Emily Hill’s research while affiliated with The University of Sheffield and other places

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is an extensive public health concern, largely affecting women aged 20 to 24 years. Research suggests that bisexual women are more likely than heterosexual and homosexual women to be victims of IPV. Bisexual women are also more likely to be blamed for their abuse experiences after disclosing, a phenomenon known as victim blame attribution (VBA). However, very little VBA research recognizes bisexuality as a separate category. Therefore, the main aim of this quasi-experimental study was to investigate the role of female victim sexuality (bisexuality, homosexuality, and heterosexuality) and observer sex in the attribution of blame to the victim and perpetrator of IPV. Participants (N = 232; aged 18–24 years, M = 21.05, SD = 1.73) were randomly assigned into one of four conditions (heterosexual victim, bisexual victim with same-sex partner, bisexual victim with different-sex partner, homosexual victim), each containing a vignette portraying IPV within a relationship. Randomization checks were performed to ensure that participants in the four conditions did not differ significantly on underlying attitudes (institutional heterosexism (IH), aversive heterosexism (AH), heterosexual privilege (HP), sexist attitudes, just world beliefs) that may have affected their responses on outcome measures. Main analyses demonstrated that bisexual victims with a same-sex partner received the highest attribution of blame, whereas perpetrators in this condition received the lowest blame attribution. Male participants attributed significantly higher blame to victims than did female participants, regardless of victim sexuality. These findings substantiate the role of victim sexuality and observer sex in IPV blame attribution patterns. This research aimed to promote equality and rightful treatment to all victims of IPV regardless of their sexuality.

Person-centred approaches, such as latent class (LCA) and latent profile (LPA) analyses, aid the identification of sub-groups within sample populations. These methods can identify patterns of co-occurrence between different forms of intimate partner violence (IPV), providing valuable information for prevention and intervention efforts. The aim of this systematic review was to yield a summary and conduct a critical evaluation of the current research that utilises LCA/LPA to investigate IPV victimisation profiles. We provide an outline of 14 relevant studies, retrieved from searches conducted on PsycInfo, Scopus, and Eric databases. There was a large amount of variability in relation to the forms of IPV assessed, measures utilised, number of classes identified, and the sample populations recruited. However, broad similarities were revealed as there were some commonly identified classes, including the no/low violence class, the physical and psychological victimisation class, and the multiple victimisation class, yet the labels assigned to those classes differed across studies. A range of external criteria (risk factors and consequences) were also identified as being associated with class membership. We highlight methodological features which may have impacted data collection and class enumeration, including the differences in sample population, the range of IPV indicators assessed, the time period from which IPV data was recorded, and whether data was collected regarding participants’ current or previous relationships. Marginalised populations were underrepresented, and psychological abuse was most inconsistently operationalised. Recommendations for future research are provided, including recommendations with regards to labelling the classes for greater consistency across studies.

This pilot RCT tested the potential efficacy of a brief internet-based, passive psychoeducation intervention, Free From Abuse, in promoting healthy relationships among young adults. Participants aged 18-24 years were randomly assigned to an intervention-treatment (n = 71) or a placebo-control condition (n = 77). Participants in the treatment arm had a larger increase in recognition of abusive behaviour and reduction in domestic violence myth acceptance scores than participants in the control arm post-intervention and after one week. This study provides preliminary evidence that brief internet-based passive psychoeducation is potentially useful in promoting healthy relationships among young adults.