Experience of Abuse

Running head: WOMENS EXPERIENCE OF PHYSICAL AND NON-PHYSICAL ABUSE

Assignment 2: Qualitative Research Focus: Interviews A constructivist grounded theory approach to womens perception of physical and non-physical violence

Lora Dawn Adamson Beazer adamld00@uleth.ca

CAAP 6617: Research and Program Evaluation For Professor Noella Piquette University of Lethbridge

Assignment Deadline: October 16, 2011 Assignment Deadline Extension: October 24, 2011 Assignment Submitted: October 25, 2011

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A Constructivist Grounded Theory Approach to Womens Perception of Physical and Non-Physical Violence This assignment is an introduction to qualitative research, through exposure to interviewing, selecting an appropriate methodology, involved data analysis, and research. In choosing a topic for my first attempt at qualitative research, I wanted to choose something that I am very interested in. Therefore, I chose to focus on a gap in research that I have become aware of through both research and personal experience. It is my understanding that women who have experienced abuse, tend to have little understanding of non-physical types of abuse as compared to physical abuse, yet when they are made aware of this knowledge begin to see non-physical abuse as more damaging to themselves, however, find that society also lacks such awareness and there is consequently a lack in recognition of non-physical types of abuse. I began this project by researching this gap in knowledge and the area of violence against women in general. I then chose research questions that I felt would be able to confirm or unconfirm these ideas created from research and personal experience. Next I chose four people from my community to interview. The participants I chose were all women who worked directly with abused women. I felt that this would be the best way to gain a womans perspective and gain an understanding of what my participants perception of abused womens lived experiences are in relation to abuse. I also researched an appropriate methodology to work through this qualitative assignment. I was first drawn to the grounded theory approach. Then, upon further research, became aware that the constructivist grounded theory approach was even more appropriate for evaluating violence amongst women. I also felt that this approach was closely in line with the way I wanted to do my research, to hear the voice of women, and to be able to include research and my own perspective into the data analysis. This paper will include a description of the qualitative research approach that I took, constructivist grounded theory. I will describe the importance of researching abuse in women, why I chose the organization and participants that I did, and give evidence of the interviews that I took part in. I will describe my data analysis from a constructivist grounded theory approach, including direct quotes from my interviews, and limitations that became obvious throughout my process with this assignment. I will conclude with a description of what has been learned from my interviews and data analysis and suggest directions for future research and understanding.

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Methodology Literature Analysis In my personal, professional, and educational realms of life I have seen violence against women as a major concern with a need for much research. Michalski (2004) explains that violence against women exists across a range of different of different societies, from hunter-gatherers to advanced industrial societies. Coker, Smith, McKeown, and King (2000) claim that violence against women is a significant public health problem with long and short term physical and mental health repercussions for women and their families. Outlaw (2009) explains that researchers have long acknowledged the existence of multiple forms of non-physical abuse. (pp. 263) Outlaw (2009) goes on to say that physical violence is only one type of many forms of intimate partner abuse, however the many types of nonphysical abuse have received little research attention and are ordinarily lumped together as nonphysical or emotional abuse. Outlaw claims that forms of social, economic, and emotional abuse have been well documented and are often claimed by victims to be the worst of the abuse (pp. 263), and that until scholars begin to see non-physical abuse as equally important to violence, such measures will suffer from being considered secondary in importance. (pp. 271) Beaulaurier, Seff, Newman and Dunlop (2007) also contend that there has been moderately little research available to direct the field in identifying and addressing barriers to help seeking for women who have experienced domestic violence. Coker, Smith, McKeown, and King (2000) give evidence of how the types and definitions of abuse can be complex. They describe four types of abuse: physical assault, sexual assault, battering, and perceived emotional abuse. Battering is described as different from physical assault because of its chronic nature involving a process where one partner experiences psychological vulnerability, loss of power and control, and entrapment in response to the other partners use of power through patterns of physical, sexual, psychological or moral force. Further, because the battering is separate from physical and sexual assault, some women will experience the symptoms of fear, loss of control, and entrapment without having been physically or sexually assaulted. Coker et al (2000) describe this as psychological battering. The approach I decided to use in this qualitative research endeavour was constructivist grounded theory. My interest in this approach began when I read an article by Allen (2011), discussing her research on womens resistance to abuse. Allen (2011) outlines her search for an appropriate

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methodology to analyze womens issues, with partner violence in particular. Allen (2011) suggests that a feminist approach would be the best suited way to look at violence against women, however explains that a true feminist approach to research does not exist, as most methods endorsed as feminist, have not been created by feminism, but rather the methods of in-depth interviews, ethnographies, grounded theory, and action research, each have histories and origins that are non-feminist. In her attempt to find an approach that would best fit the needs of women and feminism, Allen felt the best fit was qualitative research, with constructivist grounded theory specifically, through the ability to meet the following criteria: 1) Take womens needs, interest and experiences into account and aim to be instrumental in improving womens lives; 2) Provide understanding of womens experiences as they understand it while interpreted in the light of feminist conceptions of gender relations; 3) Feminist research methods are used in research projects by those who identify themselves as feminist or part of the womens feminist movement; 4) Values private and personal lives as worthy of study; 5) Develops relationships that are non-exploitive within the research; 6) Finds ways to bring awareness to complex layers of social and cultural lives. Allens reasoning resonated with me. I am an advocate for womens rights. I sit on the board of Womanspace, an organization that advocates and researches womens rights, and is grounded in feminism. I am becoming increasingly aware of my feminist drive, and wanted to take an approach that aligns with this. Kline (2008) in Hays & Wood (2011) asserted that selecting a research tradition congruent with ones research orientation and study purpose, and infusing it in all phases of qualitative inquiry, is a criterion for trustworthiness. (pp. 288) Additionally, I have had personal experience with domestic violence, and value the need for womens experience to be known and their voice to be heard. I believe that research, social justice and advocacy is an arena where this can be most powerful. Charmaz (2005) in Allen (2011) claims that constructivist grounded theory is capable of contributing to social justice research. Constructivist grounded theory enables researchers to: 1) Ensure reciprocity between themselves and participants with theory generated being grounded in their and the participants experiences. 2) Power imbalances between participants and researcher are addressed, creating theory that is reflective of participants experiences. 3) The author clarifies his/her position in the text, the relevance of biography and how one renders participants stories into theory through writing. (Mills, Bonner, & Francis 2006, Mills 2006, 2007 in Hunter, Murphy, Grealish, Casey & Keady 2011). Guba and Lincoln (1989) in Ghezeljeh and Emami (2009) state that constructivism denies the existence of an objective reality and claims that realities are social constructions of the mind.

