Intimate Partner Violence against Women

Dear Colleagues,

Violence against women (VAW) is a public health problem that violates the human rights of women, girls, and adolescents, regardless of their origin, social class, religion, level of education, etc. Eradicating VAW remains a global challenge. This challenge has been placed on the public agenda of most countries and has become one of the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (Agenda 2030). The most common form of VAW is violence perpetrated by intimate partners, known as intimate partner violence against women (IPVAW). This Special Issue focuses on this type of violence, which affects one in three women worldwide, according to the WHO. What can you contribute from your scientific field to the study and prevention of IPVAW? This Special Issue collects theoretical and/or empirical papers on the following topics: state of the art of IPVAW, IPVAW acceptance beliefs, intimate partner abuse, vicarious violence, intimate partner sexual violence, and cyberviolence.

Prof. Dr. Enrique Bonilla Algovia
Dr. Concepción Carrasco Carpio
Guest Editors

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• violence against women
• intimate partner violence against women
• acceptance beliefs
• intimate partner sexual violence
• cyberviolence

Title: Beliefs about gender-based violence: analysis of socialisation variables
Authors: Pana, Andreea Gabriela; Rivas-Rivero, Esther.
Affiliation: Universidad de Alcalá, Alcala de Henares, Spain
Abstract: Gender violence continues to be one of the most insidious forms of inequality in society, perpetuated by deeply rooted beliefs. The aim of this study was to analyze the beliefs about gender violence among trainee teachers in the Community of Madrid and Castilla-La Mancha. Using a quantitative approach and a cross-sectional design, the Gender-Based Violence Beliefs Scale (GBVBS) was used. A total of 404 trainee teachers (83.42% women and 16.09% men) of bachelor's and master’s degrees in education participated. Non-random purposive sampling was used. The results showed that feminist positioning, political orientation, perception of social machismo and level of religiosity emerged as significant predictor variables for the factor Myths about gender violence and female victims, while age, feminist positioning and perception of social machismo were predictor variables for the factor Myths about male aggressors. These results emphasize the importance of integrating educational strategies and social measures that address these myths to make progress in the fight against gender-based violence.

Title: Sexist cyberbehaviors 2.0 in adolescents: experiences in cyberaggressions and cybervictimizations
Authors: Virginia Ferreiro Basurto; Esperanza Bosch Fiol; Maria Antonia Manassero Mas; Victoria A. Ferrer-Pérez
Affiliation: University of the Balearic Island
Abstract: Understanding the scope of sexist cyberbehaviour in adolescents and the differences between girls, and boys, is a fundamental starting point for its prevention. This study analyzes the experiences of cyberaggression and cybervictimisation perpetrated and suffered by 762 adolescents (399 girls and 363 boys) aged 14 and 15 in the Balearic Islands, through a diagnostic study using an electronic survey, administering the Gender Violence 2.0 questionnaire (Vilà Baños, et al., 2015). A crosstab analysis (p

Title: Treating an Adolescent Victim of Vicarious Violence and Child Abuse through Brief Psychotherapy: A Case Study
Authors: Eva Izquierdo-Sotorrío, Georgina Rosell-Bellot, María Rueda-Extremera, Ana Huertes, and María Elena Brenlla-Victoria
Affiliation: Universidad a Distancia de Madrid
Abstract: Traumatic life events, such as vicarious gender-based violence or abuse, can result in a broad range of symptoms in children and adolescents. This paper aims to explore the impact of such experiences and their subsequent psychopathological effects through a clinical case study. The patient, a 14-year-old, has been a victim of vicarious gender-based violence, child abuse, early separation from his mother without other secure attachment figures, and an unexpected migration. He presents with symptoms indicative of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex trauma. The intervention, delivered at a public child and adolescent mental health center, involved brief focal psychotherapy (BFP) with a psychodynamic orientation. The therapy focused on creating a secure base to support emotional exploration and the processing of traumatic events, aiming to alleviate the patient’s symptoms. Following the BFP intervention, the patient showed significant improvements in both school and family environments. This case study may inspire further research to validate the effectiveness of psychodynamic therapy and refine treatment approaches for children and adolescents facing complex traumatic situations.

Title: Psychopathological repercussions and cognitive emotional regulation strategies in women who have suffered sexual intimate partner violence
Authors: Virginia Mora; Pedro J. Amor.
Affiliation: Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED)
Abstract: In this study, different psychological and psychopathological variables were studied in a sample of 306 women who had suffered intimate partner violence (IPV) and were undergoing psychological treatment. The purpose of this study was to compare the differences in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depressive symptomatology between sexual violence and other forms of IPV and to analyze their relationship with the use of different cognitive emotional regulation (CER) strategies.

