Battered women and child custody : The ongoing exposure to abusive ex-partners : A qualitative study
department or school: Applied Science, Faculty of
department or school: Nursing, School of
data provider: DSpace
degree campus: UBCV
creator: Shalansky, Catriona Elizabeth
issued: 2009-01-15T18:55:50Z
issued: 1995
related degree: Master of Science in Nursing - MSN
degree grantor: University of British Columbia
description: Wife abuse has become an epidemic in Canada. Research studies have documented that abuse does not end when a women is divorced or separated from her abuser, but, in fact, the danger increases. A father's legal right to custody of and access to his children and the children's bond with their father prevent a women from truly breaking free of her abuser. Theoretical literature has addressed how custody and access can serve as a means for a batterer to continue his abuse and expose his children to ongoing abuse and discord. Research on how custody and access issues are affecting battered women is limited. Key details about this phenomenon are not known. Hence, a research study using the qualitative methodology of phenomenology was conducted of battered women's experiences with custody and access and the ongoing exposure to abusive ex-partners. Six single mothers who had left abusive relationships and were at the time sharing custody of and/or access to their children with their abusive ex-partners participated in the study. Unstructured, non-directive interviews were conducted. Direction for analysis was taken from the specific steps outlined by Giorgi (1975). Data analysis revealed that al l of the women were living in great fear for their safety and that of their children. The ongoing danger and stress of living with the restrictions of the law and legal system took it's toll on the women and ultimately affected their physical health and psychological well-being. The women described their experiences as having four components: 1) SAFETY: Living with Ongoing Danger; 2) STRESS: Living with the Restrictions of the Law and the Legal System; 3) COPING: Social Support Systems; and 4) TO HEAL AND MOVE FORWARD IN LIFE. Themes within these components were identified, and implications for nursing practice, education and research were discussed.
aggregated CHO: https://circle.library.ubc.ca/rest/handle/2429/3676
extent: 6750114 bytes
format: application/pdf
note: B A T T E R E D WOMEN AND C H I L D CUSTODY: THE ONGOING EXPOSURE TO A B U S I V E E X - P A R T N E R S A Q U A L I T A T I V E STUDY B y C A T R I O N A E L I Z A B E T H S H A L A N S K Y B . S . N . , The U n i v e r s i t y o f B r i t i s h C o l u m b i a , 1990 A T H E S I S S U B M I T T E D I N P A R T I A L F U L F I L L M E N T OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF S C I E N C E I N N U R S I N G i n THE F A C U L T Y OF GRADUATE S T U D I E S The S c h o o l o f N u r s i n g We a c c e p t t h i s t h e s i s a s c o n f o r m i n g to^/feije r e q u i r e d s t a n d a r d THE U N I V E R S I T Y OF B R I T I S H C O L U M B I A © C a t r i o n a E l i z a b e t h S h a l a n s k y In presenting this thesis in partial fulfilment of the requirements for an advanced degree at the University of British Columbia, I agree that the Library shall make it freely available for reference and study. I further agree that permission for extensive copying of this thesis for scholarly purposes may be granted by the head of my department or by his or her representatives. It is understood that copying or publication of this thesis for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. Department of N u r s i n e , The University of British Columbia Vancouver, Canada DE-6 (2/88) ABSTRACT W i f e a b u s e h a s become a n e p i d e m i c i n C a n a d a . R e s e a r c h s t u d i e s h a v e d o c u m e n t e d t h a t a b u s e d o e s n o t e n d when a women i s d i v o r c e d o r s e p a r a t e d f r o m h e r a b u s e r , b u t , i n f a c t , t h e d a n g e r i n c r e a s e s . A f a t h e r ' s l e g a l r i g h t t o c u s t o d y o f a n d a c c e s s t o h i s c h i l d r e n a n d t h e c h i l d r e n ' s b o n d w i t h t h e i r f a t h e r p r e v e n t a women f r o m t r u l y b r e a k i n g f r e e o f h e r a b u s e r . T h e o r e t i c a l l i t e r a t u r e h a s a d d r e s s e d how c u s t o d y a n d a c c e …
has type: Thesis/Dissertation
date issued: 1995-05
is shown at: 10.14288/1.0086903
language: eng
degree discipline: Nursing
provider: Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
publisher: University of British Columbia
rights: For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.
scholar level: Graduate
type: Text
identifier URI: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/3676