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Thus, there exists as many such constructions as there are individuals, although many will be shared. This is one aspect of constructivist grounded theory that I am very drawn towards. It is my personal belief that every individual person has their own view of the world. I feel that as counsellors and researchers alike, it is a responsibility to try to see the world through each individuals eyes. The constructivist grounded theory approach fills this requirement, that researchers seek to understand the world through the participants narratives and experiences, which I feel is important. It gives voice to the participant at each stage of the research, which I feel is respectful, trustworthy, and ethical. Interviews The purpose of the qualitative research interviews was to gain an understanding of what the perceived experience is of women who have experienced abuse. Consequently, I felt it would be best to interview women who work with females who have experienced abuse. Each of the organizations that I chose work strictly with female clientele, and either focus on or regularly come into contact with women who have been in abusive relationships. I felt that the focus on womens organizations would help to construct a greater understanding of the womens perspective and understanding, and create increased focus. My first interview (Interview #1) took place at the Harbour House Womens Shelter in Lethbridge, Alberta. I interviewed Participant #1, she is a female who is a supervisor and works directly with abused women and their children through counselling and support. The interview took approximately ten minutes, and the participant and I talked at length after the interview about the research, personal experiences, and future prospects for research and education. Rapport was established prior to the interview, when I met the participant and explained my project, interest in her work, and a mutual respect for and history with the organization (Harbour House). During the interview, Participant #1 explained that since she was a teenager she has wanted to work with abused children. Her first practicum for school was at Harbour House, she never left, and continues to work there today. Her favourite part about her job is meeting the clients that she works with and explained how being able to support them, feeds her. Her least favourite aspect of her position is paperwork. Participant #1 described barriers to her clients as being addictions, available space at the shelter, and transportation. While describing the experience of her clients, Participant #1 said that abused women know that physical abuse is definitely not right. However, she feels that most are not so aware of what verbal, psychological and sexual abuse are. She says that she hears from women, that

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some feel that physical abuse is more damaging but for others, non-physical abuse is worse, and it is dependent on their lives. When it comes to society recognizing physical and non-physical abuse, she explained that physically, police can see physical evidence and they can charge individuals, which she sees as more damaging. She feels that non-physical violence is harder to prove, but that it is nonphysical abuse that leads to the physical abuse. Interview #2 involved Participant #2, who works for Womanspace Resource Center in Lethbridge Alberta as a supervisor. She is a female who works directly with clients who have been in abusive relationships and related life issues. The interview took place in her office and lasted ten minutes. Rapport with this participant had been developed previously through mutual employment by me and the participant at the organization. We each share similar views regarding the vision of Womanspace, which is to advocate for and research womens rights and equality. Participant #2s interview began with her telling me about how her volunteering with Womanspace led to her employment there. She describes the highlights of her work as getting excited over being able to make an impact on the life of a woman or woman with children, and being able to help a client who has previously not been able to find such help. Being a non-profit, funding, and lack of resources creates limited time to spend with clients, which is what Participant #2 describes as the low light of her position. In regards to her clients experiences, Participant #2 describes boundaries to them as being racial, being a woman, housing, and problems with identification. Participant #2 feels that there is an assumption that abuse is strictly physical, and many women do not realize that they have been abused, particularly in a financial way, but that most women would feel that the non-physical abuse is more damaging. In regards to society, she feels that it is easy to support and recognize physical abuse, but not the non-physical abuse, particularly verbal, financial, and emotional abuse. Rapport was established with Participant #3, when Participant #1 introduced her to the researcher after her own interview. Both participants explained Participant #3s work and efforts within the community, as an Outreach Support Worker. Participant #1 explained that I was conducting interviews with women who work directly with women who have experienced abuse. Participant #3 expressed a willingness and desire to be involved in an interview. An Interview (Interview #3) was then arranged, and later took place at Harbour House Womens Shelter in Lethbridge, Alberta for approximately 10 minutes. Participant #3 is a bilingual English and Spanish speaking female, who is also personally a domestic violence survivor.

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Personal experience with domestic violence and education that her helped learn about domestic violence is what Participant #3 describes as the aspects of her background that led to her current career. The highlights of her day are described as being fulfilled and getting personal satisfaction from dealing with the female clients through learning about their lives, learning how she can help them, and connecting them with resources. On the other hand, the low light of her position is being frustrated when finding out that clients lie. In regards to her clients experience she explains that she perceives them to know that physical abuse is enough for abuse. They have a really low understanding of what other forms of abuse are such as emotional, psychological, financial and spiritual, however, they see emotional and psychological abuse as the most damaging. When Participant #3 describes her clients experience with society recognizing physical and non-physical abuse, she says that physical abuse is recognized the most, and thats what police are looking for and give more attention to. Interview #4 took place at the Blackfoot Family Lodge in Lethbridge, Alberta. Participant #3 is an Aboriginal woman who is a supervisor, working directly with women who are in life transition, many of whom have experienced domestic violence. Participant #3 is also a domestic violence survivor herself. Rapport was established previous to this interview, through a previous meeting, where I explained to her my research project and expressed the desire to obtain an Aboriginal perspective for my research. Both I and the participant are of Aboriginal decent and this created ease in the conversation and development of rapport. The interview lasted approximately ten minutes, with myself and the participant talking at length after the interview about the Aboriginal womans experience of abuse, sharing of personal experiences with domestic violence, current work progressing to meet abused womens needs, as well as the mutual desire to help and make positive changes for women. I have heard from many organizations, especially those involving abused women in our community that approximately eighty percent of clients are of Aboriginal decent. Therefore, I insisted that at least one of my participants was Aboriginal. I felt that the Aboriginal womans voice needed to be heard and be a part of this project. Participant #4 describes her own personal experience with domestic violence and a desire to be a role model to Aboriginal women of breaking free from the cycle of abuse as her background leading to her current career. The highlights of her day are dealing with women one on one and seeing the rewards such as women having access to resources, having success and leaving with a different outlook on life. The lowlight of Participant #4s position is having to break through a trust barrier and developing trust and rapport with her clients. The barriers that she sees for her clients are a lack of resources, with

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transportation in particular. When she describes her clients knowledge about the different types of abuse, Participant #4 says that for most of them, abuse is a norm and they are not aware until that knowledge and awareness is brought to them at the transition home. Before gaining such knowledge she believes her clients see physical abuse as more damaging but with knowledge, can self-determine that emotional abuse is more damaging. Participant #4 explained her clients experience in society as feeling shame and judgment, and not being willing to speak up and keeping quiet. Each of the four interviews was videotaped. The interviews were then later transcribed by a hired transcriptionist. I asked seven questions in each interview, and these questions can be viewed as Appendix A. The entire transcription of the interviews can be found in Appendix B. Prior to each interview, I asked my participants to sign consent forms, which are also included, as Appendix C. Appendix D is the confidentiality agreement that was signed by the hired transcriptionist, ensuring confidentiality for my participants. Data Analysis According to Ghexeljeh & Emami (2009), A constructivist approach sees data and analysis as created from shared experiences and relationships with participants and other sources of data. (pp. 17) Strauss & Corbin (1998) in Mills, Bonner & Francis (2006) further explain how research takes place prior to interviews and data analysis and is interweaved throughout the process, and serves as another voice contributing to the researchers theoretical sensitivity. I found these pieces of information very informative into my data analysis process. Initially I was concerned that I had my own personal experience as a domestic violence survivor. However, I felt comforted when I read that this approach encourages the researcher to include their own experiences into the research process and data analysis. That together, researcher and participant generate ideas together. Further, I felt encouraged by the fact that research prior to engaging into a qualitative study is also encouraged. I had already done research in this area when I began this project and worried that, as many other approaches see it, my views would be slanted by having done so. I agree with the perspective of the constructivist grounded theory approach, that prior research can be a benefit, and can also serve as an additional perspective in data analysis. Charmaz (2006) in Ghexeljeh & Emami (2009) explains that data is generated by ongoing interaction between the researcher and the participant, and that the researchers interpretive understanding of the participants creation and understanding of meaning and reality results from

