About our Research
We conducted a series of research studies with participants who had been out of abusive relationships for at least two years. We conducted these studies to learn how people who experienced battering victimization faced stigma associated with their abuse. In our studies with survivors, we asked participants to describe their prior abuse, how they believed they experienced stigma, the sources of stigma (e.g., professionals, friends and family), and how they overcame their abuse to build healthy, positive lives and relationships.
Our first study involved in-depth interviews with 12 women. We recruited participants in our local communities, and we met individually with participants to interview them for about 1 to 1-1/2 hours each. Our goal was to gain an in-depth understanding of our participants' experiences with abuse, the stigma associated with it, and the ways that they rebuilt their lives following their abuse. Following the interviews, we transcribed the audio recordings so that the interviews were able to be included in our data analyses.
Our second study involved an electronic survey with an international sample of 219 participants, including both females and males. The survey included qualitative and quantitative questions. We recruited participants electronically, through personal contacts, list-serve e-mails, and posted notices about the survey on electronic message boards and Facebook pages that are relevant to the topic of domestic violence. Data were collected anonymously, and we gave the participants the opportunity to enter a drawing for one of two $50 store gift cards as an incentive to participate. Participants were able to enter the drawing in a way that did not link their identities to their survey responses. The survey had the following parts: a background questionnaire, detailed questions about participants' experiences with relationship abuse, a rating form asking participants to report the ways that they experienced stigma related to their abuse, open-ended questions regarding those forms of stigma, a rating form asking participants to report the sources of stigma (e.g., professionals, friends, and family members), open-ended questions regarding those sources of stigma, and a series of open-ended questions about how the stigma surrounding experiences of domestic violence and abuse can be overcome.
Our third study with survivors was a study on how survivors overcome past abuse. We did this study in order to learn more about the processes that survivors go through as they triumph over past abusive relationships, as well as to learn about the "turning points" that lead people to decide to leave abusive relationships.
Our ongoing research program involves evaluating the resources we've developed (such as the Healing Arts Workshops), developing a Survivor Advocacy Training Program, understanding whether and how survivors of past abuse come to view themselves as advocates, learning about the health and wellness of survivors of intimate partner violence, and developing an instrument to measure the stigma that survivors of intimate partner violence face.
We use both quantitative statistical analyses and content analysis procedures to analyze the data in our studies. The findings from these studies serve as the basis for the See the Triumph campaign, and we are using this campaign as one way of disseminating our findings. In particular, we aim to use the See the Triumph campaign to disseminate the findings to a broader audience than we can reach through traditional forms of reporting research, such as through peer-reviewed scholarly journals. Some examples of our research related to See the Triumph can be found in the following articles:
We conducted a series of research studies with participants who had been out of abusive relationships for at least two years. We conducted these studies to learn how people who experienced battering victimization faced stigma associated with their abuse. In our studies with survivors, we asked participants to describe their prior abuse, how they believed they experienced stigma, the sources of stigma (e.g., professionals, friends and family), and how they overcame their abuse to build healthy, positive lives and relationships.
Our first study involved in-depth interviews with 12 women. We recruited participants in our local communities, and we met individually with participants to interview them for about 1 to 1-1/2 hours each. Our goal was to gain an in-depth understanding of our participants' experiences with abuse, the stigma associated with it, and the ways that they rebuilt their lives following their abuse. Following the interviews, we transcribed the audio recordings so that the interviews were able to be included in our data analyses.
Our second study involved an electronic survey with an international sample of 219 participants, including both females and males. The survey included qualitative and quantitative questions. We recruited participants electronically, through personal contacts, list-serve e-mails, and posted notices about the survey on electronic message boards and Facebook pages that are relevant to the topic of domestic violence. Data were collected anonymously, and we gave the participants the opportunity to enter a drawing for one of two $50 store gift cards as an incentive to participate. Participants were able to enter the drawing in a way that did not link their identities to their survey responses. The survey had the following parts: a background questionnaire, detailed questions about participants' experiences with relationship abuse, a rating form asking participants to report the ways that they experienced stigma related to their abuse, open-ended questions regarding those forms of stigma, a rating form asking participants to report the sources of stigma (e.g., professionals, friends, and family members), open-ended questions regarding those sources of stigma, and a series of open-ended questions about how the stigma surrounding experiences of domestic violence and abuse can be overcome.
Our third study with survivors was a study on how survivors overcome past abuse. We did this study in order to learn more about the processes that survivors go through as they triumph over past abusive relationships, as well as to learn about the "turning points" that lead people to decide to leave abusive relationships.
Our ongoing research program involves evaluating the resources we've developed (such as the Healing Arts Workshops), developing a Survivor Advocacy Training Program, understanding whether and how survivors of past abuse come to view themselves as advocates, learning about the health and wellness of survivors of intimate partner violence, and developing an instrument to measure the stigma that survivors of intimate partner violence face.
We use both quantitative statistical analyses and content analysis procedures to analyze the data in our studies. The findings from these studies serve as the basis for the See the Triumph campaign, and we are using this campaign as one way of disseminating our findings. In particular, we aim to use the See the Triumph campaign to disseminate the findings to a broader audience than we can reach through traditional forms of reporting research, such as through peer-reviewed scholarly journals. Some examples of our research related to See the Triumph can be found in the following articles:
- Murray, C. E., Crowe, A., & Overstreet, N. (in press). Sources and components of stigma experienced by survivors of intimate partner violence. Journal of Interpersonal Violence.
- Murray, C. E., King, K., & Crowe, A. (in press). Understanding and addressing teen dating violence: Implications for family counselors. The Family Journal.
- Flasch, P. Murray, C. E., & Crowe, A. (in press) Overcoming abuse: A phenomenological investigation of the journey to recovery from past intimate partner violence. Journal of Interpersonal Violence. On-line First version is available at the following web-site: http://jiv.sagepub.com/content/early/2015/08/07/0886260515599161.full.pdf?ijkey=QRA1evaoIYzWd7Y&keytype=finite.
- Murray, C. E., Crowe, A., & Akers, W. (in press). How can we end the stigma surrounding domestic and sexual violence? A modified Delphi study with national advocacy leaders. Journal of Family Violence. On-line First version is available at the following web-site: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10896-015-9768-9?wt_mc=email.event.1.SEM.ArticleAuthorOnlineFirst.
- Murray, C. E., King, K., Crowe, A., & Flasch, P. (2015). Survivors of intimate partner violence as advocates for social change. Journal of Social Action in Counseling and Psychology, 7, 84-100. Retrieved September 11, 2015, from http://www.psysr.org/jsacp/murray-v7n1-2015_84-100.pdf.
- Murray, C. E., Crowe, A., & Brinkley, J. (2015). The stigma surrounding intimate partner violence: A cluster analysis study. Partner Abuse, 6, 320-336.
- Crowe, A., & Murray, C. E. (2015). Stigma from professional helpers toward survivors of intimate partner violence. Partner Abuse, 6(2), p. 157-179.