Mary Ann Curry

Risk factors for femicide in abusive relationships: results from a multisite case control study.

OBJECTIVES This 11-city study sought to identify risk factors for femicide in abusive relationships. METHODS Proxies of 220 intimate partner femicide victims identified from police or medical examiner records were interviewed, along with 343 abused control women. RESULTS Preincident risk factors associated in multivariate analyses with increased risk of intimate partner femicide included perpetrators access to a gun and previous threat with a weapon, perpetrators stepchild in the home, and estrangement, especially from a controlling partner. Never living together and prior domestic violence arrest were associated with lowered risks. Significant incident factors included the victim having left for another partner and the perpetrators use of a gun. Other significant bivariate-level risks included stalking, forced sex, and abuse during pregnancy. CONCLUSIONS There are identifiable risk factors for intimate partner femicides.

Effects of abuse on maternal complications and birth weight in adult and adolescent women

Objective To estimate the incidence of physical and sexual abuse in a sample of adult and adolescent pregnant women and to determine the relationship between abuse and maternal complications and infant birth weight. Methods One thousand eight hundred ninety-seven women were screened for abuse during pregnancy. Maternal complications and infant birth weight were obtained by record review. Results Physical abuse in the past year and/or during pregnancy was reported by 37.6% of the adolescent and 22.6% of the adult women (P < .001). Abused adult women were more likely to have unplanned pregnancies (P < .001) and to begin care after 20 weeks (P < .01) than nonabused women. For the aggregate sample of 1597 for whom birth weights were available, abuse was a significant risk factor for low birth weight (LBW) (P < .05) as was poor obstetric history (P < .05). Using Institute of Medicine risk factors for LBW, abused adults were more likely to have poorer past obstetric histories and to use tobacco, alcohol, and drugs (P < .05). Abused adolescents were at greater risk for smoking and first-or second-trimester bleeding (P < .05). For the aggregate, abused women were at greater risk for poor obstetric history, vaginal/cervical infection during pregnancy, smoking, and alcohol and drug use. Conclusion More than one-third of the adolescent and nearly one-fourth of the adult women reported abuse in the past year and/or during pregnancy. Abuse is related to poor obstetric history, substance use, and LBW. The short abuse assessment screen detects potential abuse in order that interventions can be implemented.

“Bring My Scooter So I Can Leave You” A Study of Disabled Women Handling Abuse by Personal Assistance Providers

This study investigated the perceptions and experiences of women with physical and cognitive disabilities related to abuse by formal and informal personal assistance providers. Focus groups and individual interviews were conducted with 72 women to explore how women define personal assistance abuse, the barriers they face in handling abuse, and strategies they recommend to prevent and/or stop abuse. Key themes that emerged included (a) the role of social and personal boundary confusion and power dynamics within the personal assistance services relationship; (b) expanded forms of abuse experienced by women with disabilities; (c) the complexity of using family and friends as providers; (d) personal, social, and systemic barriers that impede womens response to abuse; and (e) the benefits of supports that validate womens experiences and bolster their capacities to prevent and manage abuse. Findings suggested that, with experience, support, and appropriate resources, women with disabilities can effectively manage this challenge.

The Prenatal Psychosocial Profile: a research and clinical tool

This report summarizes five studies of culturally diverse women who were administered the Prenatal Psychosocial Profile (PPP). These data from 3,444 rural and urban women of all childbearing ages support the validity and reliability of the PPP as a measure of stress, support from partner, and support from others. The self-esteem scale is a valid and reliable measure for Caucasian and African American women. However, the cultural appropriateness of the self-esteem scale for Native American women is questionable, and it is neither valid nor culturally appropriate for traditional Hispanic women. The mean scores for stress, partner support, and other support were similar for all groups except for scales expected to differ by sample groups. Thus, suggested cutoff scores should be useful for screening purposes. The PPP provides a brief, yet comprehensive profile that is accepted by participants and useful to researchers and clinicians.

Abuse of Women with Disabilities State of the Science

Women with disabilities experience abuse at similar or higher rates than women in the general population. In addition to experiencing emotional, physical, and sexual abuse, women with disabilities may also experience disability-specific forms of abuse for prolonged periods of time and from multiple perpetrators. To promote awareness of this serious problem, this article offers a brief overview of the general domestic violence literature and a critical review of existing research regarding the abuse of women with disabilities. Following these reviews, we offer an overview of practical implications and existing resources in this important area.