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analysis. This idea was important to my data analysis and fits with the way that I wanted to do my research. I felt like the data analysis almost began during my interviews, where I was trying to understand my participants worldview and meaning in what they were saying. This was a benefit, as later while doing the data analysis; it was sometimes difficult to understand what was being said by strictly reading the transcript. However, because I had engaged in that prior understanding, I was able to reflect on that and recall the meaning behind what my participants had said and meant. Coding is the main form of data analysis in the constructivist approach, and involves pieces of data being depicted through coding, then extracted and sorted for comparing and developing an emerging theory (Ghexeljeh & Emami, 2009). Mills, Bonner and Francis (2006) add that three forms of codes are used, with the initial step of coding being open coding, where codes are developed from the data and ends when a core category is located. Further coding involves making conceptual connections and further constant comparison of codes. I have to admit that I could not find any practical guidance on how to perform coding. Hunter, Murphy, Grealish, Casey & Keady (2011) report that they were unable to find steps and practical guidance to guide the researcher towards applying constructivist grounded theory in real research. I feel like this was somewhat of a stumbling block for me in being able to complete my data analysis in the most appropriate way possible. However, I feel like I grasp the underlying concept of using data analysis with this approach. It is my understanding that coding involves drawing out themes from the narratives given by the participants. Participants words should remain in their own words throughout the process. As themes emerge, codes are applied to these pieces of narrative. Then they are grouped together to begin forming theory, created by researcher and participant together. I attempted to do what I thought was a close fit to what coding would look like. My efforts are included as Appendix E. Results Overview of Data and Findings In reviewing the data retrieved from the four interviews, several themes emerged. Each of the themes that will be discussed in this section were reflective of existing research, and my own experience. The first theme that became obvious was that each of the participants viewed their clients as being aware and having knowledge of physical abuse, but often lack such awareness and knowledge when it comes to other types of abuse. Participant #1 said: They know that physically, definitely

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physical is not right... they are not always aware. That verbal abuse is actually what it is... The one that floors me the most is sexual abuse. There is lots of women who do not know that thats sexual abuse... so they have that psychological concept, but its not nearly as strong as the physical. (Personal Communication, October 13, 2011) Participant #2s view was: I think there is an assumption that abuse is simply physical... And a lot of women come not thinking that they are in an abusive relationship. Especially when we start talking about financial abuse. (Personal Communication, October 14, 2011) Participant #3 reported: They are thinking if they are being beaten up, kicked or hurt physically speaking, if they have bruises, thats enough for abuse. They dont realize that there is also emotional, psychological abuse... Also they dont realize about the financial abuse... They dont know anything sometimes about the spiritual abuse when not allowed to participate or practice religious or spiritual beliefs... So they have a really low understanding of what abuse is. (Personal Communication, October 17, 2011) Finally, Participant #4 said: So I think with the women, it would be the physical abuse that they feel thats more, almost have to say the main one that they see. Would be the physical abuse... So I think the ones that do come through here, they are not very aware. They dont have knowledge about it. (Personal Communication, October 17, 2011) These four pieces of narrative data all speak to a theme, that women are fairly well aware of physical abuse, but lack knowledge of other types of abuse over all. Outlaw (2009) discusses how even within scholars and research, there is a lack of knowledge when it comes to non-physical violence and that until non-physical abuse is seen as equally important as physical abuse, it will suffer from being looked at as secondary in importance. In my personal experience, I remember always being quite aware that physical abuse was abuse. However, when it came to non-physical types of abuse, I can relate to the narratives of the women in this research, that I did not know that they were actually abuse. I did a practicum at Harbour House Womens Shelter ten years ago, and that was the first time that I was made aware and able to recognize the numerous types of non-physical violence. The next theme that emerged from the data was that from the view of my participants, abused women view physical abuse as more damaging than non-physical abuse. This is reflective in research, as Outlaw (2009) explains that non-physical forms of abuse are claimed by victims to be the worst of the abuse and having a more devastating effect on them as compared to physical abuse. For myself, I also found that non-physical forms of abuse had a greater impact on me. I felt that physical abuse was temporary, where the effects of non-physical abuse were more impactful and took many years to overcome.

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In regards to this, Participant #1 said: I have heard women say they can beat me all they want, but when they call me, you now, beep beep beep, that hurts more than any beating. (Personal Communication, October 13, 2011) When asked if women consider physical or non-physical abuse to be more damaging, Participant #2 said I would say physical abuse. (October 14, 2011) Participant #3 said: Well, I think its mostly emotional. Thats the one that they realize the biggest... they also sometimes would tell you saying, okay bones will heal, scars will disappear... but they want... these emotional problems which we combine emotional and psychological in one, because its causing the same effect. So they realize that thats most difficult. (Personal Communication, October 17, 2011) The emotional abuse I would say they take that as the most scarring too, was stated by Participant #4. (Personal Communication, October 17, 2011) Finally, a third theme that emerged was that non-physical abuse is less supported, not as recognized and harder to prove than physical abuse when it comes to society recognizing violence. Participant #1 states: The non-physical isnt quite like I said before, its harder to prove. (Personal Communication, October 13, 2011) Participant #2 explains: Its easy to jump behind, you know, to jump behind a shelter thats providing assistance for a woman who comes in with bruises and black eyes and... its harder for society to understand the non-physical aspect... We dont wear that on our sleeves. We dont have a big sign on our back that says, Im being verbally abused. Or financially abused or emotionally abused. When youve got a black eye, people recognize that. But when youve got bruises on the inside, its a bit harder to recognize. (Personal Communication, October 14, 2011) Additionally, Participant #3 states: Unfortunately, the physical abuse is one that they (society) recognize most. Because if they are having a fight, theyve been putting down that if they call police... they wont do anything about it. Because theres no physical evidence. And thats what theyre looking for... See attacking, see hurting you. Unfortunately thats one of the things they give more attention to... they go here for what they see. (Personal Communication, October 17, 2011) This theme follows the first one, in that even among researchers and scholars, there is a lack of awareness of the non-physical types of abuse, which creates an overall perception of these abuses as secondary (Outlaw, 2009). In my personal experience, I have found that when it comes to abuse, the police and court systems are looking for evidence of physical abuse before they will accept or recognize that abuse has taken place. They want to see pictures or physical evidence. It is much harder to prove other types of abuse such as emotional or psychological abuse for example. In my own divorce hearing, I had my counsellor of six years describe me as having met the description of a woman who had been in an abusive relationship. This was not

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enough to be considered evidence of non-physical abuse. I feel at a loss of knowing how this can be proven and recognized. Methodology Analysis Charmaz (2000) in Mills, Bonner & Francis (2006) advise that with an emphasis on keeping the researcher close to the participants through keeping their words intact in the process of analysis, Charmaz has striven to maintain the participants presence throughout. (pp. 7) While processing my data, I was cognizant of keeping my participants words intact, as advised by Charmaz. I appreciate this approach, as it feels as though the participants are given a voice, and that the data is truly reflective of meaning and not overshadowed by the researchers own views or values. In my data analysis, I included my participants interview data, as well as my own experience, and research as well. Charmaz (2006) in Ghezeljeh & Emami (2009) explains how constructivist grounded theory data analysis involves data being constructed through observations, interactions, and materials that the researcher has gathered about the topic or setting. (pp. 19) I would like to have included more research; however, this was difficult, as the very reason for doing this research is because of the gap in research that exists. Constructivist grounded theory is one that strives to minimize any hierarchical or power imbalances between researcher and participant, and encourages the researcher to take a nonjudgmental stance toward participants and resist any urge to assign values to participant responses (Mills, Bonner & Francis, 2006). From the first steps, of choosing my interview questions, my participants and my locations, I felt that striving for a feeling of equality between me and my participants was important. I let them guide me through where they would like to be interviewed, and developed rapport prior to the interviews. I made sure that there was a connection and mutual respect. I feel that this was successful, as I had an offer for a practicum placement by one participant, and an invite to a cultural event by another. Constructivist grounded theory recognizes that researchers have several selves, and that for research they engage in to be passionate and sustainable, the research should be of much concern to one of those selves. This passion can be problematic if it blinds the researcher to aspects of data or the way data is filtered. It is suggested that researchers be aware of where they stand on their area of interest and how it can influence them personally, emotionally and intellectually. (Mills, Bonner & Francis, 2006) As I have mentioned, I have passion and personal experience on the topic at hand.

