Perpetrator programs play a crucial role in addressing domestic violence by focusing on abuser accountability and victim safety. However, unintended consequences are overlooked in the literature. The lack of research on this topic may inadvertently increase risks to some women, as perpetrators may exploit these programs to perpetuate their regime of coercive control. To fill this gap, this paper answers the following research question: “What are the unintended consequences of perpetrator programs for victims of coercive control and their children?” This paper draws upon the results of an exploratory study conducted in the Canadian province of Quebec. That study sought to better understand the experiences of nine women (N = 9) who experienced coercive control and whose current or former partners have enrolled in a perpetrator program. Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with the participants. Thematic analysis of the qualitative data found the following unintended consequences: fostering a “false sense of hope”; increasing anger and resentment, potentially leading to intensified violence and control; instilling a sense of superiority; equipping perpetrators with new skills; and providing them with a report or certificate that could be used as “evidence” of change. These findings are discussed through the lens of women’s and children’s safety, as well as perpetrators’ pattern of behavior. Since the findings presented in this paper carry significant implications for the well-being of abused women and their children, the authors call for standardized accreditation, partner contacts, and heightened vigilance in monitoring program outcomes.

This study examines the non-linear process of leaving violent dating relationships among young Iranian immigrant women in Canada. Using a qualitative design, semi-structured interviews with 17 participants were analyzed via reflexive thematic analysis. Framed by Collins' Matrix of Domination, the research explores how intersecting social divisions shape the leaving trajectory. Findings reveal that aggressors' coercive control tactics are instrumentalized through cultural scripts of honor, community surveillance, and a transnational distrust of legal institutions. The study concludes that systemic barriers within the migration context complicate relationship termination, necessitating culturally grounded support strategies.

This article presents findings from a study that investigated children’s and young people’s experiences and perspectives on post-separation father-child contact in the context of domestic violence. It focuses on children’s and young people’s participation in child protection and child custody proceedings. It draws upon data that were gathered through individual interviews with children and young people who had experienced domestic violence., who were recruited through social media and with the assistance of partner organizations, including domestic violence shelters. In total, 19 individual interviews were conducted, and at the time of the interviews the participants were between the ages of 5 and 17 years old. Twelve participants identified as girls, five participants identified as boys, one participant identified as non-binary and one participant did not report any gender identity. Data analysis followed a thematic analysis approach, combining to pre-identified as well as emerging categories. The pre-identified categories included the four components of Lundy’s (2007) model of participation. According to Lundy (2007), the following four elements are required to ensure children’s and young people’s meaningful participation in decision-making processes: Space, voice, audience and influence. These four elements were also identified in the participants’ accounts, and the research findings provide a detailed understanding of what these elements mean for children and young people who have experienced domestic violence. The research findings also highlight how professionals involved in child protection and child custody proceedings (social workers, psychologists, police officers, lawyers, judges, etc.) can either facilitate or hinder children’s and young people’s participation. Moreover, the findings identify a fifth element that is required to ensure children’s and young people’s meaningful participation in child protection and child custody proceedings: Information. According to the research participants, access to information is also essential to ensure children’s and young people’s participation. implications for practices with children and young people are also highlighted.

This paper examines the methodological approach from a doctoral research project based on an ethnography conducted with children and young people living in shelters for domestic violence. Guided by the principles of critical social work research, this study was co-constructed in partnership with a feminist umbrella organization representing shelters across the province of Quebec, Canada. This collaboration ensured that the research had meaningful outcomes for both theory and practice. In this paper, I discuss how methodological and theoretical decisions worked to reduce power imbalances throughout the research process, emphasizing the critical role of interpersonal relationships in data collection. Drawing on feminist care theory (Brannelly and Barnes, 2022) and principles of feminist intervention in shelters (Côté, 2017), I highlight the importance of play, adopting a "least adult" posture (Mandell, 2003), supporting the mothers and a child-centered approach to establishing connections and navigating traditional power dynamics. This approach enabled a deeper understanding of the children's and young people's lived experiences in shelters. The findings suggest that research with children and young people necessitates adapting traditional research methods to better align with their realities. This requires critical reflection and proactive actions - such as thoughtful methodological and theoretical choices - to address power imbalances between adult researchers and child participants.

