There is evidence that Intimate Partner Violence and Abuse (IPVA) is more prevalent among military populations compared with civilian populations. However, there has been limited research into the help-seeking experiences of civilian victim-survivors who have experienced IPVA within relationships with military personnel. This qualitative study aimed to explore the experiences of, and barriers to, help-seeking for IPVA victimisation among civilian partners of military personnel in order to identify strategies to improve the management of IPVA both within the military and civilian sectors. The study adopted a descriptive cross-sectional study design and used qualitative research methods. One-to-one telephone interviews were conducted with civilian victim-survivors (n = 25) between January and August 2018. Interview transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis. Three superordinate themes were derived: (1) Drivers to help-seeking; (2) Barriers to help-seeking; and (3) Experiences of services. The findings indicate difficulties in help-seeking for IPVA among civilian partners of military personnel due to stigma, fear, dependency, poor understanding of IPVA, lack of appropriate and timely support, and a perceived lack of victim support. Difficulties in help-seeking were perceived by participants to be amplified by military culture, public perceptions of the military, military protection of personnel and the lack of coordination between civilian and military judicial services. This study reinforces the need for a military specific Domestic Abuse strategy, identifies vulnerable groups and highlights a need for both increased awareness and understanding of IPVA within civilian and military services in order to provide adequate victim protection.

有证据表明，与平民相比，亲密伴侣暴力和虐待 (IPVA) 在军人群体中更为普遍。然而，对于在与军事人员的关系中经历过 IPVA 的平民受害者幸存者的寻求帮助经历的研究有限。这项定性研究旨在探讨军事人员文职伙伴中寻求 IPVA 受害的经验和障碍，以便确定改善军事和民事部门内 IPVA 管理的策略。该研究采用描述性横断面研究设计并采用定性研究方法。 2018 年 1 月至 8 月期间，我们对平民受害者幸存者 (n = 25) 进行了一对一的电话采访。采访笔录采用主题分析法进行了分析。衍生出三个重要主题：（1）寻求帮助的驱动力； （二）求助障碍； （三）服务经历。调查结果表明，由于耻辱、恐惧、依赖、对 IPVA 缺乏了解、缺乏适当和及时的支持以及被认为缺乏受害者支持，军事人员的文职伙伴在寻求 IPVA 帮助方面存在困难。参与者认为，军事文化、公众对军队的看法、对人员的军事保护以及民事和军事司法部门之间缺乏协调加剧了寻求帮助的困难。这项研究强调了制定军事具体家庭暴力战略的必要性，确定了弱势群体，并强调需要提高民事和军事部门对 IPVA 的认识和理解，以便为受害者提供充分的保护。