Di Basilio Daniela, Guglielmucci Fanny, Livanou Maria
Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health and Education, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, United Kingdom.
Department of Philosophy, Communication, and Performing Arts, Roma Tre University, Rome, Italy.
Front Psychol. 2022 Aug 11;13:919943. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.919943. eCollection 2022.
The present study focused on the dynamics and factors underpinning domestic abuse (DA) survivors' decisions to end the abusive relationship. The experiences and opinions of 12 female DA survivors and 18 support workers were examined through in-depth, one-to-one, semi-structured interviews. Hybrid thematic analysis was conducted to retrieve semantic themes and explore relationships among the themes identified and the differences in survivors' and professionals' narratives of the separation process. The findings highlighted that separation decisions derived from the joint action of two sets of factors, the "promoters" and the "accelerators." Whilst the "promoters" are factors leading to the separation from the abuser over time, the "accelerators" bear a stronger and more direct connection with survivors' decision to end the abusive relationship. Despite their differences, both these factors acted as propelling forces, leading survivors to actively pursue the separation from the perpetrator. To portray the dynamic links among these factors, we propose a conceptualisation drawn from Newton's laws of motion. Our findings also highlighted important differences in the views of survivors and support workers, as the former conceived themselves as proactive in ending the abuse, whereas the latter described the leaving process as mainly led by authorities and services supporting survivors. This study has potential implications for research, policy and clinical practice, as it suggests that far from being a linear sequence of multiple stages, leaving an abusive relationship results from a complex interplay of factors that facilitate ("promoters") or drastically accelerate ("accelerators") the separation process. We argue that future research should aim at improving our current understanding of the subjective and situational factors that can act as "accelerators" or "promoters" for women's leaving decisions. Moreover, clinicians and policymakers should invest in creating interventions that aid victims to recognise and leverage promoters and accelerators, thus increasing their readiness to end the abuse.
本研究聚焦于家庭暴力（DA）幸存者决定终止虐待关系的动态过程及相关因素。通过深入、一对一、半结构化访谈，考察了12名女性DA幸存者和18名支持工作者的经历与观点。采用混合主题分析法来提取语义主题，并探究所确定主题之间的关系，以及幸存者和专业人员在分离过程叙述中的差异。研究结果表明，分离决定源自两组因素的共同作用，即“推动者”和“加速者”。“推动者”是随着时间推移导致与施虐者分离的因素，而“加速者”与幸存者决定终止虐待关系有着更强、更直接的联系。尽管二者存在差异，但这两类因素都起到了推动作用，促使幸存者积极寻求与施虐者分离。为了描绘这些因素之间的动态联系，我们提出了一种基于牛顿运动定律的概念化表述。我们的研究结果还凸显了幸存者和支持工作者观点的重要差异，前者认为自己在终止虐待方面较为主动，而后者则将离开过程描述为主要由支持幸存者的当局和服务机构主导。本研究对研究、政策和临床实践具有潜在意义，因为它表明离开虐待关系并非多个阶段的线性序列，而是由促进（“推动者”）或大幅加速（“加速者”）分离过程的因素复杂相互作用所致。我们认为，未来的研究应致力于加深我们对那些可作为女性离开决定的“加速者”或“推动者”的主观和情境因素的当前理解。此外，临床医生和政策制定者应投入精力创建干预措施，帮助受害者认识并利用推动者和加速者，从而增强她们终止虐待的意愿。
