Combatting Intimate Partner Violence: Representations of Social and Healthcare Personnel Working with Gender-Based Violence Interventions

Abstract

Intimate partner violence (IPV) has been declared a global epidemic by the World Health Organization. Although the attention paid to both the perpetrators and victims of gender-based violence has increased, scientific research is still lacking in regard to the representations of operators involved in interventions and management. Therefore, the following study explores how the representations of operators affect how gender violence can be managed and combatted through an ecological approach to this phenomenon, in addition to highlighting the roles of organizational-level services and their cultural and symbolic substrates. In total, 35 health and social professionals were interviewed and textual materials were analyzed by thematic analysis. The evidence suggests that services contrasting gender-based violence utilize different representations and management approaches. The authors hope that these differences can become a resource, rather than a limitation, when combatting gender-based violence through the construction of more integrated networks and a greater dialogue among different services, in order to make interventions designed to combat gender-based violence more effective.

“Kept in Check”: Representations and Feelings of Social and Health Professionals Facing Intimate Partner Violence (IPV)

“…The perpetrator is described by interviewees as a narcissist with manipulative tendencies (even with the professionals themselves), incapable of thinking his emotions, fragile, insecure, and controlling within his relationship, in which he abuses his position of authority, as presented in the most recent literature [65,66,81].…”

“…It is in this way the case worker is thrust into a whole intergenerational cultural system that does not recognize the characteristics of violence in the couple relationship. Systemic approaches emphasize the dimension of the rationality of the problem, but Autiero et al [65] highlight the limits within the criminal judicial system. Several studies, however, of a psycho-dynamic and cognitive-behavioral slant, [51,[85][86][87] highlight the influence of family and personal history in the acquisition of models of violence on the part of the perpetrators, as well as the presence of cognitive distortions and implicit theories that justify the violent actions.…”

“…Therefore, we set up an ambitious project to extend knowledge about the professionals and services dealing with IPV. In a first paper we analyzed professionals' representations of children witnessing violence in the family [38], then we did a thematic analysis of professionals' views of needs and resources of the different social and health services aimed at fighting IPV [65]. Lastly, in a companion article we presented the representations of professionals concerning perpetrators and intervention strategies to deal with this phenomenon [66].…”

“…Among the elements that keep the professional in check, one has to also consider the unidirectionality of the interventions offered by antiviolence services and those for the treatment of the perpetrators, as well as the lack of case management of the latter in general services. A lack of measures of empowerment for perpetrators and a shortage of them for women victims of violence add to reinforcing the stereotypes and dominant representations about relational dynamics [65].…”

“…The perpetrators must be given a way to manage their emotions and aggression, in order to understand the origins of their anger, frustration, and insecurity, and then to support their overcome [65,77]. A female professional who is managing a perpetrator must not feel "disloyal" towards the female victim, but be aware that work with the man is necessary.…”