Spence Nigel, Spangaro Jo, Cameron Jacqui, Hegarty Kelsey, Hasan Holya, Koziol-McLain Jane, McMahon Tadgh, Walsh Jeannette, Zwi Anthony
School of Social Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia.
Department of Social Work, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia.
BMC Public Health. 2025 May 8;25(1):1701. doi: 10.1186/s12889-025-22886-y.
Coercive control is gaining increasing recognition as a form of intimate partner violence (IPV). Refugee women in countries of settlement are vulnerable to experiencing controlling behaviour. Interventions that support identification of controlling behaviour are an important step in enabling help-seeking for refugee women and prevention of further violence.
The Safety and Health After Arrival (SAHAR) study tested a culturally tailored IPV screening and response strategy for refugee women accessing Australian settlement services. All women accessing the study sites were asked about controlling behaviours using the ACTS screening tool, which also asks about actions causing fear, threats, and physical abuse. Findings reported here include consultations with a lived experience panel and services, screening results, focus group data and manager interviews.
Of 312 women asked the ACTS questions by caseworkers in four settlement services, 90 women (29%) gave responses indicating IPV with controlling behaviour being the most frequently reported (78/90). Qualitative data indicate that, following consideration of language and diverse understandings of controlling behaviour, settlement service caseworkers were able to identify experiences of harmful forms of control. Conversations about control between caseworkers and women were prompted, and awareness about non-physical coercion increased.
Despite challenges due to differences in language, interpretation and cultural norms, this study found it feasible to enquire about controlling behaviour with refugee women accessing settlement services, along with other forms of IPV.
强制控制作为亲密伴侣暴力（IPV）的一种形式正日益受到认可。定居国的难民妇女容易遭受控制行为。支持识别控制行为的干预措施是促使难民妇女寻求帮助并预防进一步暴力的重要一步。
“抵达后的安全与健康”（SAHAR）研究对一种针对使用澳大利亚定居服务的难民妇女的、经过文化调适的IPV筛查及应对策略进行了测试。所有前往研究地点的妇女都被使用ACTS筛查工具询问控制行为，该工具也会询问引起恐惧、威胁和身体虐待的行为。此处报告的结果包括与有实际经历的小组及服务机构的磋商、筛查结果、焦点小组数据以及管理人员访谈。
在四个定居服务机构中，有312名妇女被个案工作者询问了ACTS相关问题，其中90名妇女（29%）的回答表明存在IPV，控制行为是最常被报告的（78/90）。定性数据表明，在考虑到语言以及对控制行为的不同理解之后，定居服务个案工作者能够识别有害控制形式的经历。个案工作者与妇女之间关于控制的对话被激发，对非身体强制的认识有所提高。
尽管由于语言、口译和文化规范的差异存在挑战，但本研究发现，询问使用定居服务的难民妇女的控制行为以及其他形式的IPV是可行的。