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However, I feel that I am in a place where I can take that passion and use it in a positive way, without letting my own experience hinder the research process. I make sure that I have taken care of myself over the years, and similar to my career as a counsellor, did not take on such an endeavour until I felt that I was in an emotional and mental capacity to be able to be handle it. Limitations Mills, Bonner & Francis (2006) state that the interview becomes the site for the construction of knowledge, and clearly the researcher and informant produce this knowledge together, and interviews are not neutral, context-free tools for data collection. Rather, they provide the site for active interactions between two people leading to results that are both mutually negotiated and contextual. (pp. 9) I feel that for this research to be in-line with the constructivist grounded approach that I would have needed to worked more closely with my participants in the data analysis component of the project; however circumstances did not allow for this. I also would have preferred for my interviews to be less structured, with more opportunity for generation of ideas and theory together with my participants. I feel that this missed opportunity was a great limitation to the qualitative research. The requirements for this research assignment was to interview practitioners in my field of interest. Although I feel that the women I interviewed provided genuine reflections of the abused womans experience, I believe the data gathered would have been truer to real life experience had I been able to interview abused women themselves. Also, this assignment required that I interview four participants. I feel that this was a small sample size. Although this was a great experience and introduction into interviewing and research, I feel that for the research to be reliable and valid, that a larger sample size would be required. Summary and Conclusion The results gained from these interviews and data analysis are consistent with research, that there is a lack of knowledge by both women and society in regards to different types of abuse, particularly non-physical types. Each of my participants voiced their belief that women have a lack of knowledge when it comes to non-physical types of abuse. Yet, once they are informed and made aware, that they actually recognize that the non-physical violence they have experienced is more damaging to them than the physical abuse. My participants also voiced concern that abused women experience difficulty in society recognizing them as abused, unless they can show physical signs of abuse. This is

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disheartening to know, as little support can be gained for women experiencing the damaging effects of non-physical violence. The constructivist grounded theory approach was an excellent approach to take with this topic. I felt that it fulfilled my goals to be able to give voice to the subject matter. It also gave the opportunity for generating themes from the narratives of my participants. Keeping narratives intact enabled the coding and data analysis to be a true reflection of the themes that emerged. I believe that future research should continue with this approach. However, I believe that the interviews should be conducted on abused women themselves in order to be a true reflection of their experience. Also, I think that participants should be involved in the data analysis, particularly in more interviews and generation of theory. Overall, this assignment was an excellent first opportunity at conducting interviews and being immersed into the complexity of choosing appropriate methodology and interviewing. Future research would allow more time for several interviews over time, where further steps in coding can take place and compared with each other. As well, I would like to further research this approach, in order to find more direct and practical steps toward data analysis and coding. If possible, I would also like to find more research relating to this topic, despite the gap in knowledge and research, in order to provide strength to the data analysis and results, as is important to the constructivist grounded theory approach.

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References Allen, M. (2011). Violence and voice: Using a feminist constructivist grounded theory to explore womens resistance to abuse. Qualitative Research, 11(23), 23-45. doi: 10.1177/1468794110384452 Beaulaurier, R.L., Seff, L.R., Newman, F.L. & Dunlop, B. (2007). External barriers to help seeking for older women who experience intimate partner violence. Journal of Family Violence, 2007(22), 747755. doi: 10.1007/s10896-007-9122-y Coker, A.L., Smith, P.H., McKeown, R.E., & King, M.J. (2000). Frequency and correlates of intimate partner violence by type: Physical, sexual, and psychological battering. American Journal of Public Health, 90(4), 553-559. Ghezeljeh, T.N. & Emami, A. (2009). Grounded theory: Methodology and philosophical perspective. Nurse Researcher, 17(1), 15-23. Hays, D. & Wood, C. (2011). Infusing qualitative traditions in counseling research designs. Journal of Counseling & Development, 89(summer), 288-295. Hunter, A., Murphy, K., Grealish, A., Casey, D., & Keady, J. (2011). Navigating the grounded theory terrain: Part 1. Nurse Researcher, 18(4), 6-10. Michalski, J.H. (2004). Making sociological sense out of trends in intimate partner violence: The social structure of violence against women. Violence Against Women, 10(6), 652-675. doi: 10.1177/1077801204265018 Mills, J., Bonner, A., & Francis, K. (2006). Adopting a constructivist approach to grounded theory: Implications for research design. International Journal of Nursing Practice, 12(2006), 8-13. doi: 10.1111/j.1440-172X.2006.00543.x Mills, J., Bonner, A., & Francis, K. (2006). The development of constructivist grounded theory. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 5(1), 1-10. Outlaw, M. (2009). No one type of intimate partner abuse: Exploring physical and non-physical abuse among intimate partners. Journal of Family Violence, 24(2009), 263-272. doi: 10.1007/s10896009-9228-5

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Appendix A Qualitative Research Interview Questions 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. What aspect of your background has led to your current career? What are the highlights of your day to day position at work? What are the lowlights of your day to day position at work? What types of barriers are women facing when they are seeking help with this agency? What type of knowledge do the majority of women have about the different types of abuse when they first come to this agency? 6. What if any difference to women consider to be more damaging, physical or non-physical abuse, and why? 7. What is the experience women have with society recognizing physical versus non-physical abuse?

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Appendix B Qualitative Research Assignment: Interview Transcripts Interview #1 Researcher Thank you for doing this interview. I have seven questions to ask you. The first one is: What aspect of your background has led to your current career? What aspect of my background? Personally? Personally or professionally. Well I can tell you that at sixteen, I wanted to work with abused kids. And that passion never changed. I got married and had two children. Decided to go to college and my first practicum, I told them I wanted to work here. And I never left. Your first practicum was here? My very first practicum was here. And I have never left. I love my job. I love working with children. I like meeting the people that I meet. Everybody is absolutely phenomenal. They are... their life stories are sometimes devastating, but the courage to live them is amazing. Okay. Thank you. What are the highlights of your day to day position at work? Um, I would have to say the clients. Just sitting with them. I mean, some days are really hard. You know, yesterday I ended up having to take a woman to the hospital because she was not wanting to live anymore. And just being able to sit with her and talk. And the next thing we know, were laughing. And then shes crying. And just being able to support her through her life. And through her story, her journey. I think that just feeds me. Okay. And what would be the low lights of your day to day position? Um, Im going to really have to be honest and Im going to say paperwork. If it wasnt for paperwork, Id have a lot more time to spend with the people. The children. Makes sense. Okay. What types of barriers are women facing when they are seeking help with Participant #1

