“I Wouldn’t Be Here Without Them”: Resilience in Youth Exposed to Intimate Partner Violence

Abstract

The aim of this qualitative study was to investigate and describe the coping strategies that young persons exposed to intimate partner violence (IPV) use to effectively cope with the traumatic experience of growing up in an IPV-affected family. We conducted a qualitative investigation in which we drew on concepts of the constructivist grounded theory method to develop a resilience model that reflects our understanding of the subjective and contextual experiences of the young persons included in our study. Data were collected from 13 young persons aged 9-17 years who were recruited through purposive (non-random) sampling from community agencies located in the city of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Data collection methods included face-to-face open-ended interviews, drawing of ecomaps, and photovoice. Study participants described a variety of coping strategies that they had used and/or were still using to cope with adversity in their lives, including IPV exposure, which became main themes in our analyses and involve lower level categories. We organized our findings into a resilience model that categorizes the coping strategies described by our study participants in individual-level, family-level, and community-level strategies. From the accounts of the young persons we interviewed emerged a model of resilience in which the constant interaction between their ability and motivation to access useful resources both within their home and in the external environments, coupled with the presence of these resources in these environments was what ultimately promoted their healthy development and well-being following IPV exposure. We provided recommendations for practice and policy based on our findings.

Prosocial behaviour between siblings exposed to intimate partner violence

“…The importance of this role for initiating and maintaining prosocial behaviour offers an appealing opportunity; current interventions designed to promote the well‐being of children exposed to IPV currently do not take sibling relationships into account, but could be adapted to take better advantage of the potentially significant influence of older siblings (Latzman et al., 2019). Consistent with our results, recent work has found that young people report their supportive sibling relationships as a key component of their resilience in IPV‐affected families (Cameranesi et al., 2021).…”

Exposure to Intimate-Partner Violence and Resilience Trajectories of Adolescents: A Two-Wave Longitudinal Latent Transition Analysis

“…Results indicate that perceived self-efficacy and support from others tend to be related to psychological adjustment [65]. In terms of individual characteristics, analyses of IPV exposure and resilience outcomes have yielded evidence that maternal education level predicted resilience profiles, although gender and ethnicity did not always show significant results [66]. Kassis et al [10] found that only female gender predicted one's assignment to the resilient group versus the non-resilient group in two waves, and migration background (In Switzerland, due to migration policy and the cultural context [67], people with a migration background are either foreign nationals or naturalized citizens according to the Federal Statistical Office [68].…”

“…If we look at the existing empirical research on resilience patterns, we find that similar patterns are found again and again. Cameranesi [55], who specifically examined IPV exposure from a psychopathology perspective, found four adjustment profiles: resilient, multiple severe problems, multiple mild problems, and externalizing problems. Kassis et al [10] also found four resilience and well-being patterns despite physical parental violence experiences, which they based on the dual-factor model of mental health, which include the resilient, troubled, vulnerable, and non-resilient.…”

“…(3) Do pattern affiliations differ by protective factors and sociodemographic characteristics? We expect the trajectory affiliations to differ for gender [10] and socioeconomic background [66], as well as self-efficacy, self-esteem, and social competence [45].…”

‘She couldn’t leave them… the perpetrator had threatened to burn them alive’: Domestic abuse helpline calls relating to companion animals during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Although companion animals are often used as tools for abuse, they can also play an important role in one's experience of abuse, offering victims a sense of emotional support Animals, Abuse and COVID-19 Lockdown 6 and comfort and a 'safe-haven' (Flynn, 2000a(Flynn, , 2000b. Animals can have therapeutic potential, being important coping mechanisms during times of adversity, especially for vulnerable populations, increasing resilience, and buffering against the development of psychopathology (Cameranesi et al, 2021;Hawkins et al, 2019;.…”