Janice Humphreys

A randomised controlled trial of empowerment training for Chinese abused pregnant women in Hong Kong

Objective  To evaluate the effectiveness of an empowerment intervention in reducing intimate partner violence (IPV) and improving health status.

Resilience in sheltered battered women

While many battered women report physical and psychological distress, others are able to respond to adverse sequelae with less severe outcomes. The findings of this study indicate that resilience assessed by the Resilience Scale was significantly and inversely correlated with three global measures and five subscales of the Symptom Checklist-90R. Further study of battered womens resilience will allow for greater appreciation of their strengths as well as expand understanding of human responses to trauma.

Telomere Shortening in Formerly Abused and Never Abused Women

Recent studies suggest that chronic psychological stress may accelerate aging at the cellular level. Telomeres are protective components that stabilize the ends of chromosomes and modulate cellular aging. Women exposed to intimate partner violence (IPV) experience chronic stress and report worse health. The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine telomeric DNA length in women who have experienced chronic stress related to IPV. We hypothesized that IPV exposure would be associated with shorter telomere length. The investigation used a cross-sectional design to study telomere length in women with a history of IPV exposure and control women who reported no prior exposure to IPV. Advertisements and public notices were used to recruit a convenience sample of healthy women. Mean leukocyte telomere length was measured in DNA samples from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) by a quantitative polymerase chain reaction assay (qPCR). Telomere length was significantly shorter in the 61 formerly abused women compared to the 41 controls (t = 2.4, p = .02). Length of time in the abusive relationship and having children were associated with telomere length after controlling for age and body mass index (BMI) (F(2, 99) = 10.23, p < .001). Numerous studies suggest that women who experience IPV have poorer overall health. It is often presumed that the stress of IPV may be causing greater morbidity. Findings from this descriptive study suggest a link between IPV exposure, duration of IPV-related stress, and telomere length molecular mechanisms that regulate cellular aging.

A Review of the Literature on the Multiple Dimensions of Chronic Pain in Adults with Sickle Cell Disease

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a major health care and societal problem that affects millions of people worldwide. In Nigeria, 45,000 to 90,000 babies are born each year with SCD. In the United States, SCD is the most common genetic disorder, affecting more than 80,000 people, the majority of whom are African American. Sickle cell pain is the hallmark feature of SCD. Most of the research on pain from SCD has focused on children with acute pain associated with sickle cell crisis. Consequently, very little is known about the occurrence and characteristics of chronic pain, especially in adults with SCD. Individuals with SCD who experience chronic pain are often underserved, and their pain is undertreated. This undertreatment may result in millions of dollars per year spent on emergency room visits, hospitalizations, and lost work productivity. The primary purpose of this literature review was to summarize the findings from studies that evaluated the characteristics of chronic pain in adults with SCD. Each of the studies included in this review was evaluated to determine if it provided data on the following multidimensional characteristics of chronic pain: occurrence, number of pain episodes, duration, pattern, quality, location, intensity, aggravating factors, relieving factors, and impact of pain on function. A secondary purpose was to identify gaps in knowledge and directions for future research on the multiple dimensions of chronic pain in adults with SCD.

Increasing discussions of intimate partner violence in prenatal care using Video Doctor plus Provider Cueing: a randomized, controlled trial.

