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The experiences of low-income female survivors of domestic violence
Full text linkThesis (PhD (Social Work))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010.ENGLISH ABSTRACT:
Domestic violence crosses all boundaries and is regarded as a universal challenge affecting
women of all spheres of life. Domestic violence is seen as a serious social problem in South
Africa. It is regarded by many researchers as a leading cause of female injury. Domestic
violence can be described as an act by a member of a family against another member with
intent to do physical injury, psychological or emotional harm, or an assault or a threat that
reasonably places that member in fear of imminent physical injury or emotional harm. It has
major consequences, not only for the abused woman, but also for her children and society at
large. Many low-income women cannot escape their abusive circumstances due to a lack of
resources. Despite the fact that they cannot leave their situation, many women display certain
strengths, helping them to deal with their difficult situation. These women can be viewed as
heroic, assertive and persistent. They are not victims, but active survivors. The social work
profession could benefit from greater insight into the strengths and coping mechanisms of
low-income female survivors of domestic violence.
The goal of the study is to gain an understanding of low-income female survivors’ experience
of domestic violence, focusing on their environmental resources (including family, friends and
community) and on their coping mechanisms (inner resources/strengths). To achieve this goal,
the objectives are: to present a theoretical overview of the nature and extent of domestic
violence; to describe the environmental resources (such as family, friends and community) of
low-income abused women from the ecological perspective; to explore the coping
mechanisms (inner resources) of these women in terms of the principles of the strengths
perspective; and to analyse and interpret the data obtained from the study. The research
utilises an exploratory and descriptive design. The research question is, “What are the
experience (environmental resources) and coping mechanisms (inner resources) of lowincome
female survivors of domestic violence?”
This question was addressed by means of qualitative research. Twenty participants took part in
the study. Purposive and snowball sampling were used to select the participants. They were
interviewed by the researcher, and the data obtained from the interviews were organised into
themes. Five themes namely, the experience of domestic violence, low-income, resources, coping mechanisms and statutory intervention were identified. These themes were further
divided into sub-themes and categories.
Conclusions derived from the data included: domestic violence is a phenomenon that cuts
across all racial, marital status or age boundaries; some low-income female survivors of
domestic violence experience their situation as stressful; low-income is one of the determining
factors preventing some abused women to leave their situation; resources play a significant
part in the lives of some low-income abused women; certain strengths from some low-income
battered women help them cope; and some abused low-income women do not find an Interim
Protection Order (IPO) or the police to be helpful.
The recommendations are that social workers should assess primary, secondary and tertiary
intervention in dealing with domestic violence; the ecological and strengths perspectives
combined would be helpful in assessing resources and coping mechanisms in low-income
abused women and collaboration between social workers, the court and the police could help
low-income abused women to use statutory services effectively.AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING:
Gesinsgeweld ken geen grense nie en word beskou as ’n universele bedreiging vir vroue uit
alle sektore van die samelewing. Gesinsgeweld word beskou as ’n ernstige maatskaplike
probleem in Suid-Afrika. Dit word deur baie navorsers beskou as ’n hoofoorsaak van
vrouebeserings. Gesinsgeweld kan beskou word as ’n daad deur een lid van die gesin teen ’n
ander wat gemik is op fisieke skade, sielkundige of emosionele teistering, of ’n aanval of ’n
dreigement wat die lid van die gesin laat vrees vir fisieke beserings of emosionele skade. Dit
het grootskaalse gevolge, nie net vir die mishandelde vrou nie, maar ook vir haar kinders en
vir die breër gemeenskap. Baie lae-inkomste vroue kan nie uit hulle gewelddadige situasie
ontsnap nie, vanweë beperkte bronne. Nieteenstaande die feit dat baie vroue nie hul huidige
omstandighede kan ontkom nie, toon hulle sekere sterktes wat hulle help in hulle moeilike
omstandighede. Hierdie vroue kan beskou word as heldinne wat nie tou opgooi nie. Hulle is
nie slagoffers nie, maar oorleef aktief [Engels: “active survivors”]. Die maatskaplikewerkprofessie
kan baat by groter insig in die sterktes en hanteringsvaardighede van lae-inkomste
vroue wat gesinsgeweld oorleef.