Okay

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this agency? I would say addictions. We for obvious reasons, have a no tolerance policy here. And we know that you cope with things in many, many, many different ways. And addictions is one of those coping methods. And we cant have anybody come intoxicated on any kind of substance, and be here. They can have addiction issues here, they just cannot use here. And you know, with addictions, thats not always a day to day decision that you can make. You know, and so that would be a huge barrier for people. Um, space. Theres lots of times were full, and we have to turn people away. And people that need the service. They dont nearly have enough beds to accommodate how many people we need. However, we do try to refer them out to other agencies that can help them. But theres barriers in that as well. I mean if you are being abused in Lethbridge, you have a job, to go outside of Lethbridge to seek safety, its difficult and you have a job. Transportation is an issue for a lot of women. And the city is really difficult to choose between safety and work. Thats hard. And if you have children, you cant go to a homeless shelter. So were the only shelter here. If you dont have family and friends that are stable or supportive, youre really hooped. And thats hard. Thats hard for us to have to turn them away, and thats hard for them to say can you please call me? Our space can open up in an hour. It could open up in three days. So its really hard. Okay. What type of knowledge do the majority of women have about the different types of abuse when they first come to this agency? Im going to say that they know. They know that physically, definitely physically is not right. Um, it depends on the situation, but I mean, if youve grown up all your life with people verbally abusing each other, they are not always aware. That verbal abuse is actually what that is. Somebody can call you whatever, you know, and thats just normal. The one that floors me the most is sexual abuse. There is lots of women that do not know that thats sexual abuse. And I would say like society, most women know what physical abuse is. Its just not right, and thats the one thing they know the most. They know that it feels bad when people call you down, and they get sick of that. So they have

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that psychological concept, but its not nearly as strong as the physical. That actually leads into my next couple of questions. What, if any difference do women consider to be more damaging, physical or nonphysical abuse, and why? Ive heard women say they can beat me all they want, but when they call me, you know; beep beep beep, that hurts more than any beating. And Ive heard the opposite as well. I would really, and its really hard for me to be able to answer that from a victims perspective, because its... they are both very damaging. And I would say that we hear more about psychological verbal when they come in, than we do about the physical. The physical also implicates society, the police can charge a lot easier. With evidence of physical, right? So theres lots of times depending on where that relationship is, and how that woman, you know, where she is in that process of change, whether or not she even wants to mention the physical part of it. Because that can implicate her partner. And if anything happens, he could be charged. Everybody in society knows that you can bully somebody or call them down all you want and nobody can really prove that. But it doesnt take away the hurt. And so we definitely hear more about that than we do the physical. But... so I would have to say that that would be dependent on their lives. Again, it goes on with the last question, which is: What is the experience women have with society recognizing physical versus non-physical abuse? We are getting women coming into the shelter that have been charged. So we have a domestic violence situation where police are coming into the home, and hes got scratches, and shes got nothing, and hes saying that she did that. She has no physical bruising on her at that point. So she might be being charged. Or they both have bruising, and they are both charged. So we do know that in domestic violence cases, you get to that point... victim, man or woman, where you have all you can take. Some choose to act out. Some choose just to leave. Weve gone as far as hearing about homicides. And so we never really know. Where that breaking point is going to be. So I would say that physically, its more damaging. The non-physical isnt quite like I said before, its

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harder to prove. But you can pretty much bet, and of course this is evidence-based, based on stories, right? That all of the other non-physical stuff leads up to the physical. Especially if a woman is acting out after shes had enough. So does that answer your question? Yes. Thank you.

Interview #2 Researcher Okay, so what aspect of your background has led to your current career? Participant #2

Uh, to my current career. Well I worked in nonprofit for approximately eight years before I came to Womanspace. I worked for Volunteer Lethbridge for about six years doing their public relations and marketing. But also working with independent agencies. So they have a collection of non-profit agencies within the city, at the time it was about sixty five or seventy eight different agencies. And working with the individual agencies, I got to know a lot about what was available within the community in terms of resources for all people in the community. Getting involved with Womanspace specifically, it was of interest more than anything. Okay. So what they stand for? What the organization stands for as well as what the program was that they were just starting at the time. I had been out of the work field for a couple of years due to health reasons, and decided it was time to come back into the work force and found out that they had just gotten funding. So I was interested in the project as a volunteer and started initially as a volunteer. And the financial literacy program was initially intended just to be information sessions, group sessions. And what we realized fairly quickly is that there needed to be a lot of work, one on one work with the clients. And thats where I ended up coming on board as doing individual one on one work with clients, with regards to finance and what happened is when you pull the string of financial issues, a lot of other things fall out. Its never just the one. Its never just about money, there are many factors that can lead a woman into the financial position that shes

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currently in. So as a result, I often would have women divulging things to me in my office that they hadnt to people before. Okay. What are the highlights of your day to day position at work? Highlights are when I have a woman in my office who feels like theres... shes knocked on every door possible, that she has done everything that she knows to do, and feels that shes getting nowhere. And I can help her. And she walks out of the office feeling better than when she came into the office. And in better shape whether thats financially, housing, whatever the case. Making that impact in the life of a woman and lots of time a woman with children, thats where I get excited. Okay. What are the low lights of your day to day position at work? Um, the frustrating... the most frustrating aspect of my job is because we are non-profit, and because we do not have charitable status, funding. Its a major issue. And so a large part of my time is consumed with trying to find the resources to keep us going. In order for us to have our doors open, to be able to assist the clients, but my time is limited. So its frustrating that time that could be used assisting the clients is taken up trying to find money to keep the lights on. What types of barriers are women facing when they are seeking help with this agency? What type of barriers have they faced up until they come to my agency? Yeah. Or during. There are racial barriers without a doubt. There are discrimination based on economic standing in the community. There are barriers to simply being a woman in the community. Issues with housing, trying to find affordable housing is a huge barrier for our clients. And identification is a huge barrier as well. If someone has left an abusive relationship, one of the control issues that the abuser does is he will destroy the womans identification and all of her childrens identification. Because that is an expensive proposition. Not only cost wise, but time wise in order to replace. And lots of times we have women who simply dont know where to start. Either finding that starting point is very difficult for a lot of women. So those are pretty significant

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barriers. Okay. Id never heard that about the identification. Its a big one. Big, big, big. Okay. What type of knowledge do the Could I just... with regards to identification, it is such a huge barrier. Especially when it comes to child tax or anything like that. If the child has been in someone elses custody for a period of time, in order for you to get the children back into not only your custody, but in order for you to start receiving the child tax benefits again, you have to prove that that child was in your custody for whatever period of time. And that can be very, very difficult. Especially if you dont have identification. That can be very, very difficult. So I.D. is really the key to many things. Okay. What type of knowledge to the majority of women have about the different types of abuse when they first come to this agency? I think there is an assumption that abuse is simply physical. And a lot of women come not thinking that they are in an abusive relationship. Especially when we start talking about financial abuse. Ive had a client who, very middle class, upper middle class family, really didnt think anything of the fact that she had no control financially. That he controlled everything. He gave her money to do grocery shopping. It was never an issue, because if she needed money, she would ask him for money, and he would give her the money. But when they separated, this became a huge issue. Because it was at that point that she realized the situation that she was in. Because up until that point, it just simply wasnt an issue. A lot of times in relationships, there is a division. Theres just kind of a natural division that takes place over time. One partner does, you know, x y and z, and the other partner does a b and c. And that was what she viewed as a natural division in her household. But what she realized upon the separation is that that was a form of abuse. Because he had all of the control, all of the say. And how do you leave a situation if you have no resources? Its very, very difficult. Okay. What, if any difference, do women consider to be more damaging? Physical or non-physical abuse, and why? I would say the non-physical abuse. And the

