The purposes of this study are to describe intimate partner violence (IPV) among pregnant women in Thailand and compare maternal characteristics, health practices during pregnancy, and maternal health between abused and nonabused pregnant women. Of 475 pregnant Thai women, 13.1% report ever being abused, whereas 4.8% report physical abuse during pregnancy. Women abused during pregnancy, compared to nonabused women, are more likely to be younger, unmarried, have low income, be unemployed, and report that the pregnancy was unwanted. They also report lower levels of positive health practices and higher levels of depressive symptoms. Results demonstrate a need for screening of IPV among pregnant Thai women.

Previous research suggests that intimate partner violence (IPV), particularly physical or sexual violence, was associated with cervical cancer. However, there is less work examining the mechanism of the relationship between IPV and cervical cancer. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to examine psychosocial factors (e.g., stress, social support, self-esteem, and depressive symptoms) as mediators of the relationship between IPV and cervical cancer among 532 Thai women with gynecological problems. About 21.1% of participants reported any type of IPV (e.g., physical, sexual, or emotional violence) in the past year and 22.2% had cervical cancer. IPV was significantly positively associated with stress, depressive symptoms, and cervical cancer but negatively correlated with social support and self-esteem. Results from structural equation modeling indicated that not only did IPV exhibit significantly direct effects on social support, stress, and depressive symptoms, and indirect effects on self-esteem, but it also had a significant, positive, total effect on cervical cancer. IPV exhibited the significant indirect effect on cervical cancer through social support, self-esteem, stress, and depressive symptoms. The model fitted very well to the empirical data and explained 9% of variance. The findings affirmed that those psychosocial factors were mediators of the relationship between IPV and cervical cancer. Health care protocols for abused women should include screening for and treatment of IPV-related psychosocial factors. Interventions that provide social support and protect self-esteem should reduce stress and depressive symptoms among abused women, thereby reducing the risk of cervical cancer.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the etiological model of cyberbullying behaviors among Thai adolescents, testing the hypothesis that the constructs of theory of planned behavior (TPB), including self-esteem, will influence and have impact on cyberbullying intention and behaviors. Design/methodology/approach Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to analyze the data. Self-administered questionnaires were used among multi-stage stratified random samples from secondary schools in the Bangkok. The sample size consisting of 354 subjects included those who were victims (44.7 percent), perpetrators (33.1 percent) and witness (67.8 percent). Findings The SEM showed subjective norm (SN) to be the most direct influential factor of cyberbullying intention and behaviors, followed by attitude toward cyberbullying (Intention β=0.31, 0.24; p=0.01, Behavior β=0.09, 0.07; p=0.012 and 0.05, respectively). However, the SEM revealed that all variables from TPB including self-esteem in the equation can explain the variation scores of intention and cyberbullying behaviors at 54 and 67 percent levels (adjusted R2=0.54 and 0.67), respectively. The SEM showed that model modification indices indicate a good fit to the data (χ2=0.00, df=0, p>0.05, CMIN/df=0, GFI=1, AGFI=1, CFI=1 and RMSEA=0). Research limitations/implications The experiences or witness of family violence and support at school level, which is supposed to mitigate the bullying problems, were neglected from this study. Practical implications The preventive measures for cyberbullying behaviors among adolescents should involve activities fostering self-esteem, developing proper attitude and SN to prevent cyberbullying. The initiatives and developed school supportive system for adolescents to understand how to control themselves when engaging in social network are imperative. However, for future research, family violence witness and attempt to lure the cyberbullying victims into offline meeting should be explored more. Social implications TPB and the use of social media should be taken into account for planning and designing appropriate intervention to reduce and eliminate cyberbullying among all stakeholders in both public and private sectors in the area of health and educational institutes in order to endeavor and to advocate the anti-cyberbullying policy in Thailand. Originality/value TPB and self-esteem explained a substantial portion of and more modest but significant amount of variance in cyberbullying intention and behaviors. However, SN and attitude toward cyberbullying which was found to be most influential factors could be the useful information for designing intervention toward cyberbullying prevention for Thai adolescents and advocate implementing the anti-cyberbullying policy in Thailand.

Although there is literature that describes coping strategies of women who experience intimate partner violence (IPV), the definitions of common coping strategies and the two-dimensional model of coping styles (emotion-or problem-focused) may not fully delineate how these women manage their day-to-day lives. Using an Interpretive Description method and feminist standpoint principles, in-depth interviews were conducted with 40 Thai women regarding how they managed living in the context of IPV. Data were analyzed using an iterative thematic analysis procedure. In this study, the highly changeable and adaptive strategies use by participants could not be easily categorized into emotion-or action/problem-focused. Indeed, the strategies used by Thai women in this study were better described as survival focused. Based on our analysis, the process of managing their day-to-day life in the context of IPV revealed six major themes: keeping silent, disconnect between the fantasy of love and reality, seeking emotional support, ambivalence surrounding leaving, living with negative emotions, and despair and suicide. An undercurrent that was woven throughout multiple themes was the dominant lens of motherhood through which women made day-to-day decisions. These data also highlight the specific impacts that Thai society and religious beliefs have on increasing the risk of IPV and maintaining its duration. All levels of government, religious leaders, and public policy makers must engage in intersectoral initiatives to make public what is now private. Social and health service providers must create safe spaces where women can disclose IPV and where they can get funded multilevel supports to help them live independent of violence. The participants' stories give voice to why Thai health professionals need to fully engage with women to understand the past and current contexts of women's lives and how their experiences impact their health.

Prior research has shown that intimate partner violence (IPV), stress, and social support are associated with depressive symptoms. However, a possible mediating role of these variables linking depressive symptoms has not been fully investigated in Thailand. This study was conducted to assess the mediating roles of IPV, stress, and social support in the relationships between childhood abuse (CA), number of sexual partners (NSP), and depressive symptoms among 400 Thai women attending gynecology clinics. Results indicated that IPV was significantly positively correlated with stress and depressive symptoms but negatively correlated with social support. CA and NSP were significantly positively correlated with IPV, stress, and depressive symptoms, but negatively correlated with social support. Structural equation models (SEMs) showed that not only did IPV severity exhibit significantly indirect effect on depressive symptoms ( β = .178; p < .05), but it also had a significant, positive total effect on depressive symptoms ( β = .252; p < .05). In particular, IPV severity had the fully mediating effect on depressive symptoms through social support ( β = –.204; p < .05) and stress ( β = .158; p < .05). CA severity and NSP exhibited the significant indirect effect on depressive symptoms through IPV severity, stress, and social support. All the models analyzed showed that stress had an important mediator role ( β = .583; p < .05) on depressive symptoms. The model fitted very well to the empirical data and explained 53% of variance. Findings affirmed the important role of these mediators as well as the need to design interventions for reducing stress or increasing support for women experiencing IPV. Utilizing an empowerment approach among female outpatients to decrease stress and depressive symptoms is recommended.