Victims of intimate partner violence: an occupational justice perspective
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Date
2020-12
Authors
La Cock, Tanya
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of the Free State
Abstract
Background: One in three women in South Africa report being affected by IPV. Every eight hours, a woman dies at the hands of her intimate partner, making South Africa the country with the highest rate of intimate partner homicide. Experiencing IPV affects all aspects of health including physical, intellectual, social, emotional, and spiritual well-being. IPV should therefore be considered a public health priority in South Africa. Occupational therapists are likely to encounter people affected by IPV and are equipped to provide interventions for people affected by IPV. However, literature on this topic from an occupational therapy perspective is scarce. In South African occupational therapy literature specifically, there are no publications relating to IPV. The silence in literature indicates that occupational therapists may not be aware of the holistic needs of their clients, who, if they are female, have a 33% chance of being affected by IPV. This topic should be explored in order for occupational therapists in South Africa to respond appropriately to clients affected by IPV. Accordingly, the researcher conducted a study that purposed to explain how women affected by IPV experience and adapt to occupational risk factors. The study describes IPV from an occupational justice perspective to advocate for an improved response among occupational therapists toward the plight of people affected by IPV. Methods: The study is positioned in the constructivist and feminist paradigms, utilising aspects of a phenomenological design. Data was collected from eleven participants who had been affected by IPV and were residing at women’s shelters in Gauteng using a collage technique with in-depth, unstructured interviews. The interviews were manually analysed using inductive content analysis. The coded data were grouped into categories and synthesised into three emerging themes. Rigour was enhanced during this process by utilising investigator triangulation. Discussion: The first theme “perpetrators of occupational rights violations”, illuminates how coercive control, family attitudes, community institutions, and cultural attitudes contributed to an environment that allows for IPV to be perpetrated continuously. The second theme, “experience occupational rights violations” describes how the participants experienced restricted activity participation, feeling unsatisfied in activities, lost/changed identity, feeling dehumanised, and had challenges in areas of occupation. The last theme “changes and adaptations within the women affected by IPV” describe how the participants responded to IPV through mental changes, emotional adaptations, behavioural adjustments, spiritual changes, and leaving the relationship. Conclusion: This study firstly illustrates that IPV is perpetrated on a relational, community, and societal level. These are largely attributed to societal stigmas, patriarchal beliefs, and ignorance surrounding IPV. Occupational therapists in all settings can influence all these contexts. However, their first responsibility is to be cognisant of the prevalence of IPV and reflect on how their own beliefs may contribute to the perpetration of IPV. Secondly, the study describes the adversaries women affected by IPV face from an occupational perspective, as well as the resilience they displayed by adapting to these adversaries. This allows therapists who are confronted with IPV to be aware of the holistic needs of their clients and respond in ways that support the occupational well-being of their clients.
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Keywords
Dissertation (M.Occ. (Occupational Therapy)--University of the Free State, 2020, Intimate Partner Violence (IPV), Intimate partner homicide, Therapists - Intimate Partner Violence (IPV)