Intimate Partner Violence: Definition, Assessment and Psychological Interventions

This PhD Thesis centers on intimate partner violence (IPV), a prevalent form of violence directed towards women, encompassing physical, sexual, and psychological abuse, as well as controlling behaviours exerted by an intimate partner. It also delves into the experience of stigma that women who have faced violence may encounter in their daily lives. Part I of the thesis aims to thoroughly explore the complexities surrounding the definition of IPV and presents three distinct assessment studies conducted for the purpose of this doctoral research. The results of these studies indicate that women with a history of violence exhibit significantly lower levels of well-being and posttraumatic symptoms. Additionally, the studies highlight the pivotal role of constructs such as emotion regulation, self-esteem, guilt, and alexithymia in women with an experience of IPV's well-being. Building on the findings from Part I, the subsequent phase focuses on developing and evaluating the effectiveness of two tailored psychological interventions for women who have experienced IPV: an Expressive Writing intervention and the Women’s EmotionS, Trauma and EmpowErMent (W-ES.T.EEM) Intervention. Both interventions have demonstrated effectiveness in enhancing the psychological well-being of these women, emphasising the importance of incorporating them into support programs designed for this population. The other focus of the present PhD thesis was on stigma towards women with an IPV experience. The initial step of the research on this topic involved conducting two systematic reviews of existing literature. The results indicated that the existing definition of stigma developed for mental health issues also applies to this population, encompassing stereotypes leading to prejudice and discrimination against the stigmatised group. Both public and self-stigma were found to be present and have significant implications for this population. Expanding on the results of the systematic reviews, two studies specifically focused on public stigma were conducted (presented in Part IV). The first study aimed to examine how the general population perceived episodes of IPV, employing a vignette methodology. The results showed that respondents tended to attribute more blame to the woman who experienced violence in two manipulated vignettes - ‘Reaction’ and ‘Cheating’ – compared to a control one. Moreover, participants were more inclined to view violence with greater seriousness in a vignette where the perpetrator was under the effects of alcohol. They attributed greater responsibility to the perpetrator while assigning less blame to the woman. The second study on public stigma aimed to investigate the predictive role of empathy in stigma towards women with an experience of violence. The results confirmed the hypotheses: empathy appeared to play a predictive role in the victim-blaming process. These results underscore the importance of conducting anti-stigma campaigns focusing on empathy to foster a more compassionate and responsible society. In conclusion, this Ph.D. thesis aims to enhance our understanding of IPV and propose intervention strategies for this complex and widespread issue in our society.