Annelise Mennicke

A Peer-Facilitated Intervention to Reduce Risky Drinking Among Fraternity and Sorority Members

Results from a pilot study of a peer-facilitated brief motivational interview using personalized normative feedback with members of fraternities and sororities are presented. Eight fraternity and sorority houses were randomly selected and then randomized into treatment or control conditions. Quantitative data testing intervention efficacy indicated no differences between treatment and control group 30 days postintervention on measures of alcohol consumption and alcohol-related consequences. Qualitative information from follow-up focus groups of intervention participants identified themes related to intervention dosage, and credibility of the normative data and peer educator. Recommendations are made for future research and intervention strategies with this population.

Understanding Gender Symmetry within an Expanded Partner Violence Typology

Controversies persist regarding the pervasiveness of gender symmetrical patterns of intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration even as IPV research has proliferated. Johnson’s typology accounts for gender symmetrical and asymmetrical patterns of partner violence; unfortunately this framework has been poorly integrated into our research methods resulting in a fragmented knowledgebase. The original typology can be expanded to account for patterns of control absent of physical violence at the dyadic level. Measures based upon an expanded typology will allow us to better explore the theoretical underpinnings of gender symmetry in partner violence categories, and facilitate category-specific intervention development.

Predicting Bidirectional Intimate Partner Violence: Demographic and Historical Factors That Influence Initiating Threats or Use of Violence by IPV Victims

Using data from the National Violence Against Women Survey, this study explored the role of gender and other demographic and historical factors that influence initiating threats or use of violence among a sample of intimate partner violence (IPV) victims—an element of bidirectional violence. For this study, involvement in a relationship marked by bidirectional violence was defined as an affirmative response to this question: Were you the first person to use/threaten physical force? after respondents self-identified as IPV victims. The hypothesized model to predict initiating threats or use of violence among male victims was not significant, but marital status, income, employment status, and childhood victimization experiences did significantly predict female behavior. Age, race, education, alcohol use, drug use, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms were not useful in explaining model variance for men or women. The rates of perpetration were equivalent for males and females; however, these findings suggest that gender is still an important context to consider when theorizing about bidirectional IPV.

Workplace experiences of gay and lesbian criminal justice officers in the United States: a qualitative investigation of officers attending a LGBT law enforcement conference

ABSTRACT Criminal justice culture values traditional masculinity, which has led to adverse workplace experiences for officers who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT). This study used focus group data to explore the workplace experiences of 10 law enforcement and 4 corrections officers in the US who attended an LGBT criminal justice conference in 2012. Gay men reported more severe and overt discrimination experiences, while women experienced more covert discrimination. Gay men in the focus groups described engaging in impression management behaviours by acting hypermasculine so as not to raise suspicions about sexual identity and to address presumptions about workplace competency. Additionally, participants believed that homophobia in the work environment created safety concerns for officers working in corrections settings, as participants did not trust that their co-workers would have their back or provide assistance in threatening situations. Conclusions underscore the need to foster supportive and non-discriminatory policies that value contributions across gender identities and expressions.

Initial Validation of the Mental Health Provider Stigma Inventory

Objective: To conduct an initial validation of the mental health provider stigma inventory (MHPSI). The MHPSI assesses stigma within the service provider–client relationship on three domains—namely, attitudes, behaviors, and coworker influence. Methods: Initial validation of the MHPSI was conducted with a sample of 212 mental health employees and graduate student counseling interns. Scale conceptualization and development, content validation, and construct validation measures are discussed. Results: Preliminary psychometrics indicated good model fit for a three-factor multidimensional scale. Reliabilities were strong (coefficient αs ranged from .83 to .93) and the global stratified α was .95. Evidence of construct validity supported the hypotheses about the accuracy of underlying constructs. Conclusions: The MHPSI appears to be a reliable and valid measure of mental health provider stigma. As social workers comprise the front lines of mental health service provision, the MHPSI may be a valuable tool for guiding agency trainings and social work education.