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reason I say that is because oftentimes Im dealing with clients who are just now coming to terms with abuse that happened decades ago. Ive had a client who was set to participate in Take Back the Night and was totally engaged in what the night was about, was a bit apprehensive about public speaking but had no issues with the evening. And comes from two very, very abusive relationships. And about a couple of weeks before Take Back the Night she decided that she wasnt ready to speak publicly, which was perfectly understandable. What surprised her and I both is that she didnt come to the event. Which really kind of took me aback because she was all about what Take Back the Night is about. And I spoke to her after, and what she said to me is the day of the event, I realized that I couldnt come, because I was so busy since fleeing the abusive relationships because it was from one into another, and then she has been single since the last abusive relationship, but from fleeing the abusive relationship, what she realized is she was so focused on getting her kids through it, that she herself hadnt come to terms with what has happened to her in her past. And that was a big Ah Hah moment for her. That, you know, not its her turn. Now its her turn to take care of herself. What is the experience women have with society recognizing physical versus non-physical abuse? Its easy to jump behind, you know, to jump behind a shelter thats providing assistance for a woman who comes in with bruises and black eyes and... its harder for society to understand the non-physical aspect. Or, you know, trying to deal with it twenty years after the fact. Because its not in your face, right? People deal with a lot of things that you just simply have no knowledge of. You know, the person sitting across the table from you, you know at a conference could look from all appearances to have her groove and have no issues. And you would never think shes a survivor of abuse or is currently being abused. We dont wear that on our sleeves. We dont have a big sign on our back that says, Im being verbally abused. Or financially abused or emotionally abused. When youve got a black eye, people recognize that. But when youve got bruises on the inside, its a bit harder to recognize.

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For sure. Okay, that was my last question. Done, done. Thank you so much. Interview #3 Researcher What aspect of your background led to your current career? Participant #3

Well I came through YWC in 1992. I came as a client. I was a victim of domestic violence. So when I realized that this place was still intact, it really helped me a lot. And at that time I didnt speak English well. I was just learning. A few classes, and then I realized that there were a couple of staff that were English/Spanish speaking. So they helped me a lot. And also I have child youth care that at some point helped with domestic violence. Thats why I felt this was the best career for me. Having personal experience really helped. Yeah. What are the highlights of your day to day position at work? Well Id have to say its just dealing with the people. With the clients mostly females. And learning about the lives and how we can help them. And when we are able to connect them with the right resource, and they will have the help that they need, it really fulfills you and gives you a very good personal satisfaction to know that they are in the right place. Ill give you an example. We have five numbers with Lethbridge Housing Authority. We call the main numbers a lot so we can provide those numbers to our women. So the last client I connected she was very happy. She used to be a Harbour House client. At the womens shelter, and then she was able to get into this program. So that means for one year, they will get the help from rent subsidy. And just to know how happy she was and how thankful, she was made me really happy. Those are some of the highlights that I have. Yeah, okay. And what are some of the low lights of your day? When we find out that clients lie. Okay. Thats very common. We found out in different ways when we realize the information that someone is giving us. And if they are sometimes clients from the shelter, we are able to see if this information is accurate or not. Because we can

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enter the information in our system. Or when we help someone in the court and they give us here, when we have the victim awareness situation its for people who want a job. They need the police between them... she and her partner. So they give us that story. And when we call to our meetings, the domestic violence actions team, and they read what happened. The statements, its always a big, big difference. So just, thats one of the ones that we get frustrated. But, you have to go on. Yeah. Okay. Thank you. What types of barriers are women facing when they are seeking help with this agency? Uh, mostly the financial help. A lot of them, sometimes they try to get family and we try to reach out government with dependents. But it is difficult to get. Its not always easy to get help. Especially for women who are working. So not having a job because they dont have enough skills. And the government expects them to have a job in three months. If they dont have a job, they will be cut off from the program. So thats really difficult for them. Their lack of skills. Which program is that? With immigration government. For independence. One of the problems they have, they dont have good skills. They dont have enough education, so thats when they are having a hard time finding that the help that they need. Okay, thank you. All right, what type of knowledge do the majority of women have about the different types of abuse when they first come to this agency? Uh, I used to work in the shelter. I worked with there in immigration for five years. So a lot of it they dont realize theres different kinds of abuse. They are thinking if they are being beat up, kicked or hurt physically speaking, if they have bruises, thats enough for abuse. They dont realize that there is also emotional, psychological abuse. And so we start explaining to them. Also they dont realize about the financial abuse. Waiting for something on their end to work. Or if they work, they dont control the money. Their partner controls the money. They dont know anything sometimes about the spiritual abuse when not allowed to participate or practice religious or spiritual beliefs. So they have a really low

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understanding of what abuse is. Okay. Great. Thank you. What if any difference do women consider to be more damaging. Physical or non-physical abuse, and why? So whats the difference? Whats the difference in how damaging they consider it to themselves? Physical abuse more damaging or is non-physical? Well, I think its mostly emotional. Thats the one that they realize biggest... they also sometimes would tell you saying, okay bones will heal, scars will disappear, with surgeries and stuff, but they want... these emotional problems which we combine emotional and psychological in one. Because its causing the same effect. So they realize that thats the most difficult. And thats when we refer them to see counsellors or therapists. Which has to be somewhere close and we have names in the system we can refer them to. Thats the one most difficult for them to deal with. A lot of low self-esteem and decision making, they have lack of confidence. Definitely. Last question, what is the experience women have with society recognizing physical versus nonphysical abuse? My experience or their experience? Just women in general, I guess. Maybe big picture. What your view is about... when it comes to society, is... what is the experience women have with society recognizing abuse? Well, they deal mostly with police because they are now the charges. Because they are ashamed to accept that theyve been abused. So when the police come and they make those decisions for them, they are having a hard time accepting that thats really happening. So thats what most of the time they ask us to drop the charges. I think society is accepting more. Its just that people are having... still have a hard time accepting having to charge someone else. And thats what they are having a hard time. For example our program has a domestic violence action team. A group that we have with the court. We join together and were trying to help more victims come through court. So they see that they have support and they dont want also, the court trying to get people in the system. So if you want to drop the court charges, you have to learn about abuse first. Once you

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learn what abuse is, then we can talk. And we can decide with a police officer who will make mostly a statement about the history of the person with the attacks. But I think our society is accepting more. Its just that the victim is still having a hard time trying to accept it... talking to someone about it. Okay. The way I see it. Like a couple of systems that you recognized were the police, the law enforcement system and also the court system. So what do you think is... like a womans experience going into those systems? With them recognizing her as being abused in a physical way or a non-physical way? Is there a difference? Is one recognized more? Yeah, unfortunately the physical abuse is one that they recognize the most. Because if they are having a fight, theyve been putting down that if they call the police... they wont do anything about it. Because theres no physical evidence. And thats what they are looking for. Women having a hard time. So that could be definitely one of the things they said. If you need something, well we have to see evidence. See attacking, see hurting you. Unfortunately thats one of the things they give more attention to. And thats sometimes I say to the ladies when they tell me about something. You know what? They go here for what they see. Now for how you feel, what happened, they... they are very black and white. So we have to work together and have to see what else has he been doing. He has been doing to you that is affecting you. So we go to different questions to make sure okay, is there any other abuse that you are suffering from? And when we do, for example, we have an abuse checklist. And if they are okay for us to go through, then we ask them a bunch of questions. And then we can show them, okay, see how many questions have for physical. How many questions you have for emotional, and emotional is a big, big list. But unfortunately its mostly about what they see. Thats the problem. Yeah, okay. All right. Thats the end of my questions.