Title: Predictors of Severity Perception and Responsibility Attribution in Intimate Partner Violence
Authors: Patricia Medinilla-Tena, Marta Badenes-Sastre, & Francisca Expósito
Affiliation: Mind, Brain, and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), **Department of Social Psychology, University of Granada, Spain
Abstract: Victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) may normalize the abuse, failing to perceive its severity and assuming responsibility for violent behaviors, which can lead them to stay in the relationship. This study examines if ideological, relational, and sociodemographic variables predict women's perception of severity and attribution of responsibility. We explored possible differences in both variables by the type of IPV (physical, sexual, psychological and control). An initial sample included 257 women (191 victims and 66 non-victims; M = 28.57, SD = 9.81). Preliminary significant differences in perceived severity were found according to the type of IPV (F (3, 254) = 13.92, p < .001, η²p = 0.14), being physical perceived as the most severe violence. Similarly, the responsibility attributed was greater in control than other violence (F (3, 254) = 12.81, p < .001, η²p = 0.13. Otherwise, higher perception of severity was predicted by greater feminist identification (sexual and control), commitment to the relationship (physical, sexual and control), as well as lower favorable attitudes toward IPV (psychological, sexual and control), younger ages (physical), older ages (sexual). Regarding responsibility attributed, it was predicted by higher favorable attitudes toward IPV and dependency (control), as well as lower commitment to the relationship and younger ages (psychological). Finally, being IPV victim predicted greater attribution of responsibility in psychological and sexual violence. These findings underscore how ideological, relational, and some sociodemographic variables predicted severity perceived and responsibility attributed in IPV, providing crucial insight into the decision-making process in an abusive relationship.

Title: Effects of effective penitentiary intervention to batterers in psychological adjustment
Authors: Dolores Seijo1; Álvaro Montes1; Blanca Cea1; Ramón Arce1
Affiliation: Departamento de Ciencia Política y Sociología, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Spain Unidad de Psicología Forense, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
Abstract: Penitentiary intervention with sentenced battered is a critical issue to mitigate intimate partner violence as the probability of recidivism of non-intervened batterers is very high. The aim of the effective intervention is to empower the batterer in the observed needs (specific objectives) to mitigate the probability of recidivism (general objective). Non-criminogenic needs, as the psychological adjustment, are not the target of the intervention. Nevertheless, a non-psychological adjustment is strongly related with recidivism. Thus, a field study with intervened batterers was designed to measure the effects on psychological adjustment. A total of 141 batterers sentenced to a community intervention program were assessed in psychological adjustment pre- and post-intervention. The results exhibited a significant improvement in psychological adjustment due to intervention accounting for 26.0% of the variance of the psychological adjustment. A positive (improvement in adjustment) and significant effect of the intervention was observed in nonspecific somatic symptoms, general subjective distress and negative affect, problematic interpersonal relations and alienation, interpersonal sensitivity and suspiciousness, inability to resist specific actions or thoughts regardless of their maladaptive nature, and social alienation. The implications of the results for the treatment efficacy evaluation are discussed.

Title: ACCEPTANCE OF MYTHS ABOUT INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AMONG SPANISH COLLEGE STUDENTS
Authors: Angeles Rebollo-Catalan¹; Rafael García-Pérez¹; Mercedes Cubero-Pérez²; Miguel Jesús Bascón²; Manuel Luís de la Mata²
Affiliation: ¹Department of Research Methods and Assessment in Education, Faculty of Education Sciences, University of Seville 41013 Sevilla, Spain. ²Department of Experimental Psychology. Faculty of Psychology, University of Seville.
Abstract: The acceptance of myths about IPVAW by university students can condition their future professional activity. We conducted a survey with 1.520 first-year college students (55.8% women; mean age 18.89 years) and found that a third of the students did not reject the IPVAW myths and a third of them normalized violence. We also found a higher level of acceptance of violence minimization myths in men than in women, especially in Social Sciences and Engineering. The study reveals the need to educate future professionals about IPVAW myths, with an emphasis on minimization and normalization of violence. It also provides useful information for designing awareness programs.

Title: Profiles of victims of partner violence in students of education degrees from Andalusian universities
Authors: Andrés Soriano Díaz; Nazaret Martínez-Heredia; Claudia Chiarolanza; Gracia González-Gijón
Affiliation: Pedagogy Department of Universidad of Granada (Spain)
Abstract: There are several variables associated with the profile of young people who are victims of intimate partner violence that could affect their perception of it. The main goal of this study is to identify, in a sample of university students from the Bachelor's Degree in Education at the universities of Andalusia (Spain), the profiles of those who have been victims of intimate partner violence. We distributed a survey with a cross-sectional descriptive design, and the intention is to group the set of individuals that make up the sample using multivariate statistical methods (clusters). The sample was selected by probability sampling by clusters and was composed of 4898 university students (78.2% female and 21.5% male), whose mean age was 20.88 years (SD= .051). Results reveal the existence of two possible groupings in terms of the profile of the victims of violence. We identified a first cluster, composed of young people under 21 years of age, with lower mean values for the types of violence studied, and a second cluster, made up of young people between 21 and 24 years of age, with higher mean values for the perception of violence suffered. In both groups, there are differences in gender, age, grade, relationship and self-perception of violence suffered in the current or past relationship.