Contraceptive interference alters contraceptive use, impacting not only sexual and reproductive health but also intimacy and well-being, particularly for emerging adults. Using a feminist and emotion work approach, this study analyzes semi-structured interviews with 17 women, trans and non-binary people (ages 17-23). It identifies four targeted contraceptive methods and highlights how partner-imposed constraints led to unprotected sex, fear of pregnancy or STIs, and diminished contraceptive autonomy. While some participants developed mistrust toward cis men, others reclaimed agency post-relationship. The study underscores the need for greater attention to contraceptive interference in sex education and healthcare to address its broader relational and emotional consequences.

This study was part of a larger research project, which investigated post-separation violence, father-child relationships and children's participation in child custody and child protection proceedings. It was funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, and it was approved by the University of Ottawa's Research Ethics Board. This article presents findings from a secondary data analysis. The data were initially gathered through two independent studies conducted in Quebec. The final sample for this study included 23 custody evaluation reports, which had been produced in the context of family court proceedings, in cases where there had been domestic violence. A feminist critical discourse analysis was conducted using NVivo. Overall, the research findings reveal that children's voices have been marginalised in the family evaluation process, as the evaluators gave little or no consideration to the children's wishes and feelings in their reports. In some cases, children's wishes and feelings have been dismissed and seen as irrational, particularly when the evaluators have concluded that they had been influenced by their mothers' alienating behaviours. The research findings also show that family evaluators tend to interpret what children's needs are with little or no consideration to their perspectives, wishes and feelings. These research findings raise important questions regarding custody evaluators' understanding of children's experiences in the context of domestic violence, and the place that is given to their voices in this process. The findings will be discussed in relation to children's rights and the International Convention on the Rights of the Child.

This article presents key findings from a scoping review, which answers the following question: What is the state of knowledge on children’s experiences, perspectives and participation in the context of domestic violence? The scoping review focused on articles published in academic journals between 2009 and 2020. A five-stage process was followed (Arksey O’Malley, 2005), using Covidence software to manage the data. The review included 34 articles. Most studies were conducted in European countries, and most authors were from the fields of social work and psychology. All selected articles used qualitative methods to collect data directly from children. We identified three main themes (addressed in at least 20

Reproductive coercion (RC) is a gender-based form of violence intended to control or interfere with the reproductive autonomy of people with the capacity to become pregnant. It includes contraceptive sabotage, pregnancy pressure, and control of pregnancy outcomes. Although RC is examined mainly in intimate relationship contexts, it is not limited to them. We used an adapted critical ecological approach from a feminist perspective to explore how direct and indirect interactions between the interpersonal, community, and societal environments, all of which are shaped by cultural and social norms, can undermine contraceptive and reproductive autonomy. We used a sequential multimethod research design that included a quantitative cross-sectional survey. In the first phase, a total of 427 individuals aged 29 years on average (M = 29.01; SD = 6.64) completed an online survey that contained quantitative measures of RC and intimate partner violence. Among the respondents, 33 provided answers to an open question to share RC experiences. In the second phase, a different convenience sample of 33 participants underwent individual qualitative interviews. We conducted a descriptive analysis of the quantitative data in SPSS 27 to determine the prevalence of each RC type. We independently coded the qualitative data from the open-ended question and individual interviews using NVivo 12. The findings improve the understanding of RC occurrence at different ecological levels as well as interactions between the levels. Interpersonal level. Many participants reported RC perpetuated by intimate partners or their entourage, mainly mothers-in-law and mothers. Entourage members use various strategies: psychological, spiritual, and emotional violence and control or financial extortion. In intimate relationships, the results show overlaps between intimate partner RC and violence: RC frequently occur in situations where their partner uses fear and/or control. Community level. The participants felt that healthcare workers (e.g., physicians, nurses) contributed to undermining their reproductive autonomy by withholding information about contraceptive methods, pressuring them to choose certain methods over others, or refusing to perform tubal ligations. Societal level. Reproductive autonomy is limited by the narrow choice of male contraceptive methods, overresponsibilisation of individuals who can become pregnant for the fertility control, lack of insurance coverage for certain contraceptive methods, and access barriers to reproductive services. We need to better understand the contexts in which RC occurs to respond appropriately to this social and health issue. Changes are needed across levels to create environments that facilitate and promote reproductive health and autonomy.

