Pastoral Care for Intimate Partner Violence: An Examination of Attitudes and Behaviors

Domestic violence or intimate partner violence (IPV) is willful intimidation, physical assault, battery, sexual assault, and other abusive behaviors. They are utilized as a part of a systematic pattern of power and control perpetrated by one intimate partner against another. Domestic violence can affect anyone, regardless of social status, how they identify themselves, or how others identify them. Religious affiliation is no exception to these abusive exploits; however, your spiritual practices may aid in the recovery and escaping IPV. This dissertation addressed the ministerial process of counseling congregants victimized by intimate partner violence. At the same time, examining the attitudes of those in pastoral leadership positions, the proposed training required to support IPV victims adequately, and the beneficial resources provided. The literature review is an accumulation of pertinent information anchored in a feminist theory whose framework is augmented with theological or biblical support. The proposed quantitative research used a cross-sectional study of the correlational strength between categorical variables and the relational effect of statistical tests employed to test competing hypotheses: the null and alternative hypotheses. A Multiple regression analysis addressed the following research questions: What is the relationship between the attitudes toward IPV and the level of assistance provisions for IPV victims among pastoral care leaders? What is the relationship between IPV training, knowledge of resources, service awareness, and the level of assistance provisions for IPV victims among pastoral care leaders?