Intimate Partner Violence in Rural and Northern Communities: A Canadian Perspective

Abstract

Over the past decade, research has largely focused on the type, frequency, and severity of intimate partner violence (IPV) incidents, and has also documented the significant long-term consequences associated with experiencing IPV. To date, a large proportion of research examining IPV in relation to geographical location has focused on urban centres, which cannot be generalized to non-urban areas due to landscape differences (Burke, O’Campo, & Peak, 2006). Furthermore, a small proportion of research has begun to explore the complexities associated with living in rural and northern regions; however, the bulk of these studies span international contexts, and thus, cannot be generalized to a Canadian context (e.g., Beyer, Wallis, & Hamberger, 2015; Zakar, Zakar, & Abbas, 2016). Therefore, although important contributions have been made to increase our understanding of IPV in rural and northern communities, research examining this important topic within a Canadian context is limited (Moffitt, Fikowski, Mauricio, & Mackenzie, 2013; Wuerch, Zorn, Juschka, & Hampton, 2019; Zorn, Wuerch, Faller, & Hampton, 2017). This community-based research expanded on two previous studies, entitled “Canadian Domestic Homicide Prevention Initiative with Vulnerable Populations” and “Rural and Northern Community Response to Intimate Partner Violence,” which were funded by SSHRC and SSHRC/CURA, respectively. The purpose of the current investigation was to: (1) explore the challenges that service providers face when supporting survivors of IPV in rural and northern communities, (2) explore the barriers that survivors of IPV face when seeking refuge in rural and northern communities, and (3) identify helpful and/or promising practices being implemented within geographically diverse regions in Saskatchewan. Thus, semi-structured, qualitative interviews were completed with 16 services providers from rural regions and 16 service providers from northern regions within Saskatchewan, Canada. Data collection and analysis was guided by thematic analysis as recommended by Braun and Clarke (2016) through a phenomenological lens (Pietkiewicz & Smith, 2014). Six overarching themes were identified for rural communities, including Root Causes of IPV, Barriers to Leaving IPV Relationships and Accessing Services, Areas in Need of Improvement and Change, Working with Indigenous Peoples, Promising Practices in Rural Communities, and Overall Perception of Work as a Service Provider. In addition, six overarching themes were identified for northern communities, including A Cycle of Disadvantage, Barriers to Leaving IPV Relationships and Accessing Services, Areas in Need of Improvement and Change, Concern about Court Structure and Police Services, Promising Practices in Northern Communities, and Overall Perception of Work as a Service Provider. Higher order themes and subthemes were further identified for the overarching themes. The knowledge gained from the current research will be used to enhance, inform, and improve the effectiveness of national services and the allocation of funding to support survivors of IPV in rural and northern communities within Canada.