Researching Domestic Violence Against Women: Methodological and Ethical Considerations

Abstract

The results of three population-based studies on violence against women in Nicaragua are compared in this article. Two of the studies were regional in scope (León and Managua) and focused specifically on women's experiences of violence, whereas the third study was a Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) conducted with a nationally representative sample of women. The lifetime prevalence estimates for women's undergoing physical violence from a partner were significantly higher in the León study (52 percent) and Managua study (69 percent), compared with that given in the DHS (28 percent). Possible explanations for the differences are examined through pooled multivariate logistic regression analysis, as well as analysis of six focus-group discussions carried out with field-workers and staff from the three studies. The most important differences that were found concerned ethical and safety procedures and the interview setting. The results indicate that prevalence estimates for violence are highly sensitive to methodological factors, and that underreporting is a significant threat to validity.

Social support factors associated with psychological resilience among women survivors of intimate partner violence in Gauteng, South Africa

“…All research was conducted conforming to safety guidelines for conducting research on domestic violence [34,35]. Researchers allocated anonymous study identification numbers to participants, conducted interviews in privacy and assured them of confidentiality including that no data would be linked back to them.…”

‘Even though a man takes the major role, he has no right to abuse’: future male leaders’ views on gender-based violence in Sri Lanka

“…Prevalence and cross-sectional studies on partner violence have been carried out [5,10,11,13]. However, because prevalence estimates of GBV are highly sensitive to methodological factors, underreporting is a threat to their validity [14]. A qualitative study will provide a complementary picture of the situation in a specific context.…”

Screening for Domestic Violence in Public Welfare Offices

“…Given women's legitimate safety concerns, trust in the professional who is soliciting the disclosure becomes a crucial issue for many women (Ellsberg et al, 2001;Lindhorst & Padgett, 2005;Postmus, 2003). When professionals appear uninterested or uncaring, abused women perceive them as untrustworthy and are unlikely to disclose their situation to them (Ambuel, Hamberger, & Lahti, 1997;Gerbert et al, 1996).…”

“…In other cases, women are engaged in a cognitive process to interpret their partner's behavior as abusive (Lindhorst, Nurius, & Macy, 2005), and at points in this process, they may deny or minimize their own experience (Gondolf, 1998;Smith, 1994). Finally, women have to cope with distressing feelings generated by the abuse (Ellsberg et al, 2001;McCloskey & Grigsby, 2005;Smith, 1994), including embarrassment and shame (McNutt, Carlson, Gagen, & Winterbauer, 1999) that make evoking the topic painful. Evaluating whether to disclose abuse has been likened to a "dance" (Gerbert et al, 1996) in which women actively negotiate the risks and benefits of revealing this information to others.…”

“…The purpose of screening for abuse is to accurately and efficiently identify abused women with the ultimate goal being safety and injury prevention for survivors (Leconte, Bland, Zaichkin, & Hofheimer, 2004). Research in health, mental health, and other settings indicates that survivors usually do not voluntarily disclose information about abuse to service providers (Ellsberg, Heise, Pena, Agurto, & Winkvist, 2001;Hamberger & Phelan, 2004), so identifying abused women requires that frontline workers learn strategies for asking about this experience. Frontline workers in welfare offices play a pivotal role in the detection and response to domestic violence, and their screening procedures are a critical factor in identifying survivors and connecting women to appropriate services.…”