“Behind every woman in prison is a man”: Incarcerated Women’s Perceptions of How We Can Better Help Them in the Context of Interpersonal Victimization

ABSTRACT Although women’s rates of incarceration have increased dramatically, the criminal justice system does not meet women’s unique needs. This article used qualitative methods to describe the responses of 113 incarcerated women to the following question: How can we better help women like you? Analyses focused on women’s experiences of victimization and highlighted how to address trauma in prison reform and abolition efforts. Women suggested how victimization fueled their criminal offending behavior, detailed re-victimization in the prison milieu, and identified program gaps during custody and after release. Opportunities for immediate action include policy advocacy, mitigation, and shifting to a trauma-informed correctional approach.

Predicting delinquent behaviors for Korean youth using the parent–child relationship and career goal tension

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to establish underlying dimensions for variables related to the parent–child relationship and career goal tension in order to create predictor variables. Another goal was to use these subscales to predict delinquent behaviors. Thus, the study assessed the potential differential impact these variables had on delinquent behavior after controlling for gender. The analyses were based on data from the 1st wave of the Korea Youth Panel Survey, and a final sample of 3,241 youth was utilized. The analysis revealed that there were 5 factor predictors according to the items in each factor: parental attachment, parental stress, parental monitoring, career recommendation, and career discrepancy. Parent–child relationship and career goal tension factors were partially associated with delinquent behaviors for Korean youth. Moreover, those relationships were partially moderated by gender.

Assessing Attitude and Reincarceration Outcomes Associated With In-Prison Domestic Violence Treatment Program Completion

Studies indicate that as many as 30%–56% of incarcerated men have perpetrated domestic violence, and that factors related to domestic violence perpetration are associated with long-term recidivism after release. The current study evaluates the effectiveness of an in-prison domestic violence treatment program called STOP and Change Direction to increase positive attitudes toward women, decrease levels of criminal thinking, and reduce general recidivism rates for program completers. Two research designs are used: a single-group pretest–posttest design to assess the attitude-related outcomes, and a quasiexperimental design with a comparison group created using propensity score matching to assess the impact of program participation on reincarceration. Paired samples t tests revealed significant increases in positive attitudes toward women and decreases in criminal thinking. Binary logistic regressions revealed no significant differences in the 5- and 7-year reincarceration rates, although examination of the 95% confidence intervals suggests encouraging clinical implications of program completion.

The Relationship Between Interpersonal Victimization and Women’s Criminal Sentencing: A Latent Class Analysis

Latent class analysis was used to identify subgroups of incarcerated women differentiated by experiences of child abuse and intimate partner violence victimization. The abuse subscales of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire and the Abuse Behavior Inventory were used as indicators. Data were drawn from a probability sample of 217 incarcerated women housed in two state-level prisons in North Carolina. Four classes were extracted—Low Victimization, Child Abuse, Lifetime Physical and Psychological Abuse, and Lifetime Sexual Abuse; classes were then related to current sentence length, holding criminological predictors constant. Women in the Child Abuse and Lifetime Sexual Abuse classes had significantly longer sentences, despite the lack of significant between-class differences on criminological predictors. Results suggest that certain victimization patterns, notably experiences of sexual violence, were associated with sentencing disparities despite the use of structured sentencing grids. Recommendations for trauma-informed sentencing are provided.

Expanding and Validating a Typology of Intimate Partner Violence: Intersections of Violence and Control Within Relationships

This research explored an expanded typology of intimate partner violence (IPV), intersecting violent and controlling behaviors of partners. Secondary data were analyzed (n = 714). Cluster analyses indicated that elements of IPV (control perpetration, control victimization, violence victimization, and violence perpetration) all clustered in high/low patterns, which intersected to form 10 unique categories of IPV. Support for all of Johnson’s categories of IPV was found, but there was also evidence for the three control-related categories: Unidirectional Control, Bidirectional Control, and Control Resistance. This expanded typology can move research, practice, and policies beyond the gender symmetry debate.