annotated bibliography of new zealand research into family violence

See: www.nzfvc.org.nz/13016.pubTopic Areas: Sexual abuse, Sexual assault/rape, Families, Gender, Cultural practiceAbstract: This article examines how feminism has helped to uncover sexual violence as aserious issue affecting women and children, but in doing so, has contributed to falseallegations of sexual abuse. Radical feminism views sexual violence as the ultimate power ofmales over females, so often the accusations of the claimant go unchallenged for fear ofrenouncing a woman’s experiences. Assumptions by practitioners working in the field ofsexual abuse can also lead to mistaken allegations of abuse. The author discusses thedamaging consequences of false accusations of sexual assault and abuse, particularly for thefamilies involved.Hager, D. M. (2001). He drove me mad: An investigation into the relationship between domesticviolence and mental illness. Unpublished master’s thesis, University of Auckland, NewZealand.See: www.nzfvc.org.nz/13180.pubTopic Areas: Intimate partner abuse, Women, Maori, Pacific peoples, Asian, Migrants,Gender, Mental health, Institutional violence, Social services, Intersectoral collaborationAbstract: This thesis investigates the relationship between the domestic violence that womenhave experienced, their subsequent feelings of being ‘crazy’, and the role of mental healthservices. Ten women with personal experience of domestic violence from their partners and20 service providers were interviewed. The data was analysed from a feminist perspective.Themes were identified and were analysed in accordance with phenomenological processes.The major finding from the research was that domestic violence drives women ‘crazy’ andthat the response of existing services was ineffective.Information from the literature and this study support the inference that there is a group ofwomen who are not only abused by their partners, but also experiencing severe mentaldistress. There are a range of services for women who have been abused by their partners andfor women who experience mental illness. However, at the intersection of these two issues,there appears to be a gap in understanding these women and providing effective responses.This research begins to fill that gap and the author makes recommendations to mental healthservices and public health services. A general recommendation is also made for there to bebetter responses to the needs of women, especially women who are abused and areexperiencing mental distress.Source: Author’s abstractHager, D. (2003). Domestic violence and mental illness: Is there a relationship? Incite: The MentalHealth Journal of New Zealand, 2(2), 24-34.See: www.nzfvc.org.nz/12998.pubTopic Areas: Intimate partner abuse, Psychological/emotional abuse, Women, Victims/survivors, Cultural factors, Gender, Mental health, Drug and alcohol abuse, Social services,Prevention/intervention/ treatment, Cultural practiceAbstract: This article discusses research findings which identify that women who are abusedby their intimate male partners also experience mental health symptoms and illness, some tothe extent of serious mental distress. The author explores the difficulty that these women havewith accessing services, such as women’s refuge, because they tend to exclude women withmental health or drug and alcohol issues. This paper derives from research carried out77