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theses

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a complex event comprised of environmental settings and the sequence of actors’ behaviors. Nevertheless, our knowledge of the mechanism regarding the elements of IPV event is limited. Few IPV studies have included situational determinants that, even when efforts have been made, have been examined individually, rather than jointly. This limits the understanding of the interrelationships and dynamics of the factors in the IPV event. The purpose of this dissertation is to develop an event-based framework for IPV so as to increase our understanding of common factors associated with IPV, situational dynamics that lead to the escalation of violence and the circumstances under which women will seek help. To do this, the present study identifies distal and proximal influences on IPV as well as barriers to help-seeking, using a content analysis with a novel method, “might-cause chain analysis” (MCA) of 393 episodes on an anonymous Internet forum. MCA, created based upon the fishbone diagram, depicts the distances and interrelationships of the elements of IPV events covering the time and events from the most distal to the most proximate “causes” of violence. Findings from this study indicate that violence occurring between intimate partners among populations of Korean immigrants in the U.S varies. Among this population, the majority of IPV is non-physical, including verbal, psychological, sexual and economic violence. With the categorization of IPV into physical and non-physical forms, this dissertation addresses (1) the occurrence of IPV contingent on or triggered by different precursors; (2) IPV victims’ help-seeking and barriers; (3) the influence of individual, cultural/structural, and situational factors on the occurrence of the IPV; and (4) the consequences of IPV, such as mental health implications and police involvement. Results from Chi-square analysis reveal that the dichotomy of IPV is blurred with respect to those variables. With a few exceptions, the determinants as well as the consequences are not statistically significant between the two types of IPV. This highlights the significance of non-physical forms of IPV. As such, the present study discusses theoretical recommendations and policy implications based on these findings.

ETD_5667

Ph.D.

Includes bibliographical references

Includes vita

by Sung-hun Byun

doi:10.7282/T3RN363F

ETD doctoral

The author owns the copyright to this work.