Interview #4

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Researcher So my first question is what aspect of your background has led to your current career?

Participant #4

Actually it would be I guess my own personal experience in background dealing with domestic violence. I was a victim of domestic violence myself. So just having that first hand knowledge, that experience and getting through that. Made me want to choose this career and this path. Dealing specifically with Aboriginal women. And becoming a role model for them and helping them to... I guess to break free of that cycle of abuse too. And know that there is a possibility out there. Okay. Thank you. What are the highlights of your day to day position at work? It would be dealing with the women. I guess doing the case management. And dealing with them one on one. And just seeing the rewards. Like seeing a person walk through our doors and be at the lowest time in their life, and then actually seeing their success throughout. Just being able to reach out and have access to all the resources. And then seeing the progress that theyve made and just seeing them leave with the different outlook on life. And so again, its the one on one that... thats my highlight. Okay, and what would be the low light of your day to day position? I guess everything... I would have to say youd have to be really well... and not bringing, like youd have to be... I think the barriers that I would see is having women come in and not having that trusting relationship. So I think having to build that at the beginning is really important. Its very critical. And then just seeing that thats one of the biggest barriers. So just having to break through and build that trusting relationship and that rapport with them, that would kind of be the barrier. But that takes time. Okay. My next question has to do with barriers. What types of barriers are women facing when they are seeking help with this agency? The types of barriers would be, we do get a number of clients referred to us from the local... the reserves surrounding Lethbridge. So that would be Peigan Nation, also the Blood Tribe. So I think the types of barriers that they would face would be the lack of resources out there. Having

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access to a telephone, fax machines, I guess the basic lack of resources out there and transportation. So what were doing is helping them to alleviate that where were actually bringing our services out there as well. So its going out to the reserves advocating for them. Funding would be one where it would be... our residents and our referrals do have to pay a rent and the damage. So thats one of the barriers that theyve faced. But weve kind of made it easier for them where I advocate and actually speak as a third party on their behalf to whoevers going to be providing funding for them. So thats the barrier and I think that they would see and just the lack of being... I guess them having access to our services. Its the communication I think out there on their behalf. And their lack of knowledge too. And then being able to reach out. Thats a really big step for them. Okay. What types of knowledge do the majority of women have about the different types of abuse when they first come to this agency? So the types of knowledge that they have? What do they know about the different types of abuse. The physical and the non-physical types. Like emotional, physical, mental, sexual. I dont really... The majority of our clients that have come through our doors have really had... I think to them it would kind of be a norm... to having come through our doors, bringing that awareness to them, and I guess giving them that knowledge about the differences and different types of abuse whether that be verbal, physical... but bringing that awareness to them, letting them know that it all falls under domestic violence too. So basically I think their knowledge would be next to none almost. So, I think to them its just kind of where theyve kind of accepted it as the norm too. And learned behaviours too. So I think the ones that do come through here, they are not very aware. They dont have any knowledge about it. Until we bring it to them. What, if any difference, do women consider to be more damaging? Physical or non-physical abuse, and why? I think at the beginning, they dont really notice the emotional abuse to be more scarring. They see it as the... I guess the main one would be the

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physical abuse is what they see. So I think with the women, it would be the physical abuse that they feel thats more... almost have to say the main one that they see. Would be the physical abuse. But not until we bring that knowledge to them and they can self-determine which is more damaging to this whole. That would be the emotional abuse. So I think getting that understanding to them, they can identify themselves. So I think with their... Them not being knowledgeable about that, they see the physical abuse as the more... the emotional abuse I would say they take that as the most scarring too. What is the experience women have with society recognizing physical versus non-physical abuse? I dont really think... We network here in Lethbridge where we dont get referrals outside of the community where weve been in domestic violence. Because theres been more interim support of housing. We dont really deal with them... we dont really have the security. So we basically kind of refer to the YWCA. And then they get the twenty one days they do the domestic violence questionnaires with them. And I think once theyve dealt with that then they are referred to us. But were still dealing with it. So I think... I dont really think that a lot of their referrals have come from the... say the Blood Tribe, for instance, they dont really have any knowledge about it. And again it would be to them almost like a norm. And its just basically what they would hear from the surroundings. Say Standoff, their outreach services there, that knowledge, but I dont think its really being paid attention to. So, I guess kind of to be more specific, lets say when a woman has experienced abuse, shes trying to access services say, police services or the courts, what do you think their experience is of having those systems recognize physical abuse versus non-physical abuse? Okay... I dont get that really. So... say... I guess what I mean is lets say we take the court system. If a woman goes to court and shes describing her abusive relationship. In that system and possibly in society as a whole, what do you think is the perception of abuse? Physical abuse and then theres non-physical, so emotional, mental, sexual. Is there a difference in them being

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recognized by those systems? I think the main one, like you mean within society? I think the main one I think thats kind of something that they just dont talk about until they really have... until they are able to really build a trusting relationship with say a counsellor that they would... like I guess, share other types of abuse. I think one would be... and I guess speaking on behalf of some clients, but even for my own personal experience, that would have been a judgement and the trust. I think that would be... like dealing with it in society. I think that would be... its kind of like where the shame comes in. Where that plays a really big part, where... and then even comes with the self-esteem. And then being ashamed and actually being able to be more... I guess, being able to speak about it like in public too. Or like even going to the courts or whatever that may take. Theres that judgement too. Where you face it in society too. So I think thats why I think a number of individuals just kind of keep it quiet more or less. Or they are not as willing to speak up about it. Okay. All right. That was my last question.

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Appendix C Interview #1: Participant #1

Consent Form for Participation in a Qualitative Research Interview

As a learning assignment in the course, CAAP 6617, Research and Program Evaluation, students are required to conduct interviews with practitioners in their foci area. Information from the interviews will be transcribed, analyzed for resultant data and for class discussion purposes only. If there are any additional questions please contact the course instructor, Dr. Noella Piquette at 403.394.3954. To participate in the study, please read and note your agreement to the following terms: I understand that the time requirement for the interview is approximately 15 minutes. I give my permission for written notes to be made during the interview. Yes____ No____ I give my permission for the use of an audio or video recording device during the interview. Yes____ No____ I understand that I am free to terminate the interview at any time. I understand that I will have the opportunity to review the written summary. I understand that all information will be treated in an anonymous fashion. My name or any other identifying information will not be used in either the written summary or in class discussion. I understand that the results of the interview may be used for discussion purposes in a class with other students. I understand that only the instructor will see the written summary. I understand that all interview notes and/or tapes will be destroyed within one month of the course end date.

By signing this form, I am providing written consent to participate in the qualitative research interview and consent to the terms listed above.

