Osynlig(gjord) våldsutsatthet : Socialarbetares föreställningar om kvinnor med psykisk funktionsnedsättning och deras utsatthet för mäns våld i nära relation

Sammanfattning

Women with disabilities attempting to leave violent men in intimate relationships encounter significant knowledge gaps and inadequate interventions from welfare professionals. This leads to difficulties in both seeking help and receiving adequate support. Social workers often lack a comprehensive understanding of the causes of violence, resulting in these women and their unique situations being overlooked. By applying intersectionality, the complex dynamics surrounding violence against women with mental disabilities, including the lack of tailored support services, can be understood and highlighted. Through focus group discussions, the study aimed, from an intersectional perspective, to examine social workers' perceptions of how intimate partner violence affected women with mental disabilities and to identify areas for improvement in social work with women who experienced intimate partner violence. The main findings of this study suggested that a consistent trend was that the interviewees' discussions tended to reduce women's identities to stereotypical categories, diminishing their diversity and individual nuances. This could lead to increased marginalization and discrimination of women with mental disabilities, where women were rendered invisible by being placed on the periphery of the disability rights movement. Thus, the study illustrated examples of how norms and stereotypes about gender and disabilities could be constructed in discussions among social workers. The study's findings highlighted the need for a conscious and inclusive approach to address the challenges faced by women with mental disabilities regarding intimate partner violence.