Die doel van die studie is om groter insig te verkry in lae-inkomste vroue se ervaring van
gesinsgeweld, veral hulle omgewingsfaktore (insluitende familie, vriende en gemeenskap) en
van hulle hanteringsmeganismes (innerlike bronne/sterktes). Om hierdie doel te bereik, is die
doelwitte: om ’n teoretiese aanbieding van die aard en omvang van gesinsgeweld te gee; om
die omgewingsbronne (soos familie, vriende en gemeenskap) van lae-inkomste mishandelde
vroue te verduidelik; om die hanteringsmeganismes (innerlike bronne) van hierdie vroue te
eksploreer in terme van die beginsels van die sterkte perspektief; en om die data van die studie
te analiseer en te interpreteer. Die navorsingsontwerp is eksploratief-beskrywend van aard.
Die navorsingsvraag lui soos volg: “Wat is die ervaring (omgewingsfaktore) en
hanteringsmeganismes (innerlike bronne) van lae-inkomste vroue wat gesinsgeweld te bowe
kom?”
Die vraag is aangespreek deur middel van kwalitatiewe navorsing. Twintig deelnemers het
deelgeneem aan die studie. Doelgerigte- en sneeubal steekproeftegnieke is gebruik om die
deelnemers te verkry. Die navorser het met hulle onderhoude gevoer en die data wat verkry is, is georganiseer in temas. Vyf temas, naamlik die ervaring van gesinsgeweld; lae inkomste;
bronne; hanteringsmeganismes; en statutêre intervensie is geïdentifiseer. Die temas is in
subtemas en kategorieë onderverdeel.
Gevolgtrekkings wat gemaak is uit die data is: gesinsgeweld is ’n verskynsel wat alle ras-,
huwelikstatus- of ouderdomsgrense oorskry; sekere lae-inkomste vroulike oorwinnaars van
gesinsgeweld ervaar hulle situasie as stresvol; hulpbronne speel ’n betekenisvolle rol in die
lewens van sommige lae-inkomste mishandelde vroue; sekere sterktes van lae-inkomste
mishandelde vroue help hulle om die situasie te hanteer; en sekere lae-inkomste, mishandelde
vroue vind nie ’n Interim Beskermingsbevel (IB) of die polisie as hulpvaardig nie.
Die aanbevelings is dat maatskaplike werkers primêre, sekondêre en tersiêre intervensie
behoort te assesseer by gesinsgeweld; die ekologiese en sterktes perspektiewe behoort saam
aangewend te word om die omgewingsbronne en hanteringsmeganismes van lae-inkomste
mishandelde vroue te ondersoek; en samewerking tussen maatskaplike werkers, die hof en
polisie kan lae-inkomste mishandelde vroue help om statutêre dienste beter te benut.Doctora
Ek het uiteindelik op straat beland; dis ʼn harde lewe : Uitdagings van kwesbare vroue wat alkohol of dwelms misbruik
Full text linkCITATION: Slabbert, I. 2019. Ek het uiteindelik op straat beland; dis ʼn harde lewe : Uitdagings van kwesbare vroue wat alkohol of dwelms misbruik. Tydskrif vir Geesteswetenskappe, 59(4):671-684, doi:10.17159/2224-7912/2019/V59N4A16.The original publication is available at http://www.scielo.org.zaDaar is wêreldwyd ʼn toename in die misbruik van alkohol- en/of dwelms. Dit is veral kwesbare vroue wat alkohol of dwelms misbruik, wat gespesialiseerde behandeling benodig. Die doel van die studie was om die uitdagings wat hierdie groep vroue die hoof moet bied, te ondersoek. Die ekologiese perspektief is as teoretiese raamwerk gekies. ʼn Kwalitatiewe studie met ʼn eksplorerende en beskrywende aard is gedoen om dié doel van die studie te bereik. Vyftien deelnemers is gewerf as steekproef vir die studie deur ʼn nieregeringsorganisasie. Die onderhoude wat met hulle gevoer is, is getranskribeer en in vyf temas verdeel, naamlik traumatiese kinderjare, teenspoed in die volwasse lewe, uitdagings in die omgewing, gebruik van alkohol of dwelms om die lewe te hanteer, en hoop. Data-verifikasie is ook gedoen. Etiese klaring is vir die studie verkry. Die gevolgtrekking van die studie is dat kwesbare vroue wat alkohol of dwelms misbruik, verskeie uitdagings in die gesig staar en gespesialiseerde intervensie benodig. Daar word aanbeveel dat meer navorsing gedoen word oor hierdie kwessie.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: “Eventually I ended up on the street; it’s a hard life”: Challenges experienced by vulnerable women who abuse alcohol or drugs. There are a significant number of people who live under the breadline in South Africa. Especially women and children are vulnerable when they end up on the streets, owing to a number of reasons such as economic hardship and unemployment. Women are also often caregivers of their young children and to seek fulltime employment is not always feasible. Several of these vulnerable women resort to alcohol or drug abuse as a means to at least temporarily cope with their problems. It is usually social workers who render services to vulnerable groups and in this instance to