Abstract:Russian social services and the social work profession have experienced dramatic growth since the 1990s due to numerous political, societal, and economic changes. This article discusses gender violence and discrimination against women, perhaps the most pressing problem confronting Russia today. The authors conduct a literature review and describe a collaborative engagement between a social work graduate education program in Russia (Vologda) and the United States (Texas) that involved curriculum development, cl… Show more
“…Although more research is needed, it is possible that this latter finding might conflict with what is happening in the fSU countries. In particular, in the post-Soviet period, the increasing emergence of patriarchy has been observed in countries such as Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan (Werner, 2009), while in Russia, a process of 'neomasculinism' has been reported (Johnson & Saarinen, 2013), which has been linked to women experiencing discrimination both in terms of their employment and in the workplace (Hawkins & Knox, 2014;Knapp et al, 2017).…”
Background: Perceived discrimination has been linked to worse mental health. However, little is known about this association in the countries of the former Soviet Union (fSU). Aim: To address this deficit, this study examined the link between perceived discrimination and psychological distress in nine fSU countries. Methods: Data were analyzed from 18,000 adults aged ⩾18 years obtained during the Health in Times of Transition (HITT) survey undertaken in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia and Ukraine in 2010 and 2011. A single-item measure was used to assess discrimination. Psychological distress was measured with a 12-item scale. Logistic regression analysis and meta-analysis were used to examine associations. Results: After adjusting for all potential confounders, when using none/little discrimination as the reference category, moderate and strong discrimination were associated with significantly increased odds for psychological distress in the total population and in men and women separately with odds ratios ranging from 1.93 to 2.64. Meta-analysis based on country-wise estimates showed that the level of between-country heterogeneity was negligible. Conclusion: Perceived discrimination is associated with psychological distress in countries throughout the fSU. Quantitative and qualitative research is now warranted to determine its specific forms and impact on population health in individual fSU countries.
“…Although more research is needed, it is possible that this latter finding might conflict with what is happening in the fSU countries. In particular, in the post-Soviet period, the increasing emergence of patriarchy has been observed in countries such as Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan (Werner, 2009), while in Russia, a process of 'neomasculinism' has been reported (Johnson & Saarinen, 2013), which has been linked to women experiencing discrimination both in terms of their employment and in the workplace (Hawkins & Knox, 2014;Knapp et al, 2017).…”
Background: Perceived discrimination has been linked to worse mental health. However, little is known about this association in the countries of the former Soviet Union (fSU). Aim: To address this deficit, this study examined the link between perceived discrimination and psychological distress in nine fSU countries. Methods: Data were analyzed from 18,000 adults aged ⩾18 years obtained during the Health in Times of Transition (HITT) survey undertaken in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia and Ukraine in 2010 and 2011. A single-item measure was used to assess discrimination. Psychological distress was measured with a 12-item scale. Logistic regression analysis and meta-analysis were used to examine associations. Results: After adjusting for all potential confounders, when using none/little discrimination as the reference category, moderate and strong discrimination were associated with significantly increased odds for psychological distress in the total population and in men and women separately with odds ratios ranging from 1.93 to 2.64. Meta-analysis based on country-wise estimates showed that the level of between-country heterogeneity was negligible. Conclusion: Perceived discrimination is associated with psychological distress in countries throughout the fSU. Quantitative and qualitative research is now warranted to determine its specific forms and impact on population health in individual fSU countries.
“…In Russia, Ukraine and the Baltic states, gender violence is now viewed as a societal problem rather than being simply a 'family matter' since the mid-1990s (e.g. Hawkins & Knox, 2014); and in Kazakhstan, new services have been developed for the survivors of domestic violence as well as ex-prisoners, children and adolescents in trouble. In many places, there is a beginning acknowledgment of the need for inclusive policies in services (Antonova, 2014) and the notion of 'empowerment' is entering professional practice, sometimes influenced by international partners, for example, in Russia (Borodkina, 2015).…”
Section: Concluding Discussion: Differential Rates Of Professionalizamentioning
“…Laws proposed to be discussed in Russia are heavily criticized, mainly due to the perception that government involvement would break apart the traditional family [82,83]. Such lack of state legislation keeps violence against women as one of the most critical and urgent yet unsolved issues in Russia today [84], putting Russian women selling sex at an increased risk of violence from their partners and clients. In comparison to Africa, Asia, Europe, and Oceania, Russia is leading in its partner violence numbers above all three, 17% over Africa with a total of 53% [80].…”
Section: Future Directionsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Unfortunately, grant and research funding has been limited due to an ever-growing contentious political climate between Russia and the US [84]. With both countries being in especially tense opposition today, it is important that a-political approach to research and outreach continues to be collaborated on honestly and openly, communicating an effort to simply serve Russia's victims without any ideological predispositions.…”
Globally, over a third of women have experienced physical or sexual violence in their lifetime. In Russia, human trafficking, sexual exploitation, and physical abuse of women are amongst the world’s highest. Applying cognitive dissonance theory and sexual script theory, this study explores whether women (n = 654) trading sex in Russia appraise their experiences of entering the commercial sex trade as voluntary or forced. Contributing client factors were also analyzed, including beatings (66%), rape (66%), and humiliation (86%) by clients. Multiple logistic regression assessed whether women who reported voluntarily entering the commercial sex trade were more likely to experience physical abuse but less likely to experience rape (AOR:1.37); were more likely to perceive men using them as decent/caring (AOR = 2.54); were more likely to sell sadistic/masochistic services (AOR: 2.31); and less likely to stop selling sex (AOR: 5.84). Implications of this study reveal the importance of intervention strategies that account for a woman’s unawareness of her own exploitation and mistreatment as well as the psychological barriers that prevent her from seeking help. The necessity of recognizing women selling sex as sufferers of coercion and abuse is also emphasized.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.