Lynda M. Sagrestano

Perceived Power and Physical Violence in Marital Conflict

Relations among perceived marital power, the demand/withdraw interaction pattern, and self-reports of the use of verbal aggression and physical violence were examined in a sample of 42 married couples. Couples completed several self-report questionnaires and discussed two areas of marital dissatisfaction, one identified by the wife and one identified by the husband. These interactions were rated for the use of the demand/withdraw interaction pattern. Regression analyses revealed that lower levels of perceived power by the husbands and higher levels of perceived power by the wives were associated with the use of verbal aggression and violence by husbands and wives, the husband demand/wife withdraw interaction pattern was associated with husbands use of verbal aggression, and the wife demand/husband withdraw pattern was associated with husbands verbal aggression and violence and with wifes violence.

A Longitudinal Examination of Familial Risk Factors for Depression Among Inner-City African American Adolescents

This research examines longitudinally associations between family risk factors and child and parent depression in 302 urban, low-income, African American adolescents (ages 9-15) and their parents across 2 waves of data collection. Diagnostic data revealed that 7.3% of parents and 3.0% of children at Time 1 and 5.4% of parents and 2.8% of children at Time 2 were clinically depressed. Regression analyses revealed that changes in family functioning were concurrently associated with changes in depression for both children and parents. Specifically, increases in conflict and decreases in parental monitoring were associated with increases in child depressive symptomatology, and increases in conflict and decreases in positive parenting were associated with increases in parental depressive symptomatology. Findings are discussed within a framework of understanding family protective factors and the prevention of depression.

Ethnicity and social support during pregnancy.

Data from two multi-ethnic prospective studies of African American, Latina, and non-Hispanic White pregnant women were used to examine the influence of contextual factors on social support processes during pregnancy. Multiple types of support (perceived support, received support, support satisfaction, network support) and sources of support (babys father, family, friends) were assessed. The role of ethnicity in social support was examined after controlling for the contribution of related contextual factors (SES, marital status, age, parity, employment) to these processes. The impact of ethnicity and related contextual factors differed across sources of social support. Ethnic differences in support from family and friends, but not from the babys father, emerged. However, marital status was a consistent predictor of support from the babys father, and SES was a consistent predictor of support from friends. Overall, the findings of two studies suggest that although ethnicity is associated with support from friends and family, other contextual factors, such as marital status and SES, influence support processes during pregnancy.

Demographic, Psychological, and Relationship Factors in Domestic Violence during Pregnancy in a Sample of Low-Income Women of Color.

Research suggests that a significant number of women first experience domestic violence during pregnancy. The current study examines correlates of violence during pregnancy, first by comparing women who did and did not report violence, and second examining three subgroups of women who reported violence (violence initiated, violence persisted, violence ceased). Results indicated that controlling for demographics, more frequent violence was associated with less support and satisfaction with support from the babys father, more negative interactions with the babys father, and more verbal aggression in their relationships than those who did not report violence. Differences among subgroups of women reporting violence emerged only for the relationship variables. Implications for detecting violence in clinical settings are discussed.

The Psychology of WomenThe Psychology of Women, PaludiMichele. Dubuque, IA: Wm. C. Brown Communications, 1992. 392 pp.

through some sections of this book. However, the material is accessible to all readers because the authors explain and expand upon theoretical concepts and make extensive and effective use of examples from their own work to illustrate the relevance of the material to groupwork practice. The literature on the psychology of women, on women’s mental health, and on psychotherapy with women has been justifiably criticized for its primary focus on the needs and experiences of middle-class women. This book provides muchneeded insight into the problems and concerns of working-class women. The authors effectively challenge the argument that increased awareness of female subordination is debilitating for women who suffer from severe economic and emotional deprivation and whose lives seem to provide few options for change. Through numerous examples, they illustrate the importance of reducing women’s sense of isolation, of helping women to trust themselves and other women, of giving women opportunities to examine the impact of oppressive systems on their lives, and of acknowledging the positive power of anger for women. Their accounts reveal how working-class women are able to take the risks required to effect meaningful change in their lives. Another particularly helpful aspect of this book is that the authors deal with worker issues. They offer useful strategies for handling the problems feminist workers encounter in traditional agencies; they address directly the apparent contradictions in integrating professional knowledge and skills into a feminist group. Feminist Groupwork is thought provoking and informative. Although most directly applicable for group workers, practitioners who work one-on-one with women will also find the analyses and methods detailed in this book to be enlightening, reaffirming, and useful for their work with women.