“It's Not Something That I Realized Until I Started Working Here”: A Constructivist Grounded Theory of Knowledge Transmission in Victim Service Providers

Abstract

National estimates indicate that intimate partner violence (IPV) impacts people of all social demographics. Although IPV is a pervasive issue, LGBTQ+ individuals and heterosexual men note stark disparities in responses from victim advocates compared to heterosexual women. To highlight the influence of agency training on advocates’ perceptions of IPV and diverse survivor populations, interviews were conducted with victim advocates and constructivist grounded theory methods were employed. Analyses show that advocates undergo a three-phase process of learning about IPV when starting at their agencies. Advocate's narratives highlight limitations in training and the importance of workplace experiences in growing understanding of IPV.