and capable individuals, who were strategically managing their lives using adaptive coping strategies, providing them with agency and reinforcing their feelings of strength and control, particularly over their emotional and psychological wellbeing. Difficulties in accessing appropriate services was identified by women who found many support services, whether formal or informal, judgemental and attempting to encourage women to display the socially appropriate behaviour of leaving, with little consideration of what was appropriate for women themselves. In the final Chapter, I complete the interpretative phenomenological journey for women, by positioning the analysis of the 16 women’s narratives within the current literature on women who have experienced DA. The novel contribution my research brings to research on DA is unique insight into the experience of women who are currently living with their abusive partner, not a retrospective view of this experience. By interviewing women during their experience of DA, I was able to capture a depth of knowledge not possible from past retrospective studies. The narratives revealed a lack of service provision from providers who are purported to be available to assist women facing abuse. Through no fault of service providers, they are currently presenting as judgemental and not helpful to women who choose to stay. It would appear, a paradigm shift in the thinking of service provision is required, where there is a willingness to listen to women’s needs, devoid of judgement of those who stay, to ensure all women facing abuse are provided with support as they manage their difficult journey.
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despite a plethora of research adding to our knowledge and the implementation of numerous intervention programs, continues to be perpetrated. Research to date has investigated the process of leaving the partner with less consideration for women who remain. Considering, the majority of women do not leave after the first abusive act there are a considerable number of women who continue to live with an abusive partner whether or not they plan on leaving in the future. Further, although DA has been extensively researched within Australia and
internationally, there have not been any studies exclusively investigating the experience of women who remain living with their male abuser. Therefore, the aim of this thesis is to explore the experience of women who are currently living with an abusive male partner.
Subjectivist interpretative phenomenological analysis was utilised upon
data collected from 16 women currently residing with their abusive male
partner, who were residing within Perth, Western Australia. The same sample of 16 women was used for all the analysis chapters in this thesis. IPA study of women’s experience, of living with DA. The data were collected using semi-structured episodic style interview techniques.
Interpretation of the data indicated, women were fighting the socially
acceptable script in their attempts to find meaning for who they were and the reason for the abuse to which they were exposed. In women’s attempts to find meaning for the situation they faced, all women felt compelled to explain their reasons for staying. In Chapter 4, I discussed women’s experience of attempts by the partner to close down their sense of self. Women displayed resistance to attempts to diminish their positive and strong personhood by strategically silencing self in times of danger. Actions of strategic silencing provided women with feelings of control over their uncontrolled environment. Adaptive coping strategies, such as these, reinforced women’s feelings of strength and their positive sense of self. Women reported that closing down and silencing was also
experienced from service providers, family, and friends, and these reactions from others often initiated a reconnection with the partner, where women viewed abuse from others no lesser than that of the partner. However, when able to access appropriate support from others, women experienced internal growth and reinforcement to their belief of themselves as good, worthy, and valued individuals. Women were also able to find self-affirmation outside the abusive relationship, which enabled them to find an identity divorced from that of an abused woman, further reinforcing their experience of being a valued and important individual.
In Chapter 5, I identified women’s need to find meaning for their experience of being abused. Women drew on the social narrative to find
explanations for the abusive events, which appeared to alleviate the cognitive disequilibrium experienced, because of the abuse they were facing. However, the socially acceptable explanations of substance use, psychological disorders, and past abuse, did not hold credence when women began to identify that abuse occurred before these issues had presented for the partner. In questioning the reasons for abuse women began to expect change from the partner and were actively making attempts to initiate positive change for themselves and their family.
In Chapter 6, I reported on the stay/leave issues, a topic that was initiated in the interviews by the participants in this study. Women were fighting the social script, which encourages them to leave the partner when faced with abuse. They presented as strong and capable individuals, who were strategically managing their lives using adaptive coping strategies, providing them with agency and reinforcing their feelings of strength and control, particularly over their emotional and psychological wellbeing. Difficulties in accessing appropriate services was identified by women who found many support services, whether
formal or informal, judgemental and attempting to encourage women to display the socially appropriate behaviour of leaving, with little consideration of what was appropriate for women themselves.
