PRISM :: Browsing by Author "Adorjan, Michael"

Browsing by Author "Adorjan, Michael"

Now showing 1 - 20 of 27

Open Access
A Choice under Constraints: Child Labour in Hong Kong from 1950 to 1971
(2016) Lau, Nga Yee; Smart, Alan; Adorjan, Michael; Jameson, Elizabeth
This is the untold story of child labour in Hong Kong from 1950 to 1971. Based on 31 interviews conducted mostly with former child labourers and archival research, this thesis examines the many facets of child work from former child labourers’ perspectives. This study aims to broaden our understanding of the post-war economic miracle, child work experiences, and why children worked and contributed to the household economy. While the world was eager to stop child labour, the influx of Chinese newcomers kept it alive. Although some children chose to work out of filial motivations, they made their choices under duress and debased socioeconomic conditions. Family circumstances, limited education access and the lack of poor relief were among the constraints that reinforced their choices. This research enriches the mainstream narrative of Hong Kong’s economic success by documenting the toil and sweat of the post-war generation that built contemporary Hong Kong.
Open Access
Accidental Residential Fires in Calgary: A Theoretical Consideration
(2019-04) Skidmore, Olivia A. B.; Van Brunschot, Erin Gibbs; Adorjan, Michael; Tam, Chui-Ling
Past research on fire incidence rates has identified strong associations between fire risk and sociodemographic and spatiotemporal factors but has often failed to place these factors within a theoretical framework. Borrowing from the field of criminology, I draw on the framework of routine activities theory (RAT) to explore the potential applicability of the “capable guardianship” aspect of RAT as it applies to fire incidents. I also examine how the relationship between fire incidents and capable guardianship is influenced by neighbourhood disorder. Using multivariate linear regression, I found that fire incidence rate in Calgary varies based on a community’s level of neighbourhood mobility and household size, as well as level of disorder. However, my findings did not support the hypothesis that fire rates are lower in areas characterized by increased presence of capable guardianship. I conclude that in order to examine mechanisms through which fire events are disrupted or prevented via the presence of capable guardians, research needs to focus on refining and understanding the measure of capable guardianship as it applies to fire incidents.
Open Access
Are Bullying and Crime Distinct Phenomena? How Criminology Can Inform Research on Bullying
(2016) Essemont, Chris; Gibbs-Van Brunschot, Erin; Brannigan, Augustine; Bierman, Alex; Esbensen, Finn-Aage; Adorjan, Michael
Bullying is a prevalent threat facing today’s youth, and is associated with a number of negative lifelong consequences. Therefore, bullying has attracted a great deal of scholarly attention. Surprisingly however, this body of research tends to treat bullying as a unique phenomenon, despite the criminological literature having highlighted many of the same factors and characteristics predictive of bullying involvement. This suggests that bullying is neither new nor distinct, but simply another manifestation of an underlying propensity towards deviant behavior, and that the vast body of knowledge on crime and deviance should be equally applicable to bullying. Using data from a nationally representative school-based sample of American adolescents (N = 10,123), three separate analyses were undertaken to highlight the shared etiological roots of bullying and deviance/crime more generally, and the utility of criminological theory to the study of bullying perpetration. First, a latent class analysis of deviant behaviors (property crime, violent crime, other crime, substance abuse, and bullying) revealed four distinct classes of offenders, and bullies did not emerge as a separate class. This supports the argument that bullying is simply another manifestation of criminality. Second, a self-control model was estimated for each of these same deviant behaviors. Generally, the results indicate that lower levels of self-control are associated with an increased likelihood of participation in each outcome, supporting the argument that self-control theory can serve as an explanation of bullying. Third, models based on general strain theory were estimated for each outcome. In general, the results suggest that higher levels of strain lead to increased anger, which in turn leads to increased likelihood of involvement in each outcome, supporting the argument that general strain theory is applicable to the understanding of bullying involvement. Altogether, these results suggest that bullying is neither new nor distinct, but rather, just another manifestation of a tendency towards deviant behavior, and shares common etiological roots as other forms of misbehavior. This research contributes to both the criminological and bullying literatures by demonstrating the similarities between bullying and other forms of crime/deviance, and by demonstrating the strengths of criminological theories in understanding bullying.
