The Role of Social Networks in Supporting Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence Against Women

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a global public health concern impacting millions of women each year. Despite the pervasive nature of IPV, survivors continue to face numerous barriers in disclosing abuse and accessing formal support services. Consequently, most survivors make their first disclosure of abuse to an informal supporter, such as a family member, friend, neighbour, or colleague. The assistance provided by informal supporters aids in promoting better mental health outcomes, reducing the level of risk, and providing a safe pathway to formal support services. Despite the crucial role that informal supporters play in safeguarding survivors, little research has been conducted on their experiences. This thesis aims to address this gap in the literature, through a series of studies focused on the role of informal supporters in IPV. In Study 1, a systematic review was completed, identifying the current understanding of factors that increased or decreased the likelihood of an informal supporter helping a survivor of IPVm, as well as the self-care strategies employed by informal supporters during periods of help-giving. The systematic review also considered the theoretical underpinnings of help-giving specific to the context of IPV and developed an integrated theory of IPV help-giving – the Model of Informal Supporter Readiness (MISR). Study 2 was an opinion piece that considered the unintended consequences of mandated social restriction measures during the COVID-19 pandemic. This article highlighted both the increased risks experienced by survivors during the pandemic and the barriers informal supporters faced providing help-giving. e. Study 3 operationalised the MISR, developed in Study 1, through the development and validation of the Informal Supporter Readiness Inventory (ISRI). This study provided initial support for the ISRI as a measure of the core components of an informal supporter’s readiness to help an IPV survivor. Study 4 further validated the ISRI, for use within an Australian context. This validation supported its reliability and effectiveness in assessing the readiness and preparedness of informal supporters in IPV scenarios, supporting the ISRI’s robust psychometric properties and its potential as a valuable tool in enhancing IPV support strategies within a network-oriented framework. Study 5 explored the psychological and physical burden of help-giving, and considered the need for greater screening and wellbeing supports for informal supporters. It highlighted the role of mindful self-care and social support as protective factors in mitigating psychological distress. Finally, Study 6 presented a perspective paper that integrated the findings of the above five studies and proposed an extended model of social network-oriented support, which incorporated a structured assessment of informal supporter readiness and greater consideration of their wellbeing to promote longevity in their support role. Overall, this thesis presents an exploration of the multifaceted dimensions of informal support in the context of IPV. Through various methodological approaches, it highlights the vital role of informal supporters, the complexities of their experiences, and the necessity of assessing and enhancing both readiness and wellbeing. The collective findings of this series of studies emphasises the importance of a focused understanding of informal support dynamics, the utility of effective support readiness tools, and the need for targeted interventions that prioritise the mental and physical health of these supporters. This body of work not only contributes valuable insights to the field of IPV research, but also provides empirical advocacy for a network-oriented approach to strengthen the support network for IPV survivors. Keywords: intimate partner violence, domestic violence, help-giving, informal support, social support, network-oriented approach.亲密伴侣暴力（Intimate Partner Violence, IPV）是一项全球性公共卫生议题，每年影响数百万女性。尽管亲密伴侣暴力普遍存在，幸存者在披露虐待行为并获取正式支持服务方面仍面临诸多障碍。因此，大多数幸存者会首次向非正式支持者披露虐待经历，这类支持者通常包括家庭成员、朋友、邻居或同事。非正式支持者提供的协助有助于改善幸存者的心理健康结局、降低风险程度，并为其接入正式支持服务提供安全路径。尽管非正式支持者在保护幸存者的过程中发挥着至关重要的作用，但针对其自身经历的相关研究却极为匮乏。本论文旨在填补这一文献空白，通过一系列聚焦亲密伴侣暴力场景下非正式支持者角色的研究来实现这一目标。 研究1完成了一项系统综述，明确了当前学界对影响非正式支持者向亲密伴侣暴力幸存者提供帮助的可能性的正向与负向因素的认知，同时梳理了非正式支持者在提供帮助过程中所采用的自我关怀策略。该系统综述还考量了亲密伴侣暴力场景下帮助行为的理论基础，并构建了一套整合性的亲密伴侣暴力帮助行为理论——非正式支持者准备度模型（Model of Informal Supporter Readiness, MISR）。 研究2为一篇评论文章，探讨了新冠疫情期间强制性社交限制措施的意外后果。该文着重指出了疫情期间幸存者面临的风险升级，以及非正式支持者在提供帮助时遭遇的障碍。 研究3通过开发并验证《非正式支持者准备度量表》（Informal Supporter Readiness Inventory, ISRI），将研究1中构建的MISR付诸实践。该研究为ISRI作为衡量非正式支持者向亲密伴侣暴力幸存者提供帮助的核心准备度维度的工具提供了初步支持。 研究4进一步针对澳大利亚场景对ISRI进行了验证。本次验证结果证实了该量表在评估亲密伴侣暴力场景下非正式支持者的准备度与胜任力时具备良好的信度与有效性，证明了ISRI可靠的心理测量学属性，以及其作为提升网络导向型支持框架下亲密伴侣暴力支持策略的宝贵工具的潜力。 研究5探讨了提供帮助行为所带来的心理与生理负担，并提出应为非正式支持者提供更多筛查与福祉支持的必要性。该研究强调了正念式自我关怀与社会支持作为缓解心理痛苦的保护因素的重要作用。 研究6为一篇综述性论文，整合了上述五项研究的发现，并提出了一个扩展型的社会网络导向支持模型，该模型纳入了对非正式支持者准备度的结构化评估，同时更充分考量其福祉状况，以提升其支持角色的持久性。 总体而言，本论文探究了亲密伴侣暴力场景下非正式支持的多维度内涵。通过多种方法论路径，本研究阐明了非正式支持者的关键作用、其经历的复杂性，以及评估与提升其准备度与福祉的必要性。本系列研究的综合发现强调了深入理解非正式支持动态的重要性、有效的支持准备度工具的实用性，以及亟需制定优先关注这些支持者身心健康的针对性干预措施。本研究成果不仅为亲密伴侣暴力研究领域提供了宝贵的洞见，同时也为采用网络导向型方法强化亲密伴侣暴力幸存者支持网络提供了实证依据。 关键词：亲密伴侣暴力，家庭暴力，帮助行为，非正式支持，社会支持，网络导向型方法。