________________________________ ___________________________________ Participant's Signature Date

________________________________ ___________________________________ Student's Signature Date

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Interview #2: Participant #2

Consent Form for Participation in a Qualitative Research Interview

As a learning assignment in the course, CAAP 6617, Research and Program Evaluation, students are required to conduct interviews with practitioners in their foci area. Information from the interviews will be transcribed, analyzed for resultant data and for class discussion purposes only. If there are any additional questions please contact the course instructor, Dr. Noella Piquette at 403.394.3954. To participate in the study, please read and note your agreement to the following terms: I understand that the time requirement for the interview is approximately 15 minutes. I give my permission for written notes to be made during the interview. Yes____ No____ I give my permission for the use of an audio or video recording device during the interview. Yes____ No____ I understand that I am free to terminate the interview at any time. I understand that I will have the opportunity to review the written summary. I understand that all information will be treated in an anonymous fashion. My name or any other identifying information will not be used in either the written summary or in class discussion. I understand that the results of the interview may be used for discussion purposes in a class with other students. I understand that only the instructor will see the written summary. I understand that all interview notes and/or tapes will be destroyed within one month of the course end date.

By signing this form, I am providing written consent to participate in the qualitative research interview and consent to the terms listed above.

________________________________ ___________________________________ Participant's Signature Date

________________________________ ___________________________________ Student's Signature Date

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Interview #3: Participant #3

Consent Form for Participation in a Qualitative Research Interview

As a learning assignment in the course, CAAP 6617, Research and Program Evaluation, students are required to conduct interviews with practitioners in their foci area. Information from the interviews will be transcribed, analyzed for resultant data and for class discussion purposes only. If there are any additional questions please contact the course instructor, Dr. Noella Piquette at 403.394.3954. To participate in the study, please read and note your agreement to the following terms: I understand that the time requirement for the interview is approximately 15 minutes. I give my permission for written notes to be made during the interview. Yes____ No____ I give my permission for the use of an audio or video recording device during the interview. Yes____ No____ I understand that I am free to terminate the interview at any time. I understand that I will have the opportunity to review the written summary. I understand that all information will be treated in an anonymous fashion. My name or any other identifying information will not be used in either the written summary or in class discussion. I understand that the results of the interview may be used for discussion purposes in a class with other students. I understand that only the instructor will see the written summary. I understand that all interview notes and/or tapes will be destroyed within one month of the course end date.

By signing this form, I am providing written consent to participate in the qualitative research interview and consent to the terms listed above.

________________________________ ___________________________________ Participant's Signature Date

________________________________ ___________________________________ Student's Signature Date

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Interview #4: Participant #4

Consent Form for Participation in a Qualitative Research Interview

As a learning assignment in the course, CAAP 6617, Research and Program Evaluation, students are required to conduct interviews with practitioners in their foci area. Information from the interviews will be transcribed, analyzed for resultant data and for class discussion purposes only. If there are any additional questions please contact the course instructor, Dr. Noella Piquette at 403.394.3954. To participate in the study, please read and note your agreement to the following terms: I understand that the time requirement for the interview is approximately 15 minutes. I give my permission for written notes to be made during the interview. Yes____ No____ I give my permission for the use of an audio or video recording device during the interview. Yes____ No____ I understand that I am free to terminate the interview at any time. I understand that I will have the opportunity to review the written summary. I understand that all information will be treated in an anonymous fashion. My name or any other identifying information will not be used in either the written summary or in class discussion. I understand that the results of the interview may be used for discussion purposes in a class with other students. I understand that only the instructor will see the written summary. I understand that all interview notes and/or tapes will be destroyed within one month of the course end date.

By signing this form, I am providing written consent to participate in the qualitative research interview and consent to the terms listed above.

________________________________ ___________________________________ Participant's Signature Date

________________________________ ___________________________________ Student's Signature Date

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Appendix D Confidentiality Agreement Transcription Services

I, ______________________________, transcriptionist, agree to maintain full confidentiality in regards to any and all video and/or audio recordings received from Dawn Beazer related to her qualitative research assignment on practitioners working with abused women. Furthermore, I agree: 1. To hold in strictest confidence the identification of any individual that may be inadvertently revealed during the transcription of audio/video taped interviews, or in any associated documents; 2. To not make copies of any audio or video tapes or computerized files of the transcribed interview texts, unless specifically requested to do so by Dawn Beazer; 3. To store all study-related audio and video tapes and materials in a safe, secure location as long as they are in my possession; 4. To return all audio or video tapes and study-related documents to Dawn Beazer in a complete and timely manner; 5. To delete all electronic files containing study-related documents from my computer hard drive and any backup devices. I am aware that I can be held legally liable for any breach of this confidentiality agreement, and for any harm incurred by individuals if I disclose identifiable information contained in the audio and/or video tapes and/or files to which I will have access. Transcribers name (printed)__________________________________________________________ Transcribers signature_______________________________________________________________ Date______________________________________________________________________________

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Appendix E Participants Participant #1 Lack of Knowledge Data They know that physically, definitely physical is not right... they are not always aware. That verbal abuse is actually what it is... The one that floors me the most is sexual abuse. There is lots of women who do not know that thats sexual abuse... so they have that psychological concept, but its not nearly as strong as the physical. I think there is an assumption that abuse is simply physical... And a lot of women come not thinking that they are in an abusive relationship. Especially when we start talking about financial abuse. They are thinking if they are being beaten up, kicked or hurt physically speaking, if they have bruises, thats enough for abuse. They dont realize that there is also emotional, psychological abuse... Also they dont realize about the financial abuse... They dont know anything sometimes about the spiritual abuse when not allowed to participate or practice religious or spiritual beliefs... So they have a really low understanding of what abuse is. So I think with the women, it would be the physical abuse that they feel thats more, almost have to say the main one that they see. Would be the physical abuse... So I think the ones that do come through here, they are not very aware. They dont have knowledge about it.

Participant #2

Participant #3

Participant #4

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Self-Evaluation This assignment was so much more work than I had anticipated. I completely underestimated the complexity of it, and what it would take to complete it. Although it was extremely difficult, I also felt extremely fulfilled by immersing myself in my first attempt at qualitative research. It is my desire to one day begin a career where I can do research that will focus on this particular area of interest. I would like to be able to do research that will be able to be used in social justice pursuits and make changes to policies and the way that women are viewed, and make their lives easier and more understood. I was very excited to find that these goals are best met by the constructivist grounded theory approach. Although I knew that I would not be able to fulfill all the stages and pieces of the approach, I was so excited to begin to immerse myself in the approach and begin to understand how to work through the understanding the methodology and data analysis. I feel that my strengths in this process were being able to identify themes in my data. I was very excited about this process and enjoyed it very much. Where I lacked ability was in realizing the time it would take to learn all that I needed to, to research all that I needed to, and how intertwined and complex the entire assignment would be. I feel confident though, that in the future I would have more time to work through each of these phases, and complete projects that are solid and fitting to the research topic and methodology I choose in the future. Mills, Bonner & Francis (2006) suggest memo writing as a reflective process that provides the researcher with the opportunity to remember, question, analyze and make meaning about their interviews with participants and the data that was generated with them. I did not do memo writing throughout this process. However, I do see the value in this process. I know that there were thoughts I had while doing my interviews that had I written them down, would have been beneficial

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to remember and strengthen my data analysis. In the future, I will ensure that memo writing is a step that I take in any qualitative research, from the beginning of the project until the end. Initially thought that my personal experience with domestic violence would have been a hindrance to this research. However, I was really encouraged by the fact that the approach I chose takes this into account, and recognizes that when used appropriately, the researchers personal experience can be a strength. I actually found it so valuable after my interviews to be able to share my research focus and personal experience with my participants. It created a whole new level of mutual respect and understanding. I can see how this could have been a huge benefit to future research, and working together with my participants in generating themes and theories.