Open Access
Changes in Student Mental Health and Adaptive Functioning During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Does Age Matter
(2021-08-30) Williams, Sarah Ruth; Schwartz, Kelly; Adorjan, Michael; Giesbrecht, Gerald
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the lives of individuals across the globe has been significant. One segment of the Canadian population that may be particularly vulnerable to the impact of the pandemic are adolescents. Due to the developmental tasks and formational experiences that characterize the adolescent period, a growing number of studies have set out to investigate the potential effect that the pandemic may be having on youth, particularly as the pandemic effects pertain to their mental health. Almost a year and a half later, there are questions that still remain unanswered. As such, the current study sought to better understand adolescent mental health and adaptive functioning during this time and to determine whether there are age differences both cross-sectionally and across time. The current study followed a sample of adolescents from four metropolitan school divisions at two time points: September 2020 (N=2397) and December 2020 (N=1689). Participants completed the Behavior Intervention Monitoring Assessment System (BIMAS-2) measure, a 34-item universal screening measure of conduct problems, negative affect, and cognitive/attention difficulties as well as social and academic functioning. To better understand adolescents’ pandemic-related concerns, participants also completed an 11-item COVID-concern scale. Results indicated that, although mental health and COVID-related concerns are increasing and adaptive functioning is decreasing during the first four months of the school year, that adolescents’ experience during COVID-19 differs depending on their age. Older adolescents reported higher negative affect and cognition/attention difficulties while younger adolescents reported higher conduct and academic functioning. Moving forward, these results can help to inform development of programs and strategies for adolescents as they continue to navigate new experiences within the context of COVID-19.
Open Access
Collaborative Policing: A Case Study of the Red Deer Domestic Violence Collaborative Court Program
(2015-12-23) Wang, Lucy Meng Yi; Gibbs-Van Brunschot, Erin; Gibbs Van Brunschot, Erin; Adorjan, Michael; Miller, Byron
Canadian police agencies are increasingly expected to collaborate with community agencies to resolve or prevent crime but little empirical evidence documents the complexities of these partnerships. This exploratory case study addresses this gap by examining the Domestic Violence Collaborative Court Program (DVCCP) in Red Deer, Alberta. DVCCP is a response to domestic violence initiated by partnerships among the police, the judicial system, as well as social and community services. Twelve DVCCP agency representatives and three DVCCP clients were interviewed. The interviews reveal that although the benefits of collaboration clearly prevail, several challenges were identified. The benefits include: information sharing, consensus decision-making, providing clients with a continuum of service, and connecting clients with the collaborative. The challenges consist of: large time-commitment, sustainability of consistent funding, and unintended impacts of independent organizational decision-making. This paper contributes to collaborative policing literature by suggesting practical recommendations for success for existing or new community partnerships.
Open Access
Community Members' Experiences and Responses to the Extra Judicial Measures Community Referral Pilot Program in Atlantic Canada
(2022-09) Yazdani, Alhan; Adorjan, Michael; Patterson, Matt; Gibbs Van Brunschot, Erin
Restorative justice has become central to Canada’s responses to youth crime, especially under the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA), which emphasizes significant alternative responses to the formal criminal justice system (Tomporowski et al., 2011). Restorative justice offers benefits that are argued to instill more robust cognitive transformation (i.e., a change in thinking about one’s actions in relation to a crime and the harm it caused particular parties and the wider community), and ultimately helps to instill safer communities and prevent crime (LeBel et al., 2008). In relation to youth crime in Canada, restorative justice plays a prominent role under the YCJA. Yet not all provinces have implemented restorative justice programs to the same degree. For this qualitative research, secondary sources were analyzed involving qualitative interviews with community volunteers who were part of a pilot Community Referral Program (CRP) that was implemented in Atlantic Canada in 2013. The tensions between formal and informal approaches to responding to crime are highlighted by the experiences of volunteers of the CRP, including community leaders, as well as how these tensions lead to role ambiguity and other obstacles. Shedding light on the experiences of volunteers, their challenges, and opportunities for improvement will help provide crucial knowledge to inform best practices going forward, and ultimately benefit all parties involved, as well as the wider community.
