Análisis de la adopción de la medida

Table 27

Emotional Experience of Young Adults while being Exposed to IPV as Reported by themselves (N=1046)

Broader category Emerging themes %

Never happened 33.2

Do not want to share 2.1

no response 8.9

General description of feelings Feel bad 54.5

Got hurt 47.1

Anxiety and stress Frightened/scared 19.9

Fear of separation between parents 3.2

Indifferent 2.4

Stress 26.0

Depression Helpless 24.9

Wanted to intervene but couldn’t 15.5 Wanted to die/suicidal ideation 8.9

Sadness 22.2

Sympathy/empathy for mother and anger/ contempt for father

Pity for mother 23.9

Anger for father/ 22.9

wanted to kill him 4.4

Dislike/felt disrespect for father 16.4 Conflicting emotions Feeling resentment at that time but I

love him too as he really loves me

6.9 Confused about how should I

feel/numbness

3.6 Cannot name my feelings/difficult to describe

7.2 Psychosomatic complains Headache, trembling, migraine,

condition like in fever, weakness, stomach upset, burden on brain

4.3

Feelings of shame, neglected and loneliness

Lonely 13.0

Feel ignored 8.6

Shame 33.3

Table 27 shows the emerging themes relating to the emotional experiences of young adults when they have been exposed to IPV. These themes have been grouped together into seven broader categories, i.e., general description of feelings, stress and anxiety, depression, sympathy/empathy for their mother and anger/ contempt for their father, conflicting emotions, psychosomatic complaints, and feelings of shame, neglected and loneliness. The majority of the responses reveal a general description of their feelings i.e., they felt bad (4.1%) and got really hurt feelings (47.1%). Thirty three percent of

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the participants mentioned experiencing feelings of shame ‘strongest of all was the

sense of shame….i was afraid that cousins will make fun of me for my daddy’s behaviour with mummy and us… made me very isolated’, (Case no. B-809 describing feelings of shame leading to depressive symptoms). Participants responses reflected the links between their feelings of shame and feelings of anxiety and depression.

‘Being very sad and I did cry. All the time I got upset about what will happen that if my friend (which lived in the neighbourhood) visited me at that time. That was too fearful and stressful that sometime I really felt my brain shaking in my head’ (Case G-437 showing symptoms of anxiety and anger for father).

Another significant category of emotions which was reported by a number of participants was ‘pity for mother and/or anger at father’ (23.9%). Some participants mentioned feelings of regret for having hatred for their father.

‘…I used to think that on getting older, I would beat my father the same way as he is beating my mother, rather I would kill him… but now I do not feel this way...he might be having some psychological problems which he showed in beating my mother…but I also love my father…I feel shame that I thought like that about him’ (Case G-51 showing conflict of emotions towards abuser).

Their descriptions clearly showed their experiences of conflicting emotions for their father - ‘At that time I did hate my father but only that time, when he was calling my mother names and pulled her hair. It was his typical way to show anger’ (Case. G- 437).

Stress, anxiety and symptoms of depression also appeared as an important category of emotions experienced by young adults affected by IPV. Participants reported having feelings of despair, helplessness, powerlessness and suicidal ideation - ‘It feels as if

this is not a home and I have been sent in a hell to live and there is no way out now’ (Case B-405 showing feelings of hopelessness).

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For some participants, not talking about the issue and not discussing their emotional experiences with anybody contributed to prolonging their depressive symptoms - ‘it

did really hurt me and I got really disturbed, frustrated, and angry but I did not express my feelings which ended up by me being depressed for days’ (Case G-249 showing symptoms of anxiety, stress and depression).

Table 28

Young Adults’ Reactions on beings Exposed to IPV as Reported by themselves (N=1046)

Broader category Emerging themes

Never happened 26.2

Do not want to share 2.6

No response 8.2

Passive reactions Did nothing 18.5

Silent 40.1

Denial 2.1

Avoidance and social withdrawal

Escape (going to other room/out of home) 21.3

Cry 24.9

Avoid going out because of shame 13.6 Turning to religion/ seeking

spiritual support

Pray to God 8.3

Mannat/sadqa 2.1

Low impulse control Become aggressive 7.4

Symptoms of depression Depressed (felt sad, hopeless, helpless, 8.9 Symptoms of anxiety could not focus on anything, same scene

gets repeat many times in mind

18.9 Ambivalence towards parents Confusion (whom side shall I take) 2.1

Self ashamed 7.4

Sympathy Console mother 11.5

Taking role Intervene (physically, shouting, try to divert their attention)

23.1

When asked about their reaction/response to IPV exposure, themes emerging from responses of the participants can be merged together into nine broader categories. A significant number of participants (58.6%) reported apparently ‘passive reactions’ like doing nothing and being silent in this situation. A related category of reactions was ‘avoidance and social withdrawal’ reported by many respondents –

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‘I cannot stop him as he is my father. So I simply go to my room and afterwards, when I face my mother, I try to pretend as if I have not seen anything and just do it to not to make her feel embarrassed’(Case B-870 describing reason for using passive reaction, avoidance and escape).

Gender differences appeared in the reactions in the IPV situation where male participants were likely to report going out of the home whereas females tried to escape by going into other rooms

‘I simply go out of home (being a boy I have this privilege) and come late. After that I talk to dad to keep himself cool. I can only do this because, at the time when he is angry, if I would say him something, he attacks me instead of mama…once in my life I shouted at him’ (Case B-467, showing avoidance reaction).

The next substantial category of reactions/responses related to taking a role in intervening in the IPV, where 23.1% of young adults reported having intervened in the situation. Most of these young adults described that as they grew up, they started to intervene more actively. This shows that age had intersection with how a child or young person might respond to the situation. Their responses reflected that they often felt responsible for their mothers and towards protecting their siblings from the harmful impact of exposure to IPV.

‘Feel really sad and sorry for mother. When I was young I could not do anything for her but now I talk to her, console her and ask her to forget that thing. Sometimes ask her to go to the market with me as I know she likes this’ (Case G- 289, showing consoling mother and an age-related pattern of changing response is also emerging indicating that with the passage of time young people could take roles).

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