PURPOSE To report the effectiveness of a prenatal intervention and to provide evidence that prenatal visits provide an opportune time for health assessment and counseling with abused women. METHODS Fifty ethnically diverse pregnant women who presented for routine prenatal care and who also reported being at risk for intimate partner violence (IPV) were recruited to the study. Participants were assigned to either usual care or the Video Doctor plus Provider Cueing intervention. At baseline and 1 month later at another routine prenatal visit, intervention group participants received a 15-minute Video Doctor assessment and interactive tailored counseling. Their providers received a printed Cue Sheet alert and suggested counseling statements. MAIN FINDINGS Participants in the intervention group were significantly more likely to report provider-patient discussions of IPV compared with participants receiving usual care at baseline (81.8% vs. 16.7%; p < .001) and at the 1-month follow-up (70.0% vs. 23.5%; p = .005). Summing the number of patient-provider discussions across the two visits at baseline and 1 month later, intervention participants were significantly more likely to have IPV risk discussion with their providers at one or both visits (90.0% vs. 23.6%; p < .001) compared with the participants who received usual care. When specifically asked about the helpfulness of these IPV-related discussions, 20 out of 22 (90.9%) participants rated the discussion as helpful or very helpful at baseline and all 18 (100%) participants rated the discussion as helpful or very helpful at the 1-month follow-up. CONCLUSION Video Doctor plus Provider Cueing intervention significantly increases the likelihood of provider-patient IPV discussion with pregnant women with a history of abuse.

Interpersonal violence is associated with depression and chronic physical health problems in midlife women.

This research describes interpersonal violence (IPV) exposure in a community-based sample of midlife women from three ethnic groups and explores relationships among these exposures and variables associated with health outcomes. IPV, physical health, depression, and social support were measured by self-report questionnaires. More than 33% reported a history of physical abuse or sexual abuse and at least 20% reported both. Approximately 20% experienced sexual harassment in the past year. IPV exposure was associated with more chronic health problems and depressive symptoms. IPV, whenever it occurs, is detrimental to womens health regardless of socioeconomic status or ethnicity.

NURSING CARE OF VICTIMS OF FAMILY VIOLENCE

By reading, you can know the knowledge and things more, not only about what you get from people to people. Book will be more trusted. As this nursing care of victims of family violence, it will really give you the good idea to be successful. It is not only for you to be success in certain life you can be successful in everything. The success can be started by knowing the basic knowledge and do actions.

PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL DISTRESS OF SHELTERED BATTERED WOMEN

We explored the physical and psychological distress of sheltered battered women. A convenience sample of 50 ethnically diverse women was obtained from women who had resided in two shelters for at least 21 days. Participants had experienced multiple traumatic events (8.1+/-4.6); however, only 19 (38.8%) of the participants were diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). When we analyzed biopsychosocial variables, we saw beneficial effects of support (financial, social, spiritual). These findings reinforce the need to enhance the resources of battered women, to help them identify existing opportunities, and to fortify self-caring strategies that give them strength.

Depression Among Women Experiencing Intimate Partner Violence in a Chinese Community

Background:Depression is one of the significant mental health impacts of intimate partner violence. However, there is a lack of empirical evidence on the factors associated with depression among abused Chinese women. Objective:The purpose of this study was to identify the factors associated with a higher level of depression among abused Chinese women. Methods:This was a cross-sectional study with participation of 200 abused Chinese women in a local community center in Hong Kong. The measurement tools used are the Chinese Abuse Assessment Screen, the Chinese Beck Depression Inventory Version II, the Revised Conflict Tactics Scale, the Interpersonal Support Evaluation List 12, and the demographic data. Structured multiphase regression analysis was used for data analysis. Results:Factors significantly associated with a higher level of depression in Chinese abused women were low educational level (estimate = −2.49, p = .038), immigration (estimate = 4.99, p = .025), financial support from friends and relatives (estimate = 4.72, p = .006), and chronic psychological abuse (estimate = 0.09, p < .001). A protective factor against depression is the perception of social support (estimate = −1.11, p < .001). Discussion:An overwhelming number of abused Chinese women have moderate or severe levels of depression. There is a need for more awareness of the detrimental mental health impact of abuse on women, screening for depression when women are found to be abused, and provision of social support at an earlier stage to minimize depression.

What We Know and What We Still Need to Learn

Research has changed the conceptualization of the causes and consequences of violence. Yet some questions remain unanswered. Infants and young children have largely been overlooked, and intraethnic and cultural group variations have not been addressed. There is still a need to address macro-level systematic discrimination in the health care system along with the intrapersonal physiological changes that result from exposure to violence. Fortunately, studies are beginning to show how longitudinal and intervention research can be safely conducted.