Experiences With Help Seeking Among Non–Service-Engaged Survivors of IPV: Survivors’ Recommendations for Service Providers

Schrag, Rachel Voth; Ravi, Kristen E.; Robinson, Sarah; Schroeder, Elyssa; Padilla-Medina, Diana

doi:10.1177/1077801220963861

Cited by 21 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…This rich data set can be roughly distilled into three distinct themes. First, although previous research has demonstrated that IPV survivors generally want non-judgmental empathic listening (Voth Schrag et al, 2020), it was particularly striking that this study arrived at the same finding because in this case, the desire for a listening ear arose amid serious violent assaults and when participants feared impending death. Even in these acute emergencies, survivors felt a deep longing for someone who would listen carefully; avoid blaming them for the harm inflicted by their intimate partners; and remain survivor-centered; that is, tailoring their response to what the survivor needed and wanted in the moment, rather than imposing what the network member personally thought best.…”

Section: Key Themes Across Clusterssupporting

confidence: 54%

Informal Help-Seeking in Moments of Acute Danger: Intimate Partner Violence Survivors’ Emergency Outreach Efforts and the Forces That Shape Them

Goodman

Epstein

Nnawulezi

et al. 2022

J Interpers Violence

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Heightened attention to police brutality has created momentum for alternative, community-based responses to violence, including that inflicted by an intimate partner. But to build effective alternatives, we must know what survivors already do in moments of acute danger when they do not call the police. This study sought to explore these moments from an ecological perspective. Using a qualitative descriptive methodology, we conducted 25 interviews with a diverse sample of intimate partner violence (IPV) survivors. Each described the first, the worst, and the most recent IPV incident, whom they reached out to and why, the outcomes of their help-seeking, and the individual, interpersonal, and psychosocial influences on the process. Even in the face of severe violence, what participants most wanted was someone who would listen without judgment. Direct interpersonal factors that influenced their help-seeking included their partner’s controlling behavior, as well as their network members’ capacities, perspectives on IPV, and feelings about the survivor. Broader influential factors included the radiating effects of IPV and other forms of trauma in survivors’ networks. Participants offered recommendations on how domestic violence (DV) programs could both strengthen survivors’ networks and provide them with targeted community support in moments of grave danger. As we continue to develop community-based alternatives to police intervention, DV programs have a critical opportunity to build on survivors’ own recommendations. This process must address the ongoing effects of trauma that hamper the ability of so many network members to support survivors in crisis.

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Section: Key Themes Across Clusterssupporting

confidence: 54%

Informal Help-Seeking in Moments of Acute Danger: Intimate Partner Violence Survivors’ Emergency Outreach Efforts and the Forces That Shape Them

Goodman

Epstein

Nnawulezi

et al. 2022

J Interpers Violence

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Importantly, the formal IPV-related service sector operates on a predominantly voluntary, survivor-driven model in which individual survivors have the choice to engage at the level and for the duration of services that works for them. As such, considering what factors influence survivors’ decisions related to services engagement is critical to create equity in services access and provision (Voth Schrag et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Facilitators of Formal Help-Seeking for Adult Survivors of IPV in the United States: A Systematic Review

Ravi

Robinson

Schrag

2021

Trauma, Violence, & Abuse

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A survivor’s decision to engage with formal services for experiences of intimate partner violence (IPV) is influenced by factors at the individual, interpersonal, and sociocultural levels. Understanding factors that facilitate survivors’ choice to seek services could be beneficial to formal service providers including community agencies, health professionals, and the criminal justice system, providing guidance toward the development and implementation of accessible services for survivors of IPV. This systematic review of the literature aims to identify key factors that facilitate survivors’ formal help-seeking. Ten electronic databases were searched for key terms related to help-seeking from formal services and facilitators of formal help-seeking. Articles were included in the review if the studies were conducted in the United States, focused on adults with experiences of IPV, and discussed facilitators of formal help-seeking. A total of 1,155 studies were initially identified, and after screening, 24 were included in the review. Seven factors were identified including provider knowledge, support, accessibility, desire to provide protection and to prevent future violence, and other factors such as knoweldge of and desire for services, policy factors, and personal factors. Findings demonstrate a need for more research on the facilitators of help-seeking among East Asian, South Asian, and Middle Eastern survivors living in the United States, as well as male-identified, trans, and gender nonconforming survivors. The review also indicates a need for culturally sensitive and accessible services that support survivors and the importance of raising awareness of the services and resources available for survivors.

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“…Only 7% of the general survivor population report a need for shelter services and only 21% ever obtain a PPO (Breiding et al, 2014). Little is known about the experiences of police intervention among survivors with varying experiences of abuse, relationship statuses, and formal help-seeking practices (Voth Schrag et al, 2021). Among survivors who never sought formal help from domestic violence services nor pursued a PPO, it remains unclear whether and how their safety needs get met if police intervention is their only source of formal intervention.…”

Section: Survivors’ History Of Formal Systems Engagementmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Isn’t There Any Other Way than Calling the Cops?”: How Differences in Initiation of Police Intervention Influence Survivor Safety

Nnawulezi

Engleton

Jumarali

et al. 2021

J Interpers Violence

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As formal crisis responders, police are trained in de-escalation tactics that are expected to mitigate intimate partner violence and promote survivor safety. However, the alignment between expected and actual practice of police intervention varies, especially when the survivor does not initiate the call, police treat the survivor poorly, or provide an undesirable arrest outcome. At best, unsuccessful interventions do not change survivors’ risk level, and at worse, elevate their risk of experiencing harm. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore survivors’ perspectives on the process of police intervention, specifically how variations in initiation, quality of engagement, and arrest influence survivors’ safety. Twenty-four women whose partners were in a relationship violence intervention program were recruited to participate in the study. Results showed that many survivors described a range of ongoing, strategic violence perpetrated by their partners that required intervention; yet the complex nature of the violence often extended beyond police capacity. Either survivors called the police, or they were initiated externally by neighbors or strangers; some survivors had dual initiations. Whether survivors reported that police used safety practices during the intervention was related to who initiated the police. Arrests of abusive partners were inconsistent, and they varied based on number of previous calls to the police and visible signs of injury. Survivors of color, specifically Black women, self-initiated at higher rates, experienced fewer safety strategies used by police, and had fewer arrests. No matter the outcomes of police intervention, survivors actively engaged in strategies outside of formal systems to protect themselves and their families. Study results imply that police intervention may be ill-suited to support survivors’ safety goals and highlight a need for alternative interventions focused on de-escalation and prevention.

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Experiences With Help Seeking Among Non–Service-Engaged Survivors of IPV: Survivors’ Recommendations for Service Providers

Cited by 21 publications

References 42 publications

Informal Help-Seeking in Moments of Acute Danger: Intimate Partner Violence Survivors’ Emergency Outreach Efforts and the Forces That Shape Them

Informal Help-Seeking in Moments of Acute Danger: Intimate Partner Violence Survivors’ Emergency Outreach Efforts and the Forces That Shape Them

Facilitators of Formal Help-Seeking for Adult Survivors of IPV in the United States: A Systematic Review

“Isn’t There Any Other Way than Calling the Cops?”: How Differences in Initiation of Police Intervention Influence Survivor Safety

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