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Continuous traumatic stress: examining the experiences and support needs of women after separation from an abusive partner

Hulley, J; Wager, K; Gomersall, T; Bailey, LJ; Kirkman, G; Gibbs, G; Jones, AD

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Authors

J Hulley

K Wager

T Gomersall

LJ Bailey

G Kirkman

G Gibbs

AD Jones



Abstract

Intimate partner violence causes significant, long-lasting harm to almost one-third (27%) of the world’s population of women. Even when women leave abusive relationships, some men continue to exercise control over their ex-partners through psychological control, threats, violence, stalking, and other forms of harassment. In this qualitative study, 52 purposively sampled women who self-identified as victims or survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) from male partners were interviewed. Data were analyzed with a theoretically informed thematic analysis, supported by Nvivo® software. We found that leaving a violent relationship was a long-term process fraught with difficulty and ongoing risks of psychological harm. The concept of Continuous Traumatic Stress (CTS), first developed to understand the impact of state-sponsored violence and war, was found to be a particularly useful tool for the analysis of the impact of post-separation abuse. Additionally, CTS encourages researchers and practitioners to think anew about resilience-centered approaches to improving protection and access to justice for female victims.

Citation

Hulley, J., Wager, K., Gomersall, T., Bailey, L., Kirkman, G., Gibbs, G., & Jones, A. (2022). Continuous traumatic stress: examining the experiences and support needs of women after separation from an abusive partner. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, https://doi.org/10.1177/08862605221132776

Journal Article Type Article
Online Publication Date Nov 13, 2022
Publication Date Nov 13, 2022
Deposit Date Dec 7, 2022
Publicly Available Date Dec 7, 2022
Journal Journal of Interpersonal Violence
Print ISSN 0886-2605
Electronic ISSN 1552-6518
Publisher SAGE Publications
DOI https://doi.org/10.1177/08862605221132776
Publisher URL https://doi.org/10.1177/08862605221132776
Additional Information Funders : Global Challenges Research Fund
Projects : AH/P014240/1

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