Is It Different? Understanding Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration in the Deaf Community

• In Event: Assessing Future Risk of Intimate Partner Violence

Abstract

This paper adds to the nascent body of research regarding intimate partner violence (IPV) affecting the Deaf community. This community-based participatory study was conducted by an interdisciplinary team of deaf and hearing investigators. The 3-phase mixed-methods study featured semi-structured interviews with: (1) human service professionals who work with deaf individuals, (2) IPV-involved deaf victims and (3) perpetrators in relationships where at least one partner was deaf. Results from phases I and II have been published. Here, we present phase III findings from fifteen interviews with a national sample of perpetrators: five females and ten males. Recruitment ended when iterative coding resulted in saturation. Transcripts revealed three themes: intergenerational transmission of violence, fund of information concerns, and help-seeking behavior patterns. Our data include the severity, frequency, and types of IPV described, allowing comparison to IPV in the general population. We discuss concerns that IPV prevention and intervention efforts may need to be specifically tailored to effectively address the needs of the Deaf community. Policy recommendations are offered to improve the engagement of IPV-involved members of the Deaf community. Given the VAWA Reauthorization Act of 2013 mandatory requirement that all VAWA-funded agencies provide services to all victims, this work is particularly relevant.

Authors

• Jeanna M. Mastrocinque, Rowan University

• Robert Q Pollard, Jr., Rochester Institute of Technology and University of Rochester

• Catherine Cerulli, University of Rochester School of Medicine