Date of Award
5-2025
Document Type
Dissertation
Selected Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Nursing
Department
Nursing
School
School of Nursing and Health Sciences
First Advisor
Judith James-Borga
Abstract
Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is an increasing public health issue worldwide and is predominantly committed by males against females. One in every three women worldwide has experienced IPV (World Health Organization [WHO], 2024). The Pan American Health Organization studied IPV in 12 Latin American and Caribbean countries (Bott et al., 2019), and the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago was included. At the inception of this study in 2018, the prevalence and effect of IPV, though captured in the media by Fraser (2014) and others, were recognized as a widespread monumental problem in Trinidad and Tobago. However, it appeared to be underrepresented in the data of the Domestic Violence Hotline, the Judiciary System, and the National Family Services Division in 2016 and 2017. The sparse results from the research databases from 2017 to 2024 indicated that women's experience with male-on-female IPV in Trinidad and Tobago was not sufficiently researched, resulting in a gap in the knowledge. This knowledge gap was the impetus for this study, in an attempt to bridge the gap.
Objective: The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to understand the lived experiences of women subjected to male-on-female intimate partner violence (IPV) in Trinidad and Tobago. In understanding this phenomenon, insight will be gained into the problem of male-on-female IPV in Trinidad and Tobago. The insight gained from the findings of this study can help develop policies and strategies for the prevention and management of the IPV problem and add to the research library on IPV in Trinidad and Tobago. Method: This study used a hermeneutic phenomenological approach, guided by the philosophical framework of Heidegger and Merleau-Ponty and van Manen's methodological methods to best capture and understand the lived experiences of these women. Nine participants were interviewed. The researcher analyzed the data manually, resulting in 25 emerging themes condensed to produce six essential themes defining the phenomenon.
Results: The research question is: What is the lived experience of women who have experienced male-on-female intimate violence in Trinidad and Tobago? The findings indicated that the lived experience of IPV for this group of women living in Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) was an ongoing manifestation of the multidimensional nature of distress, coercive control, and visceral responses they endured. The participants in this study experienced ambivalent support from family, law enforcement, and the healthcare system as they navigated life within their environment. They adopted ways of coping with the situation until they arrived at a turning point. At this point, a change or diversion from their life course was necessary for their survival and the safety of their loved ones. The findings of this study indicated that male-on-female IPV is a public health problem in Trinidad and Tobago, supported by cultural and social norms. The lack of support from family members and social systems delayed the women’s escape from IPV.
Related Pillar(s)
Study
Recommended Citation
Greenidge, Lyris Antoinette, "THE LIVED EXPERIENCE OF WOMEN WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE IN TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO" (2025). Theses & Dissertations. 217.
https://digitalcommons.molloy.edu/etd/217