In the final Chapter, I complete the interpretative phenomenological
journey for women, by positioning the analysis of the 16 women’s narratives within the current literature on women who have experienced DA. The novel contribution my research brings to research on DA is unique insight into the experience of women who are currently living with their abusive partner, not a retrospective view of this experience. By interviewing women during their experience of DA, I was able to capture a depth of knowledge not possible from past retrospective studies. The narratives revealed a lack of service provision from providers who are purported to be available to assist women facing abuse.
Through no fault of service providers, they are currently presenting as
judgemental and not helpful to women who choose to stay. It would appear, a paradigm shift in the thinking of service provision is required, where there is a willingness to listen to women’s needs, devoid of judgement of those who stay, to ensure all women facing abuse are provided with support as they manage their difficult journey.
despite a plethora of research adding to our knowledge and the implementation of numerous intervention programs, continues to be perpetrated. Research to date has investigated the process of leaving the partner with less consideration for women who remain. Considering, the majority of women do not leave after the first abusive act there are a considerable number of women who continue to live with an abusive partner whether or not they plan on leaving in the future. Further, although DA has been extensively researched within Australia and
internationally, there have not been any studies exclusively investigating the experience of women who remain living with their male abuser. Therefore, the aim of this thesis is to explore the experience of women who are currently living with an abusive male partner.
Subjectivist interpretative phenomenological analysis was utilised upon
data collected from 16 women currently residing with their abusive male
partner, who were residing within Perth, Western Australia. The same sample of 16 women was used for all the analysis chapters in this thesis. IPA study of women’s experience, of living with DA. The data were collected using semi-structured episodic style interview techniques.
Interpretation of the data indicated, women were fighting the socially
acceptable script in their attempts to find meaning for who they were and the reason for the abuse to which they were exposed. In women’s attempts to find meaning for the situation they faced, all women felt compelled to explain their reasons for staying. In Chapter 4, I discussed women’s experience of attempts by the partner to close down their sense of self. Women displayed resistance to attempts to diminish their positive and strong personhood by strategically silencing self in times of danger. Actions of strategic silencing provided women with feelings of control over their uncontrolled environment. Adaptive coping strategies, such as these, reinforced women’s feelings of strength and their positive sense of self. Women reported that closing down and silencing was also
experienced from service providers, family, and friends, and these reactions from others often initiated a reconnection with the partner, where women viewed abuse from others no lesser than that of the partner. However, when able to access appropriate support from others, women experienced internal growth and reinforcement to their belief of themselves as good, worthy, and valued individuals. Women were also able to find self-affirmation outside the abusive relationship, which enabled them to find an identity divorced from that of an abused woman, further reinforcing their experience of being a valued and important individual.
In Chapter 5, I identified women’s need to find meaning for their experience of being abused. Women drew on the social narrative to find
explanations for the abusive events, which appeared to alleviate the cognitive disequilibrium experienced, because of the abuse they were facing. However, the socially acceptable explanations of substance use, psychological disorders, and past abuse, did not hold credence when women began to identify that abuse occurred before these issues had presented for the partner. In questioning the reasons for abuse women began to expect change from the partner and were actively making attempts to initiate positive change for themselves and their family.
In Chapter 6, I reported on the stay/leave issues, a topic that was initiated in the interviews by the participants in this study. Women were fighting the social script, which encourages them to leave the partner when faced with abuse. They presented as strong and capable individuals, who were strategically managing their lives using adaptive coping strategies, providing them with agency and reinforcing their feelings of strength and control, particularly over their emotional and psychological wellbeing. Difficulties in accessing appropriate services was identified by women who found many support services, whether
formal or informal, judgemental and attempting to encourage women to display the socially appropriate behaviour of leaving, with little consideration of what was appropriate for women themselves.
In the final Chapter, I complete the interpretative phenomenological
journey for women, by positioning the analysis of the 16 women’s narratives within the current literature on women who have experienced DA. The novel contribution my research brings to research on DA is unique insight into the experience of women who are currently living with their abusive partner, not a retrospective view of this experience. By interviewing women during their experience of DA, I was able to capture a depth of knowledge not possible from past retrospective studies. The narratives revealed a lack of service provision from providers who are purported to be available to assist women facing abuse.
Through no fault of service providers, they are currently presenting as
judgemental and not helpful to women who choose to stay. It would appear, a paradigm shift in the thinking of service provision is required, where there is a willingness to listen to women’s needs, devoid of judgement of those who stay, to ensure all women facing abuse are provided with support as they manage their difficult journey.