Dr Silvia Fraga Dominguez
Silvia’s research focuses on interpersonal violence and help-seeking behaviours, with a particular focus on the abuse of older people.
Before joining BCU in February 2022, she was a Lecturer in Psychology at Glasgow Caledonian University. She completed her PhD at Royal Holloway, University of London in August 2021 and taught in a variety of modules during her doctoral degree.
Silvia decided to pursue academia because she wants to conduct research that can have a positive impact on society and enjoys sharing the most up-to-date research findings with students. One of her favourite tasks as an academic is supervising students on their research projects.
Silvia has experience working in different countries, contributing to research projects in the UK, the United States, and Spain, as well as working in multidisciplinary teams.
Areas of Expertise
- Interpersonal violence
- Abuse of older people/elder abuse
- Help-seeking and reporting behaviours of victims/survivors and access to the criminal justice system
- Intimate partner violence/domestic abuse
Qualifications
- PGCE Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (Birmingham City University)
- PhD (Royal Holloway, University of London)
- MSc in Forensic Psychology (Maastricht University, the Netherlands)
- BSc in Psychology (University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain)
Memberships
- Chartered Psychologist (CPsychol), British Psychological Society (BPS)
- Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)
Teaching
- PSY5050 Forensic Psychology (co-module leader)
- PSY7048 Victimology (co-module leader)
- PSY6115 Psychology in Policing and Criminal Justice
- PSY6097 Integrative Psychology Project
- PSY7052 Dissertation (MSc Forensic Psychology)
Research
Silvia is currently working on research projects in the areas of interpersonal violence, with a special interest in the interaction of victims and offenders with the criminal justice system.
Current projects involve the following topics:
- Facilitating access to justice for domestic abuse survivors
- Public perceptions of abuse across the lifespan
Silvia’s previous research projects have focused on:
- Abuse of older people: help-seeking experiences of victims and their informal supporters (e.g., family members).
- Financial abuse against older people: perpetrator risk factors and victim vulnerability factors.
- Sex offending: treatment and intervention approaches for minoritised ethnic groups, victim experiences of frotteurism and exhibitionism.
Publications
Book chapter
Fraga Dominguez, S., Storey, J.E., & Rogers, M. (2023). Older adult mistreatment. In P. Ali & M. Rogers (Eds.), Gender-based violence: A comprehensive guide (pp. 495-507). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-05640-6_35
Journal articles
Storey, J.E., Fraga Dominguez, S., & Perka, M. (2024). No, thank you: Reasons for withdrawal from older adult abuse support services. Journal of Elder Abuse and Neglect. https://doi.org/10.1080/08946566.2024.2428954
Storey, J.E., Fraga Dominguez, S., & Fagg, S. (2024). Assessing risk for older adult abuse: Case presentation and analysis using the Harm to Older Persons Evaluation (HOPE). Journal of Threat Assessment and Management. https://doi.org/10.1037/tam0000238
Storey, J.E., O’Brien, R., & Fraga Dominguez, S. (2024). Where do we draw the line? Perceptions of abuse of older adults and their association with ageism. Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbae190
Fraga Dominguez, S., Jeglic, E. L., Calkins, C., & Kaylor, L. (2024). Frotteurism and exhibitionism: An updated examination of their prevalence, impact on victims, and frequency of reporting. Journal of Sexual Aggression. https://doi.org/10.1080/13552600.2024.2352403
Fraga Dominguez, S., Storey, J. E., & Glorney, E. (2022). Characterizing elder abuse in the UK: A description of cases reported to a national helpline. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 41(11), 2392–2403. https://doi.org/10.1177/07334648221109513
Fraga Dominguez, S., Storey, J. E., & Glorney, E. (2021). Informal supporters of elder abuse victims: Who are they and what is their experience seeking help? Journal of Family Violence. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-021-00347-5
Fraga Dominguez, S., Ozguler, B., Storey, J.E., & Rogers, M. (2021). Elder abuse vulnerability and risk factors: Is financial abuse different from other subtypes? Journal of Applied Gerontology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/07334648211036402
Fraga Dominguez, S., Storey, J. E., & Glorney, E. (2021). Help-seeking behavior in victims of elder abuse. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 22(3), 466-480. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524838019860616
Fraga Dominguez, S., Valiquette, J., Storey, J. E., & Glorney, E. (2020). Elder abuse intervention and detection: Challenges for professionals and strategies for engagement from a Canadian specialist service. Journal of Forensic Nursing, 16(4), 199-206. https://doi.org/10.1097/JFN.0000000000000301
Fraga Dominguez, S., Jeglic, E., Gonzalez, K., & Escobar, D. (2020). An exploration of service providers’ experiences with Latinos convicted of a sex offense. Sexual Abuse, 32, 755-778. https://doi.org/10.1177/1079063219852950
Fraga Dominguez, S., Jeglic, E., Calkins, C., & Leguízamo, A. (2018). Are Latinos who commit sexual offenses different? A closer examination of the characteristics and offense patterns. Sexual Abuse, 30, 846-868. https://doi.org/10.1177/1079063217710480
Conference presentations
Hammond, L., Fraga Dominguez, S., Williams, J., Richards, J., WAITS, the Seekers Board (2024, November). Sharing Experience, Expertise and Knowledge to Influence Policy and Practice in Relation to Domestic Abuse. Paper presented at “Activism, Change, and Feminist Futures: Remembering the Past to Reimagine the Future” Conference, Liverpool, UK.