Title: Sexist cyberbehaviors 2.0 in adolescents: experiences in cyberaggressions and cybervictimizations.
Author: Ferreiro Basurto
Highlights: In general, boys and girls do not commit or suffer sexist cyberaggressions. However, boys claim to be more cyberaggressors than girls, especially in relation to sexist cyberbehaviors associated with sexual violence, impositions of beauty standards, and anti-patriarchal manifestations. While, girls claim to be more cybervictims than boys, primarily experiencing cyberbehaviors related to partner cybercontrol and beauty standards.

Title: Microeconomic and macroeconomic losses due to intimate partner violence against women
Authors: Elena Mañas-Alcón1*; María-Teresa Gallo-Rivera1; Luis-Felipe Rivera-Galicia1; , Ángeles Cámara2; Óscar Montes-Pineda1
Affiliation: 1. University of Alcalá 2. University of Rey Juan Carlos
Abstract: This article thoroughly examines the monetary costs associated with Intimate Partner Violence Against Women (IPVAW) in Spain for 2022, highlighting the distribution of these costs among different stakeholders and pathways. Accounting model and input-output methodology are applied to estimate this kind of violence's direct, indirect, and induced costs. The direct costs range from 1.38 billion euros, the most conservative estimate, to 3.01 billion euros, the highest estimate. The value of direct and indirect macroeconomic losses amounts to 3.46 billion euros in associated production, induced losses amount to 3.11 billion euros, and total losses amount to 6.58 billion euros.

Title: THE SEXUAL OBJECTIFICATION THAT ADOLESCENT GIRLS RECEIVE FROM THEIR PARTNERS: ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH SEXISM, SEXTING AND CYBERDATING
Authors: Rosana Martínez-Román; Yolanda Rodríguez-Castro; María Lameiras-Fernández
Affiliation: Faculty of Education and Social Work, University of Vigo, Ourense, Spain
Abstract: The aim of this study was to assess how girls feel when they are sexually objectified by their partners through comments about their physical appearance and their sexualized body. The relationship of sexual objectification by the partner with the level of ambivalent sexism, sexting, sextortion and cyberviolence towards the partner has also been evaluated. A total of 749 Spanish adolescent girls participated in this study, with a mean age of 16.01 years (SD = 1.02), recruited with the Computer-Assisted Web Interviewing (CAWI) system. The main results obtained show that girls frequently receive sexually objectifying comments from their partners, identifying their level of objectification and enjoyment of sexualization. Sexual objectification by partners is related to sexism, sexting behaviors, and cyberviolence behaviors towards partners. Finally, the results are discussed.

Title: The effectiveness of implementing a brief intimate partner violence prevention mhealth App among key affected populations of women in Kazakhstan: A community-based clinical trial of UMAI WINGS
Authors: Louisa Gilbert; Assel Terlikbayeva
Affiliation: Columbia University, New York, United States
Abstract: Background: Key affected populations (KAPs) of women, including those who use drugs, engage in sex work, live with HIV, or identify as transgender, have significantly higher rates of intimate partner violence (IPV) and gender-based violence (GBV) than women from the general population in Kazakhstan. And globally. Compared to women from the general population, women from KAPs are also much less likely to access core IPV and GBV support services due to provider discrimination, stigma and other systemic barriers. Methods:This study evaluates the effectiveness of a community-based clinical trial of the UMAI WINGS IPV screening brief intervention and referral to treatment/services (SBIRT) program that included safety planning among 458 women from KAPs in Almaty City and Almaty Oblast Kazakhstan. We employed a multisectoral, community coalition model of key stakeholders to adapt WINGS into a mobile Ap, build a network of IPV and GBV services (e.g. emergency shelter, mental health services, legal services, employment services, etc.,), and address community level barriers for accessing services, such as provider stigma and exclusionary policies toward women from KAPs. Primary outcomes included any physical or sexual IPV in the past 6 months assessed with the short 8-item version revised Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS2) and psychological IPV. We used logistic regression models with random effects to evaluate the effects of the intervention arms on IPV victimization at the 6-month follow-up, adjusting for baseline IPV outcome, sociodemographics, sex worker status, and HIV status . Results: This study found extremely high rates of physical IPV in the past 6 months (58.3%, n=267), sexual IPV (62.9%, n=288), and psychological IPV (64.6%, n=296) among this sample of women from KAPs in Kazakhstan. Compared to women in the waitlist control community (Almaty Oblast), women assigned to the intervention community (Almaty city) were less likely to report experiencing physical IPV (aRR= 0.571, CI=0.480-0.679); sexual IPV (aRR=0.724, CI=0.622, 0.844) and psychological IPV (aRR=0.779, CI=0.696, 0.872). No moderation effects were found by KAP subgroups. Findings: The study findings suggest that a community-driven multi-level approach to adapting and implementing this IPV SBIRT mhealth Ap intervention holds promise for reducing the extremely high rates of IPV among women from different KAPs in Kazakhstan. This study contributes to the evidence base for scalable, contextually adaptable interventions that integrate harm reduction and trauma-informed approaches to IPV prevention for KAPs of women.