Children and young people living with domestic violence experience one or more stays in domestic violence shelters. This article presents findings from a study that investigated the experiences and perspectives of French-speaking children and young people on domestic violence, with a focus on their time in domestic violence shelters in Québec and Ontario (Canada). The findings presented in this article are based on data collected through 25 semi-structured individual interviews conducted with children and young people who had experienced domestic violence and had received services from a shelter. The participants were aged 7 to 18, with 16 participants identifying as girls and 9 identifying as boys. Thematic content analysis was conducted using NVivo. The theoretical framework guiding this study is the new sociology of childhood. The research findings highlight the importance of listening to children’s and young people’s voices to understand their recovery process, showing that their stay in a shelter was a key element in this process. Living in a violence-free environment and being able to play without fear helped create a sense of normality, which played an important role in their healing process. Practitioners and policymakers should not underestimate the positive role that shelters can play in the recovery process for children and young people living with domestic violence. Being free from violence, feeling safe, empowered, and involved in decision-making can significantly contribute to their recovery.

La prévalence élevée des violences sexuelles en milieu d’enseignement supérieur (VSMES) et leur sous-signalement sont bien documentés. Or, nous avons peu d’informations récentes sur l’expérience vécue des personnes qui signalent des VSMES à leur université et dans quelle mesure les services ou ressources de l’établissement répondent à leurs besoins. La présente étude vise à mieux comprendre les expériences de personnes ayant subi des VSMES et ayant signalé la situation à leur établissement; elle éclaire particulièrement sur les éléments facilitants et les contraintes durant leur parcours de signalement. L’échantillon compte 22 personnes francophones provenant de sept universités canadiennes, dont 18 personnes étudiantes. La notion de soutien social ressort comme un élément central et transversal en ce qui concerne tant les éléments facilitants que les obstacles. Dans les témoignages, le soutien ne relève pas exclusivement des équipes d’intervention mandatées par les universités pour l’accompagnement des personnes victimes; le soutien est à envisager tout au long du parcours de signalement, car il implique une pluralité de ressources universitaires, dont les services étudiants. Concernant les obstacles, les plus fréquents sont ceux faisant référence aux dimensions organisationnelles ou structurelles de l’université et à la perception négative de la réponse institutionnelle, soit deux enjeux pour lesquels les établissements disposent d’une marge de manœuvre en vue d’améliorer les services de soutien. Les résultats appuient des propositions pour améliorer les pratiques actuelles d’accompagnement des personnes touchées par ces violences, ainsi que les formations destinées à l’ensemble de la communauté universitaire.

The high prevalence of sexual violence in higher education institutions (SVHE) and its underreporting are well documented. However, recent data remain scarce regarding the lived experiences of individuals who report SVHE to their university and to what extent the institution's services and resources meet their needs. This study aims to better understand the experiences of individuals who have reported SVHE to their institution and highlights the factors that facilitate or hinder the reporting process. The sample consists of 22 French-speaking participants from seven Canadian universities, including 18 students. The notion of social support emerges as a central theme across both facilitating factors and barriers to reporting. In participants' accounts, support is not exclusively the responsibility of the intervention teams designated by the institutions to support victims; rather, support should be considered throughout the reporting process because it involves a range of university resources, including student services. Regarding obstacles, the most frequently reported barriers relate to organizational or structural aspects of universities and the negative perception of institutional responses, two areas over which institutions have significant leverage to improve upon. The findings inform recommendations to improve and enhance current support practices for individuals affected by sexual violence, as well as training initiatives aimed at the broader university community.

