Nurse's support to the victims from the Domestic Violence with consideration of the sense of incongruity experienced during the supporting process

Abstract

　This study was to clarify the thought of nurses, who encountered DV victims in their works. The study was done by analyzing the sense of incongruity during the nurses' attendance to DV victims. The nurses' utilization of their experiences and knowledge on the "incongruity" was examined by semi-structured interviews based upon a modified Grounded Theory Approach.

　Nursing staff members try to conduct early intervention that is appropriate for a DV victim's condition. However, a gap between the ideal intervention and reality is caused by their own inexperience, and insufficient cooperation from other medical staff members leads to a sense of incongruity. Nursing staff members attempt to overcome the situation within the limited conditions at hand. Victim co-dependency on their assailants and passive attitudes often stress nursing staff members who are involved in DV support. Additionally, the hopeless situation increases the sense of incongruity. The study also found that conflict about corporation with other professionals was a serious issue in DV victim support. In such a situation, self-criticism and criticism from other professionals increased the sense of incongruity that nurses feel, but their introspection can lead to considering the other's position and improve understanding. When DV nursing staff members understood their own sense of incongruity, internal support shifted such that all medical staff members could respect the positions of one another.