Table 2 Overview of theme names and the central idea of each theme

Don’t dismiss it

Providers minimised disclosures when they assumed SV should involve physical force, that consent does not apply in a relationship, or that sex is part of a woman’s duty. Normalising IPSV led to continued and escalated violence for some women since their partner’s behaviours were not considered dangerous. Women needed providers to take their disclosures seriously and genuinely listen to how their partners’ behaviours impacted them

See the bigger picture

Women understood psychological abuse to be an important part of IPSV. IPSV could be part of a pattern of psychological abuse and psychological abuse could facilitate IPSV. Links between psychological abuse and IPSV led to women feeling violated without understanding or being able to articulate why. Women wanted practitioners to recognise IPSV within broader patterns of control and help women identify the source of their distress

Counteract the gaslighting

To address the silencing of IPSV, women wanted providers to believe them and counteract the shame and disorientation they felt. Women also wanted service providers to help them identify IPSV and seek support for IPSV. Service providers needed to educate women about the context of IPSV, help women label IPSV as a form of violence, and challenge cultural stereotypes that minimised and perpetuated IPSV