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In the past year, the environment in which physical, sexual, and emotional abuse and violence against women and men has been transformed by the #MeToo movement. Victims’ allegations are being listened to and believed in ways they often were not prior to this collective cultural consciousness-raising. While this enhanced sensitivity to abuse is long overdue, change is still needed in recognizing the losses that victims experience when they are physically, sexually, and emotionally violated. It is a loss similar to those we typically recognize and to which we offer support and understanding.
In this month’s E-News Exclusive, a social work instructor discusses the disenfranchised grief experienced by abuse and violence survivors and how that grief must be acknowledged as real and in need of understanding and support like other losses.
We welcome your comments at SWTeditor@gvpub.com. Visit our website at www.SocialWorkToday.com, like our Facebook page; and follow us on Twitter.
— Marianne Mallon, editor |
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Intimate Partner Violence and Disenfranchised Grief —
Unrecognized Loss
By Lisa S. Zoll, MSW, LCSW
In 1989, Kenneth Doka introduced the concept of “disenfranchised grief,” which he defined as grief that either is not or cannot be openly acknowledged, socially validated, or publicly supported (Corr, 1998; Doka, 2002). Examples of disenfranchised grief include death and nondeath losses such as loss of a pet, perinatal losses, some elective abortions, loss of health, loss of stability, loss of innocence from abuse and neglect, infertility, grief experienced by children, suicide, murder, unintended drug overdoses, and loss of a relationship with a loved one who is not blood related (e.g., a boyfriend/girlfriend, extramarital lover, in-laws, or failed adoptions) (Gilbert, 2007).
As defined, disenfranchised grief can be closely linked to the losses related to intimate partner violence (IPV) that go largely unrecognized, unsupported, and unacknowledged. Victims’ grief is often kept invisible as they try to keep the abuse hidden. If we want to transform the social norms at the root of violence, we need to talk about it. According to Jennie Willoughby, “Society as a whole has a fear of addressing our worst secrets … Society as a whole doesn’t acknowledge the reality of abuse.” If the reality of IPV is not publicly supported, any losses created by the abuse are certainly not being acknowledged at the micro, mezzo, or macro levels of society (Hugstad, 2017).
Full Story » |
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Virtual Reality Brings Real-Life Relief
We’ve all enjoyed losing ourselves in a good book, but what if the story could change our lived experience? It may sound like science fiction, yet Andrea Stevenson Won uses a similar concept to study how virtual reality can treat real-life pain.
Virtual reality offers tantalizing hope as a way to relieve the anguish of physical and mental stress. For those dealing with acute pain, it can form a distraction for the mind. And for those suffering from trauma, it helps relive triggering situations in a supported way.
Won, an assistant professor of communication at Cornell University, directs the Virtual Embodiment Lab, exploring how physical and social interactions in mediated environments affect people’s perceptions. “I’m interested in the idea that you can transform your movements—see yourself doing something other than what you’re actually doing in real life—and this could help relieve chronic and acute pain,” Won says.
Read more » |
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LGBTQ Rights at Risk — With Protections Threatened, Advocates Seek Social Work Allies
Endangered LGBTQ rights require social work involvement. Read more »
Surviving Disasters — The Trail of Trauma, the Reach for Resilience
Social workers, social work students, and other mental health professionals continue to stand with communities devastated by last year’s natural disasters by treating trauma, assisting with resources, and supporting resilience and recovery. Read more » |
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Organizations Collaborate on Resources for Suicide Prevention in Schools
The Washington Post reports on new publications by coalitions of school and mental health groups that foster discussion on suicide prevention in schools.
Connecticut Recruiting LGBT Families to Foster and Adopt Children
According to PBS, Connecticut’s child welfare agency is actively seeking members of the state’s LGBT community to become foster and adoptive parents, unlike recent efforts in some states to prevent gay adoptions.
Study Shows Possible Link Between Male Depression and Infertility
The Chicago Tribune reports that a recent National Institutes of Health study suggests a link between depression in men and infertility, with the coauthors theorizing possible reasons as sexual dysfunction due to reduced libido or erectile dysfunction, a decrease in the frequency of intercourse, or a negative change in sperm quality. |
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