vulnerable women. The aim of this study was to explore the challenges experienced by vulnerable women who abuse alcohol or drugs, in order to improve service rendering by social workers. There is an increase worldwide in the abuse of harmful substances. Although statistics indicate that more men than women succumb to substance abuse, affected women often do not seek help, owing to several factors such as the stigma attached thereto, and the lack of sufficient services to assist them. Research indicates that economic hardship could contribute to substance abuse. Little research has been done on the unique challenges facing vulnerable women who are prone to substance abuse. These women often end up on the street, heightening the risks of their falling prey to violence and sexual assault. The ecological perspective was chosen as a theoretical framework for this study as the different systems could shed light on the research question: “What are the challenges of vulnerable women who resort to substance abuse?” Stressful situations could contribute to a life of substance abuse. Especially women who leave their families for a life on the streets are suffering emotional stress. The three levels of the ecological perspective that were utilised were the micro, meso and macro levels. A qualitative approach of an exploratory nature was chosen to meet the goal of the study, namely to explore the challenges facing vulnerable women succumbing to alcohol and drugs as a last resort. An NGO was approached to collect a sample of 15 participants. Criteria for inclusion were that the participants had to be women; over 21 years old; had to have used alcohol and/or drugs during the course of the study or six months prior to the study; had to be sober during the interviews; and had to be clients of the NGO that delivered the sample. Data were collected by means of a semi-structured interview guide. The interviews were recorded with the permission of the participants and transcribed by the researcher. Ethical clearance was obtained for the study. The data were analysed and categorised into relevant themes. Data verification was also done by member checking and the use of an independent coder. The study was limited in that only a small sample was used and that it was done only in the Western Cape. Theme 1 concerned a traumatic childhood. All participants had lived through a traumatic childhood and still struggled in adulthood to work through different issues. Significantly, a number of the participants’ own family members were directly or indirectly responsible for the childhood trauma. Theme 2 pertained to difficulties in adulthood varying from subjecting to violence, being cheated on, having been victims of rape, serving jail terms, living on the streets, and attempting suicide. Closely related to theme 2, are challenges in the environment (theme 3). Notable stumbling blocks pertained to participants living with sickness, relationship challenges, gang violence, hunger and conflict with the police. The abuse of alcohol or drugs, as well as the misuse of pain killers as a coping mechanism was identified as theme 4. One of the participants also struggled with a dual diagnosis of bipolar disorder and substance use disorder. Hope was identified as the 5th theme. Despite the listed challenges, some participants still retained a flicker of hope and resilience, wishing to improve their lives and reclaim custody of their children. It can be concluded that vulnerable women who abuse alcohol or drugs face several challenges and that specialised intervention is needed to help them to come to terms with childhood trauma, adversities in adult life, challenges in the environment and, in addition to all of the above, with substance dependency. More research is recommended, specifically focused on vulnerable women who succumb to substance abuse.http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_abstract&pid=S0041-47512019000400016&lng=en&nrm=iso&tlng=afPublisher's versio
The role of substance abuse in domestic violence : a social work perspective
Full text linkCITATION: Slabbert, I. 2015. Die rol van alkohol- en dwelmmisbruik by vrouemishandeling : ʼn maatskaplikewerk-perspektief. Tydskrif vir Geesteswetenskappe, 55(4):665-680, doi:10.17159/2224-7912/2015/v55n4a11.The original publication is available at http://www.scielo.org.zaVrouemishandeling bied ʼn groot uitdaging vir maatskaplike werkers. In Suid-Afrika word na
berekening elke 6 ure ʼn vrou vermoor deur haar lewensmaat, die hoogste voorkomssyfer ter
wêreld. Navorsing toon ʼn verband tussen vrouemishandeling en alkohol- en dwelmmisbruik.