Open Access
Community Organizations and the Construction of At-Risk Youth
(2017) Leavitt, Kendra; Adorjan, Michael; Curran, Dean; Ngo, Hieu
There is limited research on how community organizations conceptualize and respond to youth risk. This thesis addresses how organizations conceive the problem of youth risk, how they work with youth, and what bureaucratic challenges are encountered in doing so. Interviews and focus groups were conducted with employees of several youth serving organizations in a Canadian city. Initial findings indicate that organizations are cautious of ‘at-risk’ labels, only applying them in specific circumstances. The findings also suggest that community organizations often experience pressure by way of neoliberal arrangements; however, they develop unique expressions of resistance. The implications that organizational resistance of ‘at-risk’ labels and neoliberal policies have on youth and youth programming are considered.
Open Access
Comparing Perceptions of Policing in Canada
(2018-09-14) Cantlay, Stephanie; Gibbs-Van Brunschot, Erin; Adorjan, Michael; Tretter, Eliot
Urban police agencies and rural police agencies can differ with respect to the size of their police force, training, availability of resources, and size of area they patrol, yet Canadians tend to be favourable to their local police. The purpose of this study is to examine public perceptions of policing across Canada by comparing the perceptions of those living in rural areas to those in urban centres. Using population-level data collected by Statistics Canada through the General Social Survey Victimization (Cycle #28, 2014) this study assesses whether differences in perceptions of policing can be explained by the type of urban/rural population centre. Results suggest that when perceptions of police are examined across provinces, favourability differs between urban and rural population centres.
Open Access
Debating Police Body Worn Cameras: Legitimacy, Surveillance and Power in U.S. Media
(2020-08-21) Seeger, Chanin Allen; Adorjan, Michael; Adorjan, Michael; McCoy, Ted; Van Brunschot, Erin Gibbs
Prominent cases of black individuals killed by the police in the United States of America have prompted a firestorm of debate around perceived issues with police brutality and racial discrimination by police. This thesis investigates the discourse on police body-worn cameras through a qualitative content analysis of public rhetoric in the USA between 2012 and 2018. Using the social construction perspective of social problems, this research examines how technological solutions to social problems can themselves become problematized. The data was drawn from both online articles and reader comments attached to those articles from the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal websites. The activities of claims-makers, their various positions in these debates and also their tactics in response to competing positions are examined through claims-making about body-worn police cameras. The findings suggest that within the comments sections of online news articles about BWCs, audience members can critically evaluate media messages and articulate their own ideas about the police, power, authority, transparency, accountability, and legitimacy, but still often make use of pre-existing cultural resources. This thesis contributes to knowledge about the role the internet plays in the development of social problem debates, and public beliefs about the role of surveillance and the police in society.
Open Access
Elucidating Understandings of Problematic Sexual Behaviours in Children and Adolescents through Meta-Analytic Methods and an Exploratory Evaluation of a Clinical Population Receiving Treatment
(2024-09-13) Mori, Camille Misora; Madigan, Sheri; Exner-Cortens, Deinera; Dobson, Keith; Adorjan, Michael; Silovsky, Jane
Introduction: Key inquiries into Problematic Sexual Behaviour (PSB) include identifying risk factors and evaluating characteristics and treatment outcomes of PSB populations. Exposure to sexual content is an important risk factor to examine due to ubiquitous access to technology. Regarding treatment, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for PSB (PSB-CBT) is an evidence-informed and developmentally appropriate intervention. Further research is needed to assess outcomes of PSB-CBT and target population characteristics. Objectives: 1) Examine associations between sexual content exposure and PSB; 2) Describe characteristics of a clinical PSB sample; 3) Evaluate treatment outcomes of PSB-CBT offered at a Child and Youth Advocacy Centre (CYAC); 4) Provide recommendations for ongoing PSB research, prevention, and intervention. Methods: A Developmental-Relational research model was used to develop the goals of this thesis. Study 1 used a systematic review and random-effects meta-analyses conducted on available literature up to September 2021. Results are based on 16,200 participants (71.3% male; Mage = 14.3) and 27 studies. Study 2 used a retrospective case file review of 61 files of children and families who attended a PSB-CBT treatment group at a CYAC between 2015 and 2019 (83.6% male; Mage = 8.9). Results: Study 1: Significant associations were found between exposure to nonviolent sexual content and likelihood of engaging in PSB (OR = 1.82; p < .001; 95 % CI: 1.50–2.21), and between exposure to violent/live sexual content and PSB (OR = 2.52; p < .001; 95 % CI: 1.75–3.61). Sex moderated the association between exposure to nonviolent sexual content and PSB, such that the association was stronger in studies with a greater proportion of females. Study 2: Characteristics and sexual behaviours exhibited by children who attended a PSB-CBT treatment group varied widely. Outcome analyses revealed decreases in child sexual behaviours and parenting stress. Conclusions: Results support the need for future research on risk factors and mechanisms implicated in PSB. Children with PSB and their families could benefit from incorporating education on sexual content exposure into treatment programs. PSB-CBT offered within CYACs is well suited to meet the intervention needs of children with PSB and their families.
