Falling for the Ones that Were Abusive: Cycles of Violence in Low-income Women’s Intimate Relationships

• In Event: 1283 - Section on the Sociology of the Family Refereed Roundtable Session
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 04. Qualitative Studies of Couples and Relationships

Abstract

Derived from social learning theory, the intergenerational transmission of violence posits that violent behavior learned in childhood carries on into later life phases. Whereas most research using this framework focuses on the likelihood of perpetration of violence in adulthood, this study examines the intergenerational cycle of victimization. A qualitative analysis of in-depth interviews with 24 low-income women living in eastern Washington State illustrates the complexity of abusive interpersonal relationships, and the decision-making processes that abused women undergo. Data suggest a pattern of victims’ tolerance associated with the internalization and normalization of violent behavior, difficulty recognizing signs of intimate partner abuse, and the downplaying of abusive experiences. This study demonstrates victims’ efforts to interrupt cycles of violence by identifying children and partners’ alternate problematic behavior as motivators in terminating their relationships; however, the act of abuse itself is not a stated reason. The findings of this study also highlight the importance of utilizing alternative sampling strategies, as the sample of domestic violence victims were not recruited via victim support services. The patterns elucidate the multiple ways in which abuse goes unrecognized and unreported within marginalized communities, and thus offer insight to the experiences of victims who are often excluded from studies of domestic violence.

Authors

• Marisa Viviana Cervantes, Washington State University

• Jennifer Sherman, Washington State University