Nurse Faculty Scholars - Violence

Breast Cancer in the Context of Intimate Partner Violence: A Qualitative Study

nfs — Wed, 19 May 2010 14:16:31 +0000

Published Date:

Wed, 2010-05-19 (All day)

Purpose/Objectives: To describe the experiences of women who were diagnosed with breast cancer while also encountering intimate partner violence (IPV). IPV was determined by scores on the Women's Experience With Battering Scale and the Abuse Assessment Screen.

Research Approach: Qualitative interviews were conducted with a convenience sample of seven women. Data were analyzed with a hermeneutic phenomenologic approach.

Setting: Community settings in central Virginia and Maryland.

Participants: 7 participants ranging in age from 37-63 years (X = 50 years); age at diagnosis ranged from 36-58 years (X = 46 years). All were in relationships with men, and relationship length ranged from 2-29 years (X = 12 years).

Methodologic Approach: Each participant had one semistructured qualitative interview.

Main Research Variables: Experiences of women simultaneously experiencing breast cancer and IPV.

Findings: A number of themes emerged, including: (a) reassessing life, (b) believing that stress from the relationship caused the cancer, (c) valuing support from others, and (d) the significance of the breast.

Conclusions: For all of the participants, the breast cancer diagnosis changed their intimate relationships in some way. The cancer was an opportunity for the women to engage in life review, focus inward, and, in some cases, change the relationship status.

Interpretation: Increased awareness and screening for IPV are needed in oncology clinical settings. Women with cancer are members of a vulnerable population and use the diagnosis to reassess their intimate relationships.

Applying the theory of planned behavior to reporting of forced sex by African-American college women

nfs — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 18:36:20 +0000

Published Date:

Fri, 2009-12-11 (All day)

Forced sex is a public health issue affecting many college women. Despite physical and mental health consequences, and multiple prevention programs on college campuses, most sexual violence goes unreported (Fisher, Daigle, Cullen, & Turner, 2003). The purpose of this research was to determine the significant attitudes and beliefs that are associated with reporting of forced sexual experiences. Guided by the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), the study used a predictive exploratory design to explore the association of intention to report forced sex with attitudes and beliefs (Ajzen, 1991). A convenience sample of 144 African-American women who were attending a private college in the south completed a survey. Women who expressed more favorable attitudes towards reporting, perceived reporting as being supported by important referents, and perceived more control over reporting, reported stronger intentions to report forced sex. The analysis supported the utility of TPB in predicting the intention to report forced sex by African-American college women. Theoretically significant and clinically relevant prevention strategies should incorporate important referents, address salient beliefs, and determine ways to increase perceived behavioral control.

Coping with Stalking

nfs — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 18:09:56 +0000

Published Date:

Fri, 2010-01-01 (All day)

Stalking is a serious public health and societal concern affecting the college population. Although numerous studies illustrate the physical and mental effects of stalking, literature addressing how individuals cope with this phenomenon is lacking. The purpose of this study was to describe stalking experiences of college students and the coping strategies used to manage stalking. In this descriptive study, 262 college students completed an online survey that included a stalking questionnaire and coping survey. Slightly more than one-fourth of the sample (n = 69) reported experiencing stalking victimization. Results indicated that the most common coping strategies employed were: ignoring the problem, minimizing the problem, distancing, detaching or depersonalizing, using verbal escape tactics, attempting to end the relationship, controlling the interaction, and restricting accessibility. Implications for refining current practice and research on coping strategies and stalking are suggested.

Talking about talk: The Experiences of Boys who Survived Intraparental Homicide

nfs — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 17:06:16 +0000

Published Date:

Tue, 2007-08-14 (All day)

This article describes the experiences of men who experienced intraparental homicide (one parent killing the other parent) when they were boys. Twenty-one men were interviewed twice and data were analyzed using a hermeneutic approach. In this article we examine a topic that emerged as a core problem for these men, specifically, how they talked (or did not talk) about the homicide. Understanding intraparental homicide may provide information to guardians and professionals about what some male children need after such an event.

Dating Violence: Comparing Victims Who Are Also Perpetrators With Victims Who Are Not

nfs — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 18:00:20 +0000

Published Date:

Sun, 2007-04-01 (All day)

Dating violence is accepted as bi-directional with both genders as victims and perpetrators. While researchers have studied perpetration and victimization, limited research has explored differences in young women who are victims and perpetrators with those who are victims only. This study compares injury and mental health symptoms of victims who reported perpetrating violence with victims who did not.

Violence education in nursing: critical reflection

nfs — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 17:46:12 +0000

Published Date:

Thu, 2008-12-18 (All day)

Violence against women is a major public health concern. This paper describes an educational strategy to increase nursing students’ understanding of the experience of violence and to foster recognition and intervention with victims of violence. Students in an elective course were asked to critically reflect on the personal stories of victims/survivors of violence. The assignment provided four learning opportunities that include examination of societal myths on sexual victimization, understanding the lived experience of the victim, exploration of personal beliefs and values, and the relationship of the individual’s experience to theoretical content of the course. Students gave permission for the use of quotes from papers to illustrate the learning opportunities.