A Qualitative Research on Domestic Violence
A Qualitative Research on Domestic Violence
IntroductionAs stated by Mshweshwe (2020), domestic violence is considered as a pervasive as well as deeply concerning issue in the society. It affects individuals and families. The research will aim to find out the experiences, perceptions as well as coping mechanisms of individuals who are victimised through domestic violence. It encompasses several forms of abuse consisting of physical, emotional, sexual, economic and psychological abuse. Domestic violence is used to occur in several types of relationship like parent-child, intimate partner and spousal. Hence, it is important to understand the nuances of domestic violence, which is crucial to develop effective interventions and support system for survivors in a family.
Research QuestionThe research study will seek to find out answer from the following research questions:
What are individual experiences as well as perceptions through domestic violence among survivors?
What are the socio-cultural factors to be considered that influence experience and coping mechanism of domestic violence?
How do survivors of domestic violence cope with as well as respond to the abuse?
Literature ReviewPrevalence and Types of Domestic ViolenceDomestic violence is a complex and multifaceted issue that affects people from all strata of the society. It is a violation of the basic human rights and poses as a threat to all people. It prevails across socio-demographic population (Garg et al. 2019). It does not differ between age, gender, socioeconomic status, or race. The most prevalent type of domestic violence is intimate partner violence. The victims first present their injuries to their family doctors or emergency rooms. As noted in 2018, worldwide there were 114393 women and 26362 men who faced intimate partner violence (Kolbe and Bttner 2020). These numbers underscore the urgency of addressing the problem. Even though physical form of domestic violence is the most prevalent, there also exists psychological as wells as emotional violence.
Experiences of Domestic ViolenceAccording to de Borst et al. (2020), when domestic violence is investigated through the perspective of a victim, it is seen that the abuse increases brains activity in the region which responds to threat and protection of the body. Although for any domestic violence victim, the experience of domestic violence is very personal and individualistic in nature, there have been some common experiences noted. This includes depression, low self-esteem, isolation, sense of powerlessness and fear. In order to properly care for the abuse victims, one first needs to know their experiences and understand how to cater to the unique needs presented by each victim.
Socio-cultural factorsThere are several socio-cultural factors that are considered to be involved with domestic violence such as gender norms and inequality, patriarchy, cultural acceptance, economic stress, cultural relativism, religious beliefs, family and community pressure, lack of legal protection as well as lack of education. The factors may vary from a society to another society, however, there are some common elements that are responsible for domestic violence. When victims experience domestic violence, it does not matter from which strata of the society they belong to, their gender, race, or age. However, socio-cultural factors play a large role in shaping the experiences and coping mechanisms of the abuse victims. These include cultural norms, socio-economic status, and gender roles. However, often a greater attention is paid to the victims belonging to the urban parts of the country or those belonging to lower socio-economic levels of the society (Arisukwu et al. 2021). When someone is facing violence, the society that the live in influences their decision to seek help or remain silent. It is crucial to examine these factors to ultimately create a safe space for these people with cultural sensitivity and effective interventions.
Coping MechanismsIt becomes crucial to address the socio-cultural factors in order to prevent as well as combat domestic violence effectively. It requires proper education, advocacy and effective change of policies. In addition to these, cultural shifts for promoting gender equality, healthy relationships as well as zero-tolerance policy would be helpful to prevent domestic violence. As mentioned by Sheffler et al. (2019), when people face traumatizing experiences, they have different ways through which they cope with the situation at hand and it also influences how they will react to similar situations in the future. For example, if a child has been victim of domestic violence, their experiences and dealing with trauma influences how they will react to a stressful and traumatizing experience in the future. When analyzing the coping mechanisms, it can be seen that the victims take refuge in their friends and family to develop empowerment and resilience. To effectively develop support systems and interventions to help them gain control of their lives and fight back, it is important to understand these factors.
Gaps in Existing LiteratureWhen talking about domestic violence, one might think that it is something of the past and existing only in the lower strata of the society but an in-depth review and analysis on the matter will prove them how wrong they are about the matter. This is a necessary social evil which exists everywhere. While there has been extensive research conducted against domestic violence and their victims, there still exists a gap in the understanding of the issue. This is mostly prevalent among the experiences and coping mechanisms of the abuse victims. The studies conducted mostly investigate the quantitative data while neglecting the qualitative data which can reflect the depth and context of the issue. Therefore, this research proposal focuses on addressing the gap in literature through in-depth interviews and analysis of the individuals narratives.
ConclusionThis qualitative research proposal seeks to contribute to the existing knowledge on domestic violence by delving deep into the knowledge provided by the domestic violence victims. This will be based on the perceptions, experiences, and coping mechanisms of the abuse survivors. This paper tries to shed light on the individual experiences and their narratives of the abuse. With the help of this insight, one can develop policies and frameworks to help the survivors and create care plans and interventions. The ultimate intention of this paper is to finally reduce the prevalence of domestic abuse in the society.
ReferencesArisukwu, O., Igbolekwu, C., Adebisi, T. and Akindele, F., 2021. Perception of domestic violence among rural women in Kuje.Heliyon,7(2).
de Borst, A.W., Sanchez-Vives, M.V., Slater, M. and de Gelder, B., 2020. First-person virtual embodiment modulates the cortical network that encodes the bodily self and its surrounding space during the experience of domestic violence.Eneuro,7(3).
Garg, S., Singh, M.M., Rustagi, R., Engtipi, K. and Bala, I., 2019. Magnitude of domestic violence and its socio-demographic correlates among pregnant women in Delhi.Journal of family medicine and primary care,8(11), p.3634.
Kolbe, V. and Bttner, A., 2020. Domestic violence against menprevalence and risk factors.Deutsches rzteblatt International,117(31-32), p.534.
Mshweshwe, L., 2020. Understanding domestic violence: masculinity, culture, traditions.Heliyon,6(10).
Ogbe, E., Harmon, S., Van den Bergh, R. and Degomme, O., 2020. A systematic review of intimate partner violence interventions focused on improving social support and/mental health outcomes of survivors.PLoS one,15(6), p.e0235177.
Sheffler, J.L., Piazza, J.R., Quinn, J.M., Sachs-Ericsson, N.J. and Stanley, I.H., 2019. Adverse childhood experiences and coping strategies: Identifying pathways to resiliency in adulthood.Anxiety, Stress, & Coping,32(5), pp.594-609.