The Interrelationships Between Abuse Substance Use, and Psychosocial Stress During Pregnancy

Objective: To describe the association between abuse during pregnancy and substance use and psychosocial stress. Design: Prospective study of pregnant women. Setting: Urban prenatal clinics. Participants: 1,937 predominately low-income, ethnically diverse women. Main Outcome Measures(s): Three questions from the Abuse Assessment Screen were used to measure abuse. For the total sample, 25.7% reported physical abuse in the past year, 10.5% physical abuse since pregnancy, and 4.5% sexual abuse in the past year. Adolescents were significantly more likely to report any abuse (37.6%) than were adults (22.6%) (chi-square = 44.94; df = 1; p < 0.001). White abused women were significantly more likely to report use of tobacco (chi-square = 17.34; df = 1; p < 0.001) and alcohol (chi-square = 5.65; df = 1, p < 0.01). Abused Asian women were more likely to smoke (chi-square = 12.13; df = 1, p < 0.001), as were women ethnically described as “other” (chi-square = 8.39; df = 1, p < 0.001). There was a higher, but not statistically significant, rate of substance use between abused and nonabused African-American, Native-American, and Hispanic women. Abused women of all races reported higher stress, less support from partners, less support from others, and lower self-esteem. Conclusions: Abuse during pregnancy is associated with an increased incidence of substance use and psychosocial stress. These relationships must be incorporated into the clinical care of abused pregnant women.

Abuse of Women With Disabilities An Ecological Model and Review

Women with disabilities are at increased risk for emotional, physical, and sexual abuse. They are also at risk for experiencing disability-related abuse from multiple sources. This problem is compounded by the social context of disability, including pervasive discrimination and stereotyping by society. This article highlights the problem of abuse of women with disabilities and examines the state of the science through a review of literature. An ecological model is presented that examines relevant individual, environmental, and cultural factors. The authors hope that this article will stimulate awareness of this problem and future research in this important arena.

Could we have known? A qualitative analysis of data from women who survived an attempted homicide by an intimate partner

AbstractOBJECTIVE: To examine in-depth the lives of women whose partners attempted to kill them, and to identify patterns that may aid in the clinician’s ability to predict, prevent, or counsel about femicide or attempted femicide. DESIGN: Qualitative analysis of 30 in-depth interviews. SETTING: Six U.S. cities. PARTICIPANTS: Thirty women, aged 17–54 years, who survived an attempted homicide by an intimate partner. RESULTS: All but 2 of the participants had previously experienced physical violence, controlling behavior, or both from the partner who attempted to kill them. The intensity of the violence, control, and threats varied greatly, as did the number of risk factors measured by the Danger Assessment, defining a wide spectrum of prior abuse. Approximately half (14/30) of the participants did not recognize that their lives were in danger. Women often focused more on relationship problems involving money, alcohol, drugs, possessiveness, or infidelity, than on the risk to themselves from the violence. The majority of the attempts (22/30) happened around the time of a relationship change, but the relationship was often ending because of problems other than violence. CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians should not be falsely reassured by a woman’s sense of safety, by the lack of a history of severe violence, or by the presence of few classic risk factors for homicide. Efforts to reduce femicide risk that are targeted only at those women seeking help for violence-related problems may miss potential victims.

The domestic violence survivor assessment: a tool for counseling women in intimate partner violence relationships

Seeking to end violence and distress in their relationship is the goal of women abused by intimate partners. The theoretical framework guiding development of the domestic violence survivor assessment (DVSA) was Landenburgers theory of entrapment and recovery. Social context and need to balance care for others and herself influence womens decision-making about abuse. The DVSA was developed collaboratively between researchers and counselors to gain a deeper understanding of battered womens cognitive states in order to assist them during counseling to effectively resolve the dilemma of their abusive relationships while experiencing personal growth. Five states are identified which a woman may experience on 11 issues concurrently at the personal, relationship or social context levels. Research to validate the DVSA and suggestions on use with women desiring to preserve their relationship or preserve their self or preserve the resolution of change is described. Using the DVSA for assessment, intervention and measuring intermediate outcomes is delineated.

Prevalence of interpersonal violence against community-living adults with disabilities: A literature review

OBJECTIVE To review the empirical literature on the prevalence of interpersonal violence (IPV) against people with disabilities. METHOD The authors searched for, obtained, and reviewed 6,000 abstracts published between January, 2000 and August, 2010 via searches in PsycINFO and PubMed. Subsequently, 177 potentially applicable full-text articles were independently assessed for inclusion; 22 articles describing 21 individual studies were included in this review. RESULTS The prevalence of IPV varied depending on the time frame, the definition and type of violence, perpetrator, and disability. Prevalence of any type of IPV among women with disabilities ranged from 26.0%-90.0% for lifetime; 4.9%-29.1% for the past 5 years; and 2.0%-70.0% for the past year. In some studies, when compared to women without disabilities, women with disabilities experienced more lifetime, 5 year, and past year physical and sexual IPV. Prevalence of any IPV in men with disabilities ranged from 28.7%-86.7% for lifetime; 24.9% for the past 5 years; and 36.7% for the past year. CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS IPV occurs at elevated and disproportionate rates among women and men with disabilities, especially when assessed over the course of their lives. Future research that relies on standard definitions of disability and violence, uses accessible measurement, and examines IPV in diverse populations of people with disabilities will strengthen future reviews and better inform research and policy priorities on disability and violence.