Open Access
An Examination of Homicide Clearance in Canada
(2021-12-21) Lee, Winnifred; Gibbs Van Brunschot, Erin; Adorjan, Michael; Brodie, Ian
While there is fear over homicide, crime statistics reveal that homicides are generally on the decline in Canada and have one of the highest clearance rates among other types of crimes (Moreau, 2018). However, recent years also show that unsolved homicide rates are increasing, with no clear explanation behind the recent trends. Studies examining the factors affecting homicide clearance reveal contradictory findings, particularly the role that victim’s characteristics play in homicide clearance. This thesis explores how victim, accused, and situational/incident characteristics affect clearance outcome and the speed in which homicide cases are cleared through using 1991-2015 data from the Homicide Survey. My results indicate that many factors influence homicide clearance, and that victim, accused, and situational/incident characteristics must be considered when examining homicide clearance.
Open Access
An Exploration of Incivility in a Homeless Shelter as Identified by Frontline Staff
(2018-01-12) Salt, Valerie; Gibbs Van Brunschot, Erin; Adorjan, Michael; Lucas, Jack
Homeless shelters are institutions for populations who are deemed as ‘uncivil’ by their homeless status, but research has yet to systematically explore frontline staff’s identification and response to incivility in a shelter context. This exploratory mixed methods study addresses this gap through content analysis and quantification of daily activity logs written by frontline staff in a Canadian homeless shelter. The findings reveal that client incivility in this shelter can be categorized into offences which disrupt the general shelter environment, are verbally offensive to staff or clients, or involve physical contact with staff or other clients. Frontline staff hold substantial discretion in the consequences clients face for such behaviour ranging from surveillance to banishment. This study contributes to the incivility literature by identifying the types, patterns and frequency of client incivility to provide a benchmark of incivility in a shelter context.
Open Access
Facebook Use in the 2011 and 2013 Revolts in Egypt: The New Media Environment
(2022-06) Elsayed Mohamed, Heba; Bakardjieva, Maria; Amin, Hussein; Gow, Gordon; Adorjan, Michael; Iskandar, Adel
This dissertation examines the role of Facebook in the political mobilization of young people who participated in the two revolts of 2011 and 2013 in Egypt. The study focuses on the evolving media environment and the transformation of the Egyptian public sphere immediately before and during the two events. It examines the ways in which social and mainstream media clashed and intersected to create new opportunities for Egyptian youth to engage politically online and offline. The research adopts a qualitative approach using in-depth interviews with two categories of research subjects: ordinary young Egyptian citizens who used Facebook for social networking before 2011 and subsequently appropriated it as a tool for political engagement and participation and a small set of prominent Egyptian media professionals working in mainstream organizations. The dissertation covers the period from early 2010 to 2013 to demonstrate how young Egyptian users discovered the political affordances of Facebook and redefined it as a platform for forging activist identities and communities. Special attention is given to the tensions between personal and political relationships and commitments unfolding on participants’ profile pages and in their immediate family and friendship circles. The growing importance of Facebook as a source of political news and a space for counter-public deliberation competing with and overshadowing mainstream media is discussed with a view to the effects it had on the overall restructuring of the Egyptian public sphere. The study draws on three distinctive works of literature: social shaping of technology, Habermas’ theory of the public sphere, and research on social media and social movements. The dissertation illuminates the process through which young people in an authoritarian society using Facebook overcame their doubts and fears and became motivated to engage in online political participation that later transformed into offline political protest. The study is innovative as it follows the changing political uses of Facebook in forming counter-public spheres and collective identities, building social capital, and organizing offline protest in both the 2011 and 2013 Egyptian revolts which differed in their driving forces and demands. Another original feature of this work is the parallel it draws between the perspective of audience members and that of professional journalists and producers on the evolving cross-media environment in which social and mainstream media interact and compete.