Vanuit die ekologiese perspektief word die sosiale omgewing van ʼn persoon as onlosmaaklik deel
van haar beskou en dit is dus ʼn geskikte teoretiese uitgangspunt vir hierdie studie. ʼn Kwalitatiewe
studie is gedoen, en etiese klaring is daarvoor verkry. Die doel van die studie was om vroue se
ervaring rondom intieme geweld te ondersoek, asook die moontlike rol wat alkohol- en
dwelmmisbruik speel in gewelddadige verhoudings. Die studie was beskrywend en verkennend
van aard en 20 vroue is daarvoor geïdentifiseer, deur middel van doelbewuste en sneeubalsteekproefneming.
Data is ingesamel deur middel van semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude. Tydens
verwerking van die data is vyf temas geïdentifiseer, naamlik alkoholmisbruik deur lewensmaat,
dwelmmisbruik deur lewensmaat, alkoholmisbruik deur die deelnemers aan die studie, statutêre
intervensie en polisie-intervensie. Die gevolgtrekking kan gemaak word dat die deelnemers groot
uitdagings ervaar het ten opsigte van intieme geweld. Meer as die helfte van die deelnemers het
aangedui dat hul lewensmaat alkohol en/of dwelms misbruik het.Domestic violence poses a huge challenge for social workers. It is estimated that in South Africa a woman is killed by her intimate partner every six hours, the highest incidence in the world. Research also indicates the correlation between domestic violence and substance abuse. Men under the influence of alcohol or drugs often display higher levels of aggression than do sober men and could display violent behaviour in the home. It is also significant that where men report for rehabilitation from addictive substances, domestic violence is often cited as a fall-out. The ecological perspective is useful when viewing this correlation between domestic violence and substance abuse as the different systems of this perspective, namely the micro, mezzo, eco, macro and chrono systems are all relevant. In the micro system the intimate relationship between a man and woman is negatively affected by substance abuse, often leading to domestic violence. In the mezzo system organisations such as Alanon could provide support for abused women when their partners abuse substances. In the eco system social workers in welfare organisations could provide support for abused women. In the macro system the community a woman is part of might have an influence in how she copes with domestic violence and substance abuse. In the final system, the chrono system, legislation could provide legal support for abused women needing intervention. From a social work perspective the need to gain more insight into domestic violence and substance abuse is crucial, as statistics indicate an increase in both these issues. The social work profession would thus benefit from such a study to determine how women in an abusive relationship experience domestic violence, and to determine the correlation between domestic violence and substance abuse. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of abused women, as well as the possible correlation between substance abuse and domestic violence. A qualitative study with a phenomenological approach was proposed. The phenomenon in this study was the experiences of abused women and the role of substance abuse in domestic violence. This study made use of an explorative and descriptive research design to explore and describe abused women's experiences where substance abuse might also play a role. Two non-governmental organisations and one psychologist were approached to obtain the sample of 20 women. Purposive and snowball sampling were used. The criteria for inclusion were: • Participants had to be female and between the ages of 22 and 60 years. • They had to have been in an abusive relationship at the time of the study or not more than 6 months prior to the study. • They had to reside in and around Cape Town. • They must have received professional help by a social worker, a psychologist or a nursing sister at the time of the study or not more than 6 months prior to the study. Data were collected by means of interviewing, and a semi-structured questionnaire. The data were analysed and categorised into themes. Ethical clearance was obtained. The findings included the following demographic details and themes. According to the demographic information, all the participants but one, still had dependent children in the home. The impact of domestic violence on children is severe, especially as their father is often the perpetrator. The educational level of the participants varied from illiterate to a grade 12. None of the participants had a post- matric qualification. Five themes were identified. Theme one was alcohol abuse by the partner. Nine (45%) of the participants indicated that their partners abused alcohol. Seven (35%) of these nine participants indicated that their partners' drinking