Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this research study was to explore the lived experiences of women survivors of intimate partner violence to gain insight into how sociocultural contexts affected the processes of trauma recovery and posttraumatic growth for them.
Methods
Interpretive phenomenological analysis was used to design, conduct, and interpret data collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews. Six participants who experienced intimate partner violence in past romantic or marital relationships completed initial and follow-up interviews.
Results
Through in-depth data analysis and interpretation, five major themes related to sociocultural contexts that affected survivors emerged: (a) family, (b) friends, (c) schools and educational institutions, (d) community and neighborhood, and (e) law enforcement and judiciary agencies.
Conclusions
Findings indicate that supportive, unsupportive, or mixed responses from any of the listed sociocultural contexts can impact survivors’ processes of recovery and posttraumatic growth. Implications of findings and directions for future research are discussed.
Similar content being viewed by others
Data availability
Data included in this manuscript is not available due to the confidential nature of the interviews and Institutional Review Board protocols.
References
Ahmad, F., Rai, N., Petrovic, B., Erickson, P. E., & Stewart, D. E. (2013). Resilience and resources among south Asian immigrant women as survivors of partner violence. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 15(6), 1057–1064. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-013-9836-2
Aldridge, D., & Stevenson, C. (2001). Social poetics as research and practice: Living in and learning from the process of research. Nursing Inquiry, 8(1), 19–27. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1440-1800.2001.00085.x
Anasuri, S. (2016). Intimate partner violence on college campuses: An appraisal of emerging perspectives. Journal of Education and Human Development, 5(2), 74–86. https://doi.org/10.15640/jehd.v5n2a9
Anderson, K. M., Renner, L. M., & Danis, F. S. (2012). Recovery: Resilience and growth in the aftermath of domestic violence. Violence Against Women, 18(11), 1279–1299. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077801212470543
Bonanno, G. A. (2004). Loss, trauma, and human resilience: Have we underestimated the human capacity to thrive after extremely aversive events? American Psychologist, 59(1), 20–28. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.59.1.20
Bronfenbrenner, U. (2005). Making human beings human: Bioecological perspectives on human development. Sage Publications.
Brown, L. S. (2008). Cultural competence in trauma therapy: Beyond the flashback. American Psychological Association.
Bryant-Davis, T. (2005). Thriving in the wake of trauma: A multicultural guide. Praeger Publishers.
Bryant-Davis, T., Chung, H., & Tillman, S. (2009). From the margins to the center: Ethnic minority women and the mental health effects of sexual assault. Trauma Violence & Abuse, 10(4), 330–357. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524838009339755
Calhoun, L. G., & Tedeschi, R. G. (2006). Handbook of posttraumatic growth: Research and practice. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
Clark, C. J., Silverman, J. G., Shahrouri, M., Everson-Rose, S., & Groce, N. (2010). The role of the extended family in women’s risk of intimate partner violence in Jordan. Social Science and Medicine, 70(1), 144–151. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2009.09.024
Cobb, A. R., Tedeschi, R. G., Calhoun, L. G., & Cann, A. (2006). Correlates of posttraumatic growth in survivors of intimate partner violence. Journal of Traumatic Stress: Official Publication of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, 19(6), 895–903. https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.20171
Coker, A. L., Smith, P. H., Thompson, M. P., McKeown, R. E., Bethea, L., & Davis, K. E. (2002). Social support protects against the negative effects of partner violence on mental health. Journal of Women’s Health & Gender-Based Medicine, 11(5), 465–476. https://doi.org/10.1089/15246090260137644
D’Amore, C., Martin, S. L., Wood, K., & Brooks, C. (2018). Themes of healing and posttraumatic growth in women survivors’ narratives of intimate partner violence. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 36(5–6), 1–28. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260518767909
Davis, C. G., Nolen-Hoeksema, S., & Larson, J. (1998). Making sense of loss and benefitting from the experience: Two construals of meaning. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 75(2), 561–574. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.75.2.561
DeJong, C., Burgess-Proctor, A., & Elis, L. (2008). Police officer perceptions of intimate partner violence: An analysis of observational data. Violence and Victims, 23(6), 683–696. https://doi.org/10.1891/0886-6708.23.6.683
Echterling, L. G., Presbury, J., & McKee, J. E. (2005). Crisis intervention: Promoting resilience and resolution in troubled times. Pearson.
