“Grieving someone who’s still alive, that’s hard”: the experiences of non-offending partners of individuals who have sexually offended – an IPA study

Masochist or Murderer? A Discourse Analytic Study Exploring Social Constructions of Sexually Violent Male Perpetrators, Female Victims-Survivors and the Rough Sex Defense on Twitter

“…Considerable theorizing and research now exists that attempts to explain such sexual violence and aggression ( Johnson and Beech, 2017 ; Blagden et al, 2018 ; Willmott et al, 2018 ; Chan, 2021 ; Vera-Gray et al, 2021 ), with notable Forensic Psychologists such as the late Dr. Ruth Mann, devoting entire careers in pursuit of effective interventions that reduce and prevent sexual recidivism (see Mann and Rollnick, 1996 ; Mann, 2004 , 2011 , 2016 ; Mann et al, 2019 ). The consequences of sexual offending on victim-survivors and families are also understood well ( Boduszek et al, 2019 ; Chowdhury et al, 2021 ; Debowska et al, 2021 ; Duncan et al, 2022 ; Sharratt et al, 2022 ). A plethora of studies have aided understanding surrounding public attitudes toward sexual violence generally ( Bows and Westmarland, 2017 ; Debowska et al, 2018 ; Hudspith et al, 2021 ; Smith et al, 2021 ), though to date, very little research has explored public attitudes toward more specific types of sexual violence, resulting in harm and fatality as a consequence of “rough sex.”…”

A Grounded Theory Model of Relationship Decision-Making in Non-Offending Partners of Individuals Accused of Sexual Offending

“…First, while some organizations offer services to families of those who have offended (e.g., The Lucy Faithfull Foundation, n. d.) there are currently no targeted support resources for nonoffending partners in England and Wales. Non-offending partners in our sample and in previous research (Duncan et al, 2022) reported facing various barriers (often financial) to accessing the limited support available and thus relying on self-organized peer support groups. This is concerning given the uniqueness and complexity of their situation demonstrated by our model and the psychological distress they experience as a result of their partner's offending or accusations against their partner (Duncan et al, 2020).…”

“…In many cases, isolation and stigma are exacerbated by intervening agencies, which non-offending partners perceive to be judgmental, insensitive, and ignorant (Duncan et al, 2020;Liddell & Taylor, 2015). For example, some support services appear to prioritize the "value" (Duff et al, 2017, p. 293) that non-offending partners hold in decreasing their partner's recidivism risk (e.g., Duff et al, 2017;Shannon et al, 2013;Wager et al, 2015; see Morton-Bourgon, 2005 andLarson et al, 2016 for research linking relationship breakdown and conflict to recidivism).…”

Improving child sexual exploitation material investigations: Recommendations based on a review of recent research findings

“…These interviews should be approached with extra care and can further traumatize individuals that will already be facing shame and stigma as a result of the offender's actions. As a result of shame and stigma, as well as other stressors including an increased likelihood of financial difficulties, uncertainty about the future, and difficulty processing the abuse, these individuals are at an increased need for proximal mental health assistance (Duncan et al 2022;Salter et al 2022). Both the previously noted StopItNow, as well as organizations like PartnerSPEAK (PartnerSPEAK, 2022), offer direct support to nonoffending partners, and investigators can provide contact info to and brochures from these and similar organizations specific to their country to facilitate help-seeking and address immediate concerns for these secondary victims.…”