Premarital Counselors As Key Figures for the Identification and Referral of Women Who Have Experienced Intimate Partner Violence and Sexual Abuse

Background and Purpose: Informal helpers can identify women victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) and sexual abuse (SA) and refer them to professional help. One of these figures in Israel is the premarital counselor for women provided by the Ministry of Religion. The guidance focuses on Jewish laws concerning marital life and often includes counselling relating to the couple relationship. This platform can serve as a safe zone for revealing IPV or SA in the relationship with the current partner or in the past.

The current study aimed to examine the tendency of premarital counselors to help women who were identified as victims of IPV or SA by 1. referring them to professional help (social workers), and 2. adapting the premarital guidance to address these issues. A set of independent variables were hypothesized to be associated with these two outcome variables, i.e.: personal background (age, religious affiliation and education years); counselor occupation (seniority, religious affiliation of the brides, and the number of meetings with each woman); the personal factor of self-mastery; professional factors (professional commitment and relationships of trust and openness with the women); knowledge and attitudes regarding IPV and SA and attitudes towards social workers; and training to identify women in distress.

Methods: The sample consisted of 200 premarital counselors who performed this role for at least one year. They replied to anonymous self-completion questionnaires. The hypotheses were examined by linear regression analyses. Significant interactions between the variables were examined by moderation analyses.

Results: In each category of the independent variables, at least one variable was associated with the outcomes. In some cases, the association was moderated by another factor. The number of meetings, the counselor’s self-mastery, her knowledge regarding IPV and SA and the brides’ religious sector were associated with the tendency to refer the women for assistance. Among counselors with more years of education, attitudes condemning IPV were associated with this tendency. Among counselors who were trained to identify women in distress, relationships of trust and openness were associated with this tendency. Number of meetings, relationships of trust and openness, knowledge of IPV and SA, and the religious sector of the counselors were associated with the tendency to adapt the consultation. Among orthodox (vs. ultra-orthodox) counselors, positive attitudes towards social workers were associated with this tendency.

Conclusions and Implications: The study narrows the gap in the literature regarding factors that are associated with the tendency of service providers to refer women victims of IPV and SA for assistance and to adapt the service to them. The study indicates the need for changes in policy and training of premarital counselors in Israel, especially enhancing knowledge of IPV and SA, and positive attitudes towards social workers. Increasing the number of meetings with secular brides, encouraging the development of a trusting, open relationship between the counselors and the women are also necessary. Finally, it is important to strengthen the counselor’s confidence regarding her ability to refer brides for help and to adapt the guidance when IPV and SA are identified.