increased the violence in their relationship. Theme two was drug abuse by the partner. Four (20%) participants indicated that their partners misused drugs. Theme three was alcohol abuse by the participant. Four (20%) participants indicated that they abused alcohol as a means to cope with the domestic violence. It was significant that these four participants also turned to the church to help them through difficult times. Theme four related to statutory intervention. None of the participants indicated that they found a protection order helpful. The six (30%) participants who obtained a protection order did not find it helpful either, and indicated that the substance abuse of their partners still continued, accompanied by domestic violence. Theme five dealt with police intervention. Six (30%) participants made use of police intervention, but only one (5%) found this helpful. Most participants indicated that the police were not effective in dealing with domestic violence and substance abuse. It can be concluded that domestic violence poses a huge challenge to social workers. During intervention with abused women, the role of substance abuse should be taken into consideration, as the use of substances could increase domestic violence.http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_abstract&pid=S0041-47512015000400011&lng=en&nrm=iso&tlng=afPublisher's versio
'n Begeleidingsprogram vir familiepleegouers
Full text linkM.A. (Social Work)The goals of this study were viewed as the development and evaluation of a parent-training programme for foster parents related to their foster children; that 1s, to apply programme evaluation to a newly-developed social technological item, in this case a specific preventive intervention parent-training programme. The researcher formulated the following objectives towards the achievement of these goals: to present a theoretical perspective on foster care, on the ecological approach which was utilized in the development of the programme, and on programme evaluation; to develop the programme envisaged utilising the DR & U (Development Research and Utilization) model of Edwin Thomas; to evaluate the programme by inviting a group of foster parents, related to their foster children, to participate in the evaluation phase with a view to: * broadening the knowledge and insight of the participants on their foster care situation; * developing a more positive self-concept for programme participants, through improved insight into their foster care situation; * enhancing foster child-foster parent relationships through improved insight into the foster care situation; * improving the family relationships of the programme participants
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Against the odds : strengths displayed by abused women
Full text linkPlease cite as follows: Slabbert, I. 2014. Against the odds :strengths displayed by abused women. Social Work, 50(2):256-268, doi:10.15270/50-2-398.The original publication is available at http://socialwork.journals.ac.za/pub/article/view/398Although legislation protecting women’s rights in South Africa is well developed, statistics indicate that violence against women has become the norm. There are no cultural, socio-economic, political, religious or educational boundaries to domestic violence. Despite this, some abused women display certain strengths. The strengths perspective is thus a suitable theoretical approach for this qualitative study exploring and describing the strengths of twenty abused women who formed the sample. Five strengths – namely hope, resilience, pride, healing and wholeness, and lastly personal qualities, traits and virtues – were identified. Some recommendations are made about the suitability of the strengths perspective for practice.http://socialwork.journals.ac.za/pub/article/view/398Publisher's versio
Coping Resources of Women Experiencing Intimate Partner Violence: An Ecological Perspective
No full textIntimate partner violence poses a major challenge for social workers worldwide and also in South Africa. A qualitative study was done from an ecological perspective with a sample of 20 abused women, with the goal of exploring and describing their coping resources. The data were collected by means of semi-structured interviews, and then transcribed and categorised. The first theme, significant others, was subdivided into three subthemes, namely family, friends and neighbours. The second theme yielded two subthemes, church and church members. The last theme, professional help, was divided into four subthemes: social case work, social group work, nursing sister and psychologist. It was concluded that some abused women utilise resources in order to cope with their abusive situation. A number of recommendations are also presented here
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