Open Access
Framing Policing Image and Reputation: Police Engagement with Social Media as a Tool to Employ Impression Management Tactics
(2023-11-10) Dewar, Adriana Lucia; Adorjan, Michael; Van Brunschot, Erin; Mather, Charles
Historically, policing agencies have had a great deal of control over the information released about them. Prior to social media, information was disseminated through media channels such as newspaper articles or press conferences. This allowed for the information to be carefully tailored to highlight only the positive aspects of police behaviour, which directly benefitted them. Alternatively, police used these channels to regulate the information being presented to the public to maintain the position of gatekeeper of influential information. Social media and instant technologically mediated communications offer profound novel opportunities for police to communicate with the public, but also new risks, such as, losing public confidence, legitimacy, and issues of animosity. This study utilized qualitative methods to capture how police agencies employ social media as a means to engage in impression management tactics to influence the public’s perception. In addition, the study analyzed the public’s attitudes and beliefs about the police and their views on policing as a profession through the type of interactions occurring online. The qualitative data was gathered through in-depth interviews with the communications personnel and current police officers from a police agency in Western Canada. In conjunction with the in-depth interviews, an ethnographic content analysis was performed on the social media accounts (Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok) of police agencies in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Regina, and Winnipeg. This research uncovered the impression management tactics being used to influence the public’s perception of the police. In addition, this research illuminated points of contention between the police and civilians, as well as methods for increasing positive interactions on various social networking platforms.
Open Access
Going Legit: An Exploration of Formerly Gang Involved Asians
(2015-07-30) Hoang, Michael; Adorjan, Michael
While the entering of a gang has been extensively researched, the exit of one is given little attention. In addition research examining the participation by Asians is scarce. This study utilized interviews to explore how Asians defined, entered, and exited gang involvement. Gang membership was defined in terms of Asian ethnicity, based on the media narratives that portrayed them as the primary offenders in Alberta. Membership was also defined by utilization of tattoos and participation in criminal activities (i.e. drug dealing). Asians in this study were attracted to gangs due the pull factors of financial and social autonomy, which in turn provided them with respect. They were influenced to exit gang involvement based on the culmination of experiences and thoughts surrounding family, death/violence, and imprisonment. The strategies utilized to enable these exits comprised limiting or cutting off contacts, keeping busy with pro-social activities, and tattoo concealment or removal.
Open Access
“If a girl’s photo gets sent around, that’s a way bigger deal than if a guy’s photo gets sent around”: Gender, sexting, and the teenage years
(Taylor and Francis, 2018-12-13) Ricciardelli, Rosemary; Adorjan, Michael
Youth, particularly female teens, are encouraged to self-monitor and be responsible for their actions online in order to avoid harm from cyberbullying, ‘sexting,’ and other forms of cyber-risk. Highlighting findings from 35 focus groups with Canadian teens regarding sexting, we show the continued saliency of a gendered double-standard applied to the online distribution of nudes. Our sample of male and female teens (n=115) from urban and rural regions, aged 13-19, underscores the relatively lower ‘stakes’ involved with sexting for male teens. We explore this trend with specific reference to the salience of hegemonic masculinities and the gendered aspects of public and private spaces, both online and offline. Public exposure of nudes has potentially serious stigmatizing consequences for youth. We highlight teen experiences sending and receiving images of male penises (‘dick pics’), which is an under-researched aspect of sexting. We show the relative ubiquity of receiving ‘dick pics’ among female teens, exploring various reactions, and male motivations for doing so from male and female standpoints. Policy implications are discussed with specific reference to school-based cyber-safety programs, which our participants indicate remain highly-gendered, neglecting epistemological questions around male experiences and responsibility.