Background Recent advances in digital and wearable technologies with artificial intelligence (AI) enable the use of continuous cough monitoring (CCM) to objectively monitor symptoms as surrogate markers of treatment efficacy in pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB). The objectives of this study were to describe the evolution of cough during PTB treatment in adults and to assess the feasibility of community-based CCM. Methods We prospectively enrolled PTB adult participants upon treatment initiation. Participants' coughs were continuously monitored during 6 months with a smartphone loaded with an app able to detect cough by using an AI algorithm. Results 22 participants were included. The median (interquartile range (IQR)) age was 28.5 (22-42) years and 62% were male. The median (IQR) coughs per hour (medCPH) was 11.0 (7.0-27.0) at week 1. By the end of the intensive phase of PTB treatment at week 8, the medCPH was 3.5 (1.5-7.0), which was significantly lower than the medCPH at week 1 (p=0.002). At week 26 (end of treatment), the medCPH was 1.0 (1.0-2.5). The adherence to CCM was high during the first 13 weeks of PTB treatment and then waned over time. The adherence was similar during daytime and night-time. Conclusion Cough counts rapidly drop during the intensive phase of PTB treatment and then slowly decrease to a low baseline level by the end of the treatment. Community-based CCM using digital technology is feasible in low-resource settings but requires evaluation of alternative approaches to overcome adherence issues and technical limitations (mobile internet and electricity availability).

Background:Computer-aided detection (CAD) algorithms for automated chest X-ray (CXR) reading have been endorsed by the World Health Organization for tuberculosis (TB) triage, but independent, multi-country assessment and comparison of current products are needed to guide implementation. Methods:We conducted a head-to-head evaluation of five CAD algorithms for TB triage across seven countries. We included CXRs from adults who presented to outpatient facilities with at least two weeks of cough in India, Madagascar, the Philippines, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, and Vietnam. The participants completed a standard evaluation for pulmonary TB, including sputum collection for Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra and culture. Against a microbiological reference standard, we calculated and compared the accuracy overall, by country and key groups for five CAD algorithms: CAD4TB (Delft Imaging), INSIGHT CXR (Lunit), DrAid (Vinbrain), Genki (Deeptek), and qXR (qure.AI). We determined the area under the ROC curve (AUC) and if any CAD product could achieve the minimum target accuracy for a TB triage test (≥90% sensitivity and ≥70% specificity). We then applied country- and population-specific thresholds and recalculated accuracy to assess any improvement in performance. Results:Of 3,927 individuals included, the median age was 41 years (IQR 29-54), 12.9% were people living with HIV (PLWH), 8.2% living with diabetes, and 21.2% had a prior history of TB. The overall AUC ranged from 0.774-0.819, and specificity ranged from 64.8-73.8% at 90% sensitivity. CAD4TB had the highest overall accuracy (73.8% specific, 95% CI 72.2-75.4, at 90% sensitivity), although qXR and INSIGHT CXR also achieved the target 70% specificity. There was heterogeneity in accuracy by country, and females and PLWH had lower sensitivity while males and people with a history of TB had lower specificity. The performance remained stable regardless of diabetes status. When country- and population-specific thresholds were applied, at least one CAD product could achieve or approach the target accuracy for each country and sub-group, except for PLWH and those with a history of TB. Conclusions:Multiple CAD algorithms can achieve or exceed the minimum target accuracy for a TB triage test, with improvement when using setting- or population-specific thresholds. Further efforts are needed to integrate CAD into routine TB case detection programs in high-burden communities.