Elderton, A., Berry, A., & Chan, C. (2017). A systematic review of posttraumatic growth in survivors of interpersonal violence in adulthood. Trauma Violence & Abuse, 18(2), 223–236.
Fergus, S., & Zimmerman, M. A. (2005). Adolescent resilience: A framework for understanding healthy development in the face of risk. Annual Review of Public Health, 26, 399–419. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.publhealth.26.021304.144357
Garcia-Moreno, C., Jansen, H. A. F. M., Ellsberg, M., Heise, L., & Watts, C. (2006). Prevalence of intimate partner violence: Findings from the WHO multi-country study on women’s health and domestic violence. Lancet, 368(9543), 1260–1269. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(06)69523-8
Gover, A. R., Welton-Mitchell, C., Belknap, J., & Deprince, A. P. (2013). When abuse happens again: Women’s reasons for not reporting new incidents of intimate partner abuse to law enforcement. Women & Criminal Justice, 23(2), 99–120. https://doi.org/10.1080/08974454.2013.759069
Harvey, M. R. (1996). An ecological view of psychological trauma and trauma recovery. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 9(1), 3–23.
Herman, J. (2015). Trauma and recovery. Basic Books.
Herrero, J., Rodríguez, F. J., & Torres, A. (2017). Acceptability of partner violence in 51 societies: The role of sexism and attitudes toward violence in social relationships. Violence Against Women, 23(3), 351–367. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077801216642870
Hofstede, G. (2011). Dimensionalizing cultures: The Hofstede model in context. Online Readings in Psychology and Culture, 2(1), 1–26. https://doi.org/10.9707/2307-0919.1014
International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (2016). Intimate partner violence. Oakbrook Terrace, IL.
Jackson-Cherry, L. R., & Erford, B. T. (2014). Crisis assessment, intervention and prevention (2nd ed.). Pearson.
Kohli, A., Perrin, N., Mpanano, R. M., Banywesize, L., Mirindi, A. B., Banywesize, J. H., Mitima, C. M., Binkurhorhwa, A. K., Bufole, N. M., & Glass, N. (2015). Family and cutcommunity driven response to intimate partner violence in post-conflict settings. Social Science & Medicine, 146, 276–284. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2015.10.011
Larkin, M., & Thompson, A. R. (2012). Interpretive phenomenological analysis in mental health and psychotherapy research. In D. Harper & A. R. Thompson (Eds.), Qualitative research methods in mental health and psychotherapy: A guide for students and practitioners (pp. 101–116). Wiley.
Larkin, M., Shaw, R., & Flowers, P. (2019). Multiperspectival designs and processes in interpretative phenomenological analysis research. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 16(2), 182–198. https://doi.org/10.1080/14780887.2018.1540655
Levitt, H. M., Bamberg, M., Creswell, J. W., Frost, D. M., Josselson, R., & Suarez-Orozco, C. (2018). Journal article reporting standards for qualitative primary, qualitative metaanalytic, and mixed methods research in psychology: The APA publications and communications board task force report. American Psychologist, 73(1), 26–46. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000151
Lewis, S. D., Henriksen, R. C., Jr., & Watts, R. E. (2015). Intimate partner violence: The recovery experience. Women & Therapy, 38(3–4), 377–394. https://doi.org/10.1080/02703149.2015.1059223
Linley, P. A., & Joeseph, S. (2004). Positive change following trauma and adversity: A review. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 17(1), 11–21.
Lloyd, M. (2018). Domestic violence and education: Examining the impact of domestic violence on young children, children, and young people and the potential role of schools. Frontiers in Psychology, 9(2094), 2094. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02094
McMillen, J. C., & Fisher, R. H. (1998). The perceived benefit scales: Measuring perceived positive life changes after negative events. Social Work Research, 22(3), 173–187. https://doi.org/10.1093/swr/22.3.173
Meyer, S. (2011). Seeking help for intimate partner violence: Victims’ experiences when approaching the criminal justice system for IPV-related support and protection in an Australian jurisdiction. Feminist Criminology, 6(4), 268–290. https://doi.org/10.1177/1557085111414860
Park, C. L., Cohen, L. H., & Murch, R. L. (1996). Assessment and prediction of stress-related growth. Journal of Personality, 64(1).
