“No Matter What I Did or What Decision I Decided to Make, It Just Felt Like It Was Wrong”: Women’s Accounts of Stigmatizing Memorable Responses to Intimate Partner Violence from Informal Support Networks

Many women in intimate relationships with violent partners often report facing stigma related to intimate partner violence (IPV), which typically includes blame, shame, discrimination, loss of status, dismissal, or isolation. Researchers studying IPV and stigma have yet to examine the content of stigmatizing messages from informal support networks, which may resonate with women for an extended period - memorable messages - and contribute to the persistence of their adverse outcomes. To address this gap, this qualitative study explored the content of memorable stigmatizing messages in the accounts of twenty-eight women affected by IPV living in the United States. Conducting a reflexive thematic analysis of their accounts, we identified five themes: "regardless of what happened," "you should be okay," "you need to leave," "there is something wrong with you," and "you are lying." Our analysis of the "regardless of what happened" messages highlights the ideologies they reinforce and the anticipatory exclusion function of memorable messages. The messages under other themes reinforce various misconceptions about IPV and the women who experience it. We offer recommendations for health practitioners on how to help women counteract the lasting impact of stigmatizing memorable messages related to IPV, along with the ideologies and misconceptions these messages perpetuate.