Cet article présente une analyse de données secondaire réalisée à partir de 68 récits de vie de femmes ayant vécu des violences et des situations d’itinérance dans leur parcours de vie. Il se penche plus spécifiquement sur différentes tactiques de contrôle déployées par des partenaires intimes en contexte post-séparation, lesquelles ont eu pour effet de détériorer les conditions de vie de femmes. Les résultats illustrent : 1) les violences économiques perpétrées durant la relation intime et qui se sont poursuivies au-delà de la rupture pour maintenir le pouvoir sur les femmes, telles que les tactiques de contrôle des finances, des biens et des conditions de vie, 2) le harcèlement et les différentes stratégies pour priver les femmes de leur liberté en contexte post-séparation, 3) la manipulation exercée auprès des enfants et autour des enjeux liés à la garde de ces derniers et 4) la diffamation et les atteintes à la réputation des femmes afin d’étioler leur réseau de soutien, de réduire leurs possibilités d’emploi et de les disqualifier de certains rôles sociaux. Cet article offre différents repères afin de rendre visibles diverses stratégies coercitives et leurs effets sur les conditions de vie des femmes qui subissent des violences.

Prolonged exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is a known risk to respiratory health, causing chronic lung impairment. Yet, the immediate, acute effects of PM2.5 exposure on respiratory symptoms, such as cough, are less understood. This pilot study aims to investigate this relationship using objective PM2.5 and cough monitors. Fifteen participants from rural Madagascar were followed for three days, equipped with an RTI Enhanced Children’s MicroPEM PM2.5 sensor and a smartphone with the ResApp Cough Counting Software application. Univariable Generalized Estimating Equation (GEE) models were applied to measure the association between hourly PM2.5 exposure and cough counts. Peaks in both PM2.5 concentration and cough frequency were observed during the day. A 10-fold increase in hourly PM2.5 concentration corresponded to a 39% increase in same-hour cough frequency (incidence rate ratio (IRR) = 1.40; 95% CI: 1.12, 1.74). The strength of this association decreased with a one-hour lag between PM2.5 exposure and cough frequency (IRR = 1.21; 95% CI: 1.01, 1.44) and was not significant with a two-hour lag (IRR = 0.93; 95% CI: 0.71, 1.23). This study demonstrates the feasibility of objective PM2.5 and cough monitoring in remote settings. An association between hourly PM2.5 exposure and cough frequency was detected, suggesting that PM2.5 exposure may have immediate effects on respiratory health. Further investigation is necessary in larger studies to substantiate these findings and understand the broader implications.

Drawing upon multiple case studies, this article examines how parenting double standards are reproduced in situations where women who have experienced domestic violence have been seen as 'alienating' mothers, while the men who have perpetrated the violence have been seem as 'good' or 'good enough' fathers. In total, 25 cases studies were conducted with women who had experienced domestic violence, had at least one child and had been perceived by at least one professional as 'engaging in parental alienation' at some point within the previous 5 years. Each case study involved at least one semi-structured interview with the woman and the analysis of relevant documents, including family evaluation reports, child protection reports and court decisions. These double standards were identified when the mothers' and the fathers' behaviours and circumstances had been measured or evaluated using a different set of principles. The research findings reveal different main manifestations of parenting double standards, which relate to the parents' credibility and the parents' past and personal histories. Moreover, the fact that the parents talk to the children about the other parent is perceived differently when mothers and fathers are doing it. Professionals also reproduce double standards when they minimize and the justify the parents' 'inappropriate' behaviours and when they consider the parents' help-seeking strategies.

S’appuyant sur une recension des écrits et sur l’expérience d’une équipe de recherche, cet article souhaite porter un regard à la fois critique et renouvelé sur l’évaluation des situations de violence conjugale et l’intervention auprès des familles dans les services de protection de l’enfance et de la jeunesse. Pour ce faire, il mettra d’abord en évidence les principaux défis et problèmes dans les pratiques d’intervention auprès de ces familles, à partir de recherches canadiennes et internationales sur le sujet. Par la suite, l’article contextualisera l’émergence du modèle « Protection des enfants en contexte de violence conjugale » (PEVC), un modèle novateur qui vise le renouvellement des pratiques dans le champ de la protection de la jeunesse. Enfin, il se penchera sur les quatre principes d’intervention du modèle et mettra en lumière en quoi ces principes proposent un important changement de paradigme dans l’intervention auprès des enfants et des familles en situation de violence conjugale.