Keywords
Intimate Partner Violence, Intimate Partner Homicide, Pregnancy, Violence During Pregnancy
Abstract
Using three separate and unique sources of data, this study was designed to address: a) the associations between pregnancy-related violence and femicide with sociodemographic characteristics of victims and offenders and with family dynamics, b) how pregnancy affects the risk for threats of violence, power and control tactics, physical violence, stalking, sexual violence, and femicide, and c) how pregnancy contributes to increased severity of abuse. The overall results reveal a significant statistical correlation between pregnancy and the increased risk of intimate partner abuse on many dimensions, including physical abuse, stalking and harassment, sexual abuse, threats of serious harm and death, lethality risk, and power and control. The correlation between pregnancy and femicide is less clear and in need of further examination. While the nature of pregnancy as a risk factor across multiple dimensions of abuse is certainly pervasive, the findings indicate that power and coercive control warrants close attention as a potentially prominent and dangerous dynamic. Women of younger age, those single or divorced, residing with an IP, and having children in the home were shown to have a significantly increased risk of non-lethal and lethal IPV in all three samples. The findings contribute evidence to existing literature concerning potentially catastrophic outcomes for pregnancies occurring in an abusive context, including extremely high rates of miscarriage in abusive relationships. Implications for practice and for research are discussed.
Notes
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Graduation Date
2009
Advisor
Jasinski, Jana
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
College
College of Sciences
Department
Sociology
Degree Program
Sociology
Format
application/pdf
Identifier
CFE0002560
URL
http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/CFE0002560
Language
English
Release Date
May 2009
Length of Campus-only Access
None
Access Status
Doctoral Dissertation (Open Access)
STARS Citation
Taylor, Shauna, "Pregnancy-associated Intimate Partner Violence:an Examination Of Multiple Dimensions Of Intimate Partner Abuse Victimization Usi" (2009). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 3964.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd/3964