Open Access
Networked Social Movements: A Critical Interrogation of Pro and Anti-Immigration Twitter Discourse in India and the USA
(2022-04) Khandelwal, Chetna; Banerjee, Pallavi; Adorjan, Michael; Shahrokni, Nazanin
Since 2014, several democratic States across the world have descended into crisis under Far Right populist leaderships that vilify immigrants to forward their ethnonationalist, religio-political, and masculinist agendas. I studied the ways in which pro and anti-immigration social movement discourse was shaped, reified, and promoted online. I historicised and examined online discourse pertaining to four social movements across two distinct national contexts, and across the political aisles in each context: Pro-immigration movement in India (anti-CAA/NRC); Anti-immigration movement in India (pro-CAA/NRC); Pro-immigration movement in USA (Families belong together protests to Abolish ICE); Anti-immigration movement in USA (Build the wall). I conducted a multimethod study beginning with a Qualitative Content Analysis (QCA) (6,000 tweets) followed by a Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) of 600 tweets. Findings indicated that the anti-immigration movement discourse in both countries: propagated nationalistic emotion via structured weaponisation and counter-framing of “Love” for one’s country; displayed a masculinist spatial rejection of women’s dissent and support for Statist brutalities against dissidents; and engaged in historical revisionism in favour of majoritised groups, re-historicising to discursively establish masculinist hindu-nationalism in the Indian context and white supremacism in the US context. Whereas, the pro-immigration movement discourses in both countries: highlighted women led sit-ins; claimed a fight for the “soul” of India and the USA; actively historicised their own movements as well as Statist brutalities faced by immigrants and activists; and highlighted erasure of certain marginalised groups from mainstream movement discourse. Simultaneously, the use of social media technologies and tools in order to forward movement discourse were discussed in relation to each movement, embedded alongside the analysis of each movement's discourse. My work uncovers the networked ways in which social media technologies impact social movement discourse, especially in the Global South, and will contribute to social movement scholarship by employing a Southern imaginary to dismantle academic tendencies to use theories from the Global North to study data from the Global South.
Open Access
A new privacy paradox? Youth agentic practices of privacy management despite 'nothing to hide' online
(Wiley-Blackwell Publishing, Inc., 2018-07-02) Adorjan, Michael; Ricciardelli, Rosemary
Focus groups conducted with Canadian teenagers examining their perceptions and experiences with cyber-risk, center on various privacy strategies geared for impression management across popular social network sites. We highlight privacy concerns as a primary reason for a gravitation away from Facebook towards newer, more popular sites such as Instagram and Snapchat, as well as debates about the permeability of privacy on Snapchat in particular. The privacy paradox identifies a disjuncture between what is said about privacy and what is done in practice. It refers to declarations from youth that they are highly concerned for privacy, yet frequently disregard privacy online through ‘oversharing’ and neglecting privacy management. However, our participants, especially older teens, invoked a different mindset: that they have ‘nothing to hide’ online and therefore do not consider privacy relevant for them. Despite this mindset, the strategies we highlight suggest a new permutation of the privacy paradox, rooted in a pragmatic adaptation to the technological affordances of social network sites, and wider societal acquiescence to the debasement of privacy online.
Open Access
Parental Technology Governance: Teenagers’ understandings and responses to parental digital mediation
(University of Lodz, 2022-04) Adorjan, Michael; Ricciardelli, Rosemary; Saleh, Tina
Research on parental mediation of children’s online engagements situate historically longstanding anxieties within the dynamics of present-day information communications technologies (i.e., concerns over new ‘cyber risks’ as well as opportunities). Yet, there remains a lack of emphasis on children’s own reactions to and experiences with parental strategies and responses. In the current article, we highlight research involving semi-structured focus groups (n=35) with Canadian teenagers (n=115). We highlight themes directly related to parental digital mediation, including the role of ICTs in driving addictive behaviours, social connection, differences in parental responses between sons and daughters, and differences with respect to age and birth order. Our discussions reveal qualified support for parental efforts to restrict access and use of digital technologies, but illuminate multifaceted reasons for resistance: their vital role not only for social connection, but access to crucial information and knowledge.
Open Access
Perceptions of Risk and Coping Mechanisms Among Victims of Domestic Violence
(2016) Kembel, Lorena; Gibbs-Van Brunschot, Erin; Thomas, Melanee; Adorjan, Michael; Brodie, Ian
Given evolving technological advances, GPS technology has increasingly been applied to domestic violence situations. In Central Alberta, a project was undertaken to equip high-risk domestic violence offenders with GPS tracking technologies. In addition to this, a GPS tracking device, equipped with an alert button, has also been made available to victims of domestic violence. This study examined perceptions of risk and coping mechanisms among victims of domestic violence, with a specific focus on GPS technology and the nature of victim protection in the context of technologies proposed to increase perceptions of safety in circumstances of domestic violence. Overall, the study found that the devices did not appear to create a false sense of security, but were rather seen as another tool the women were able to use in order to manage their risk of abuse.