Fraga Dominguez, S. (2024, October). Help-seeking and access to support in cases of abuse of older people. Paper presented at “Ageing, Abuse, and Neglect Conference”, University of Sheffield, UK.
Fraga Dominguez, S., Hammond, L., & Pemberton, S. (2024, July). Supporting women at risk of offending with specialised needs from a domestic abuse charity’s perspective. Paper presented at the BPS Division of Forensic Psychology Conference, Cardiff, UK.
Fraga Dominguez, S., Jeglic, E., Calkins, C., & Kaylor, L. (2024, July). Frotteurism and Exhibitionism: An Updated Examination of Their Prevalence, Impact on Victims, and Frequency of Reporting. Paper presented at the BPS Division of Forensic Psychology Conference, Cardiff, UK.
Storey, J. E., O’Brien, R., & Fraga Domínguez, S. (2024, February). No Thank You: Reasons for withdrawal from older adult abuse support services. Keynote presented at Judith D. Tamkin International Symposium on Elder Abuse, Pasadena, USA.
Storey, J. E., O’Brien, R., & Fraga Domínguez, S. (2023, November). No Thank You: Reasons for withdrawal from older adult abuse support services. Keynote presented at University College Cork, School of Applied Social Studies, Cork, Ireland.
Fraga Dominguez, S., Storey, J., & Glorney, E. (2023, September). Abuse against older adults in the UK: An overview of characteristics and help-seeking behaviours. Paper presented at the 5th European Conference on Domestic Violence, Reykjavik, Iceland.
Hammond, L. & Fraga Dominguez, S. (2023, September). Addressing barriers to justice and identifying what works for women affected by domestic abuse. Symposium presented at the 5th European Conference on Domestic Violence, Reykjavik, Iceland.
Fraga Dominguez, S., Storey, J.E., & Glorney, E. (2022, June). “Fighting against many walls”: The Challenges of Addressing Elder Abuse. Paper presented at the 22nd Conference of IAFMHS, Berlin, Germany.
Fraga Dominguez, S., Ozguler, B., Storey, J.E., & Rogers, M. (2021, September) Elder abuse vulnerability and risk factors: Is financial abuse different from other subtypes? Paper presented at the 4th European Conference on Domestic Violence (virtual).
Fraga Dominguez, S., Storey, J.E., & Glorney, E. (2021, June). Predictors of elder abuse victims’ self-reporting to a UK helpline. Paper presented at the 20th Conference of the International Association of Forensic Mental Health Services (IAFMHS) (virtual).
Fraga Dominguez, S., Storey, J. E., Glorney, E. (2020, November). Exploring the help-seeking experience of concerned persons: Findings from an elder abuse UK helpline. Paper presented as part of a symposium at the 75th Annual Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America (virtual).
Fraga Dominguez, S., Storey, J. E., Glorney, E. (2019, June). Elder abuse, mental health, and substance abuse: Data from a one-year UK study. Paper presented at the 19th Conference of IAFMHS, Montreal, Canada.
Fraga Dominguez, S., Storey, J.E., & Glorney, E. (2019, June). Help-seeking behavior in victims of elder abuse: A systematic review. Paper presented at the 19th Conference of IAFMHS, Montreal, Canada.