Pavalko, E. K., Mossakowski, K. N., & Hamilton, V. J. (2003). Does perceived discrimination affect health? Longitudinal relationships between work discrimination and women’s physical and emotional health. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 44(1), 18–33. https://www.jstor.org/stable/1519813
Prosek, E. A., & Gibson, D. M. (2021). Promoting rigorous research by examining lived experiences: A review of four qualitative traditions. Journal of Counseling & Development, 99(2), 167–177. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcad.12364
Sharma, J. (2019). Socio-cultural contexts in trauma recovery and post trauma growth in women who experienced intimate partner violence: A social constructivist lens (Doctoral dissertation, Virginia Tech).
Smith, J. A., & Osborn, M. (2008). Interpretive phenomenological analysis. In J. A. Smith (Ed.), Qualitative psychology (pp. 53–80). Sage.
Smith, S. G., Zhang, X., Basile, K. C., Merrick, M. T., Wang, J., Kresnow, M., & Chen, J. (2018). The national intimate Partner and sexual violence survey: 2015 data brief – updated release. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Smith, J. A., Flowers, P., & Larkin, M. (2022). Interpretive phenomenological analysis: Theory, method, and research. Sage Publications.
Taku, K., Calhoun, L. G., Tedeschi, R. G., Gil-Rivas, V., Kilmer, R. P., & Cann, A. (2007). Examining posttraumatic growth among Japanese university students. Anxiety Stress & Coping, 20(4), 353–367. https://doi.org/10.1080/10615800701295007
Tedeschi, R. G., & Calhoun, L. G. (1996). The posttraumatic growth inventory: Measuring the positive legacy of trauma. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 9(3), 455–471. https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.2490090305
Tedeschi, R. G., Shakespeare-Finch, J., Taku, J., & Calhoun, L. G. (2018). Posttraumatic growth: Theory, research, and applications. Routledge.
Tetzner, J., Becker, M., & Maaz, K. (2016). Development in multiple areas of life in adolescence: Interrelations between academic achievement, perceived peer acceptance, and self-esteem. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 41(6), 704–713. https://doi.org/10.1177/0165025416664432
Valdez, C. E., & Lilly, M. M. (2015). Posttraumatic growth in survivors of intimate partner violence: An assumptive world process. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 30(2), 215–231. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260514533154
Voth Schrag, R. J., Ravi, K., Robinson, S., Schroeder, E., & Padilla-Medina, D. (2021). Experiences with help seeking among non–service-engaged survivors of IPV: Survivors’ recommendations for service providers. Violence against Women, 27(12–13), 2313–2334. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077801220963861
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society. Harvard University Press.
Weiss, T., & Berger, R. (2010). Posttraumatic growth and culturally competent practice: Lessons learned from around the globe. Wiley.
World Health Organization. (2002). World report on violence and health: summary. Geneva.
Žukauskienė, R., Kaniušonytė, G., Bergman, L. R., Bakaitytė, A., & Truskauskaitė-Kunevičienė, I. (2021). The role of social support in identity processes and posttraumatic growth: A study of victims of intimate partner violence. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 36(15–16), 7599–7624.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors do not have any conflict of interest to report. This project was sponsored by a grant awarded to the PI through the Center of Peace and Violence Prevention at Virginia Tech.
Additional information
Publisher’s Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
This manuscript is part of primary investigator’s dissertation study. I am grateful to my dissertation committee, Drs. Gerard Lawson, Laura Welfare, Nancy Bodenhorn, and Carolyn Shivers, for supporting me on this project.
Appendix
Appendix
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Sharma, J., Lawson, G. & Osborn, K. Sociocultural Contexts Affecting Trauma Recovery and Posttraumatic Growth for Women Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence. J Fam Viol (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-024-00689-w
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-024-00689-w