Psychosocial Health and Self-Care among Advocates who work Against Gender-Based Violence

258 Pages·2017·2.16 MB·English

by  Ebru Cayir

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Theses and Dissertations
2017
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Ebru Cayir
University of South Carolina
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Cayir, E.(2017). “An Uphill Battle”: Psychosocial Health and Self-Care among Advocates who work Against
Gender-Based Violence in South Carolina. (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from
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“AN UPHILL BATTLE”: PSYCHOSOCIAL HEALTH AND SELF-CARE AMONG
ADVOCATES WHO WORK AGAINST GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE IN SOUTH
CAROLINA

by

Ebru Cayir

Doctor of Medicine
Istanbul University, 2006

Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

For the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in

Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior

The Norman J. Arnold School of Public Health

University of South Carolina

2017

Accepted by:

S. Melinda Spencer, Major Professor

Deborah Billings, Committee Member

Alyssa Robillard, Committee Member

DeAnne K. Hilfinger Messias, Committee Member

Cheryl L. Addy, Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School
© Copyright by Ebru Cayir, 2017
All Rights Reserved.
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DEDICATION
I dedicate this work to feminist activists everywhere, who work against the
current to make this world a better place for everyone.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
It takes a village to complete the rewarding but long, challenging journey to a
doctoral degree. Leading the village, there was my committee chair Dr. Mindi Spencer.
Thank you for always encouraging me to engage in research that is touched by people’s
lives. Thank you for supporting me in dreaming, thinking, and questioning further. Your
kindness, passion for mentoring, and willingness to explore uncharted territory have
helped me to grow as an independent researcher. Dr. Deborah Billings, thank you for
setting a wonderful example of how to weave social science into life as a feminist activist
scholar. Your guidance has been essential to my understanding of the research context,
and the stories that advocates who work towards eliminating gender-based violence
shared with me. I would like to also thank Dr. DeAnne K. Hilfinger Messias and Dr.
Alyssa Robillard, for their support and unique contributions to this research. Dr. Messias
kindly met with me even during the busiest times, welcoming my questions about the
exciting and messy process of data analysis. Thank you Dr. Robillard for your critical
feedback which helped me to uncover the complexities of the study participants’
experiences. I am ever grateful to have worked with four committee members who value
and engage in social justice-oriented research. It is with their support that I was able to
complete this dissertation which gives me a great sense of pride. I want to thank Rebecca
Williams-Agee, for helping me establish strong relationships with the community
partners, for her insights, and her enthusiasm about this research.
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I would like to thank my parents who always believed in me, and continued to
support me even after I took my quest miles and miles away from home. Many thanks to
my colleagues and friends from Club 311, for their camaraderie. Finally, infinite thanks
to my husband, my biggest cheerleader Mike, you have been my sky, my music, my
ultimate refuge during the happiest and toughest times. I could not have done this without
your smile and unwavering support. Also, I cannot forget Leia, the sweetest canine in my
life, a.k.a. Dark Chocolate Cupcake! Thank you for always reminding me to be present,
take walks, and notice the birds on the patio.

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ABSTRACT
Gender-based violence (GBV) is one of the most pressing public health and
human rights issues in the United States overall, and more specifically, in South Carolina
(SC). SC consistently ranked among the highest in the nation in terms of female homicide
rates. Non-profit organizations (NPOs) that focus their work specifically on GBV
constitute an essential component of prevention and mitigation efforts in SC. Advocates
who work for GBV-specific NPOs experience a wide range of psychosocial health and
well-being benefits and risks due to their work. This study aimed to: 1) Identify the
relationships between engaging in paid GBV-specific advocacy and psychosocial health
and well-being within the political, social, economic, and cultural context of SC, and 2)
Understand the organizational processes that influence self-care practices among
individuals who engage in paid GBV-specific advocacy. I conducted semi-structured
interviews with 25 GBV-specific advocates who work for NPOs in SC. I used
Constructivist Grounded Theory in coding and analyzing the data. I was also guided by
Standpoint Theory, and Feminist Intersectionality in exploring the GBV-specific
advocacy experiences of the participants. Major themes that relate to the organizational
factors shaping psychosocial health and well-being of the advocates included:
management and leadership style, interpersonal relationship dynamics, and culture of
self-care. Work experiences of the advocates were shaped by their social location (i.e.,
race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual identity). Advocates of color, and queer, gender
non-conforming, lesbian advocates experienced tokenism and negative stereotypes in
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their organizations. I also found that unique characteristics of the southern culture,
including patriarchal values, religious norms, and conservative gender roles influenced
advocates’ work experiences, and how others received their work. GBV-specific NPOs
need to acknowledge their responsibility related to supporting psychosocial well-being
and self-care practices among their staff members, and develop collective self-care
practices that incorporate the specific perspectives and needs of the advocates. In
addition, employing organizational strategies that uncover and combat hidden stereotypes
and biases is required to create an inclusive and diverse workplace culture.
Keywords: Gender-Based Violence; Advocacy; Psychosocial Health; Non-Profit
Organizations; Organizational Self-Care; Qualitative Interviews

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
DEDICATION ........................................................................................................................ iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................ iv
ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................... vi
LIST OF TABLES .....................................................................................................................x
LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................................................. xi
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................1
SPECIFIC AIMS ...........................................................................................................6
SIGNIFICANCE............................................................................................................8
PREVIEW .................................................................................................................10
CHAPTER 2: BACKGROUND ..................................................................................................11
AN IMPORTANT PUBLIC HEALTH PROBLEM: GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE ...................11
GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE IN SOUTH CAROLINA .....................................................15
DEFINING ADVOCACY ..............................................................................................24
GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE-SPECIFIC ADVOCACY, PSYCHOSOCIAL HEALTH AND
WELL-BEING ............................................................................................................25

GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE-SPECIFIC ADVOCACY AND SELF-CARE ...........................29
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK ....................................................................................32
CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS ....................................................................39
OVERVIEW OF RESEARCH DESIGN ............................................................................39
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SAMPLE AND RECRUITMENT PROCEDURES ...............................................................42
SETTINGS .................................................................................................................45
DATA COLLECTION PROCEDURES .............................................................................46
DATA MANAGEMENT ...............................................................................................50
DATA CODING AND ANALYSIS .................................................................................51
DATA QUALITY ........................................................................................................54
CHAPTER 4: RESULTS ...........................................................................................................57
MANUSCRIPT 1 - “THE ONLY WAY WE’LL BE SUCCESSFUL”: ORGANIZATIONAL
FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE PSYCHOSOCIAL WELL-BEING AND SELF-CARE AMONG
GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE-SPECIFIC ADVOCATES .................................................57

MANUSCRIPT 2 - WORKING AGAINST GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE IN SOUTH
CAROLINA: AN ANALYSIS OF RACE, ETHNICITY, GENDER, AND SEXUALITY IN
ADVOCACY ...........................................................................................................128

CHAPTER 5: DISCUSSION ....................................................................................................197
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS .........................................................................................197
STUDY STRENGTHS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH ............................206
STUDY LIMITATIONS ..............................................................................................207
CONCLUSIONS .......................................................................................................209
REFERENCES ......................................................................................................................210
APPENDIX A: INTERVIEW GUIDE .........................................................................................239
APPENDIX B: CONSENT FORM .............................................................................................244

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