Nicole L. Johnson

Factors Influencing the Relationship Between Sexual Trauma and Risky Sexual Behavior in College Students

While the relationship between sexual trauma and risky sexual behavior (RSB) has received much attention, only a handful of studies have investigated the factors that protect victims of sexual trauma from developing this maladaptive pattern of behavior. The current study investigated the protective role of social support, quality and quantity, in developing RSB, through the mechanism of problematic substance use. Two hundred and seventy-five female college students completed a series of self-reports assessing sexual trauma, problematic substance use, social support quality and quantity, and RSB. The results indicated a positive relationship between sexual trauma severity and RSB. Further, this relationship was mediated by participants’ problematic substance use. Social support quality acted as a buffer against the relationship described above where quantity exacerbated this relationship. Implications will be discussed.

The role of PTSD and length of shelter stay in battered women's severity of re-abuse after leaving shelter

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is associated with significant morbidity, including high rates of reabuse even after women have taken steps to achieve safety. This study evaluated the roles of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom severity and length of shelter stay in the severity of reabuse in 103 IPV victims over a six-month period after leaving a battered womens shelter. Results suggest that the length of shelter stay is inversely related to reabuse severity after leaving shelter. Additionally, more severe PTSD symptoms on shelter exit were associated with greater reabuse severity after leaving shelter. Furthermore, additional study findings support prior research suggesting that the emotional numbing symptoms of PTSD are a significant risk factor for reabuse among IPV victims after leaving shelter.

Is John Henryism a resilience factor in women experiencing intimate partner violence

Background: Research suggests that posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression are two common mental health problems in intimate partner violence (IPV) survivors. Research has found that while Black women consistently report higher rates of victimization than White women, they also report less severe PTSD and depressive symptoms, suggesting that Black IPV survivors might be more resilient to PTSD and depression than are White survivors. Design: We implemented a correlational study with 81 Black and 100 White female survivors of IPV to determine if John Henryism (JH; i.e., a predisposed active coping mechanism) contributes to the resilience observed in Black IPV survivors. Methods: Participants completed the John Henryism Active Coping Scale, Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, Davidson Trauma Scale, and the Abusive Behavior Inventory. Results: Results demonstrated that White woman endorsed more severe depressive symptoms as compared to Black women. Severity of PTSD symptoms and JH was not significantly different between races. JH did not moderate the relationship between race and depression; however, for PTSD, JH was found to be protective of PTSD in White women, while demonstrating little impact on Black women. Conclusions: The implications of these findings are discussed in terms of the minority stress model.

Correlates of Readiness to Change in Victims of Intimate Partner Violence.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a social problem associated with significant morbidity; however, victims do not always utilize treatment and resources. Ones readiness to change might be one variable impacting his or her pursuit of treatment and other resources. This study investigated correlates of readiness to change, and readiness to changes impact on treatment utilization. Data were collected from 223 women residing in battered womens shelters. Correlational analyses find that generally victims with more psychopathology and distress, as well as more social support, were more ready to change. Posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms, overall distress, and social support were the strongest predictors of readiness to change. Finally, victims higher in readiness to change were more likely to seek mental health treatment and other IPV-related services.

An Empirical Exploration Into the Measurement of Rape Culture

Feminist scholars have long argued the presence of a “rape culture” within the United States; however, limited efforts have been made to quantify this construct. A model of rape culture was first proposed in 1980 and expanded in the 1990s in an effort to quantify rape myth acceptance. This model posits that five underlying components make up a rape culture: traditional gender roles, sexism, adversarial sexual beliefs, hostility toward women, and acceptance of violence. Although these components are proposed as cultural phenomenon and thus distinct from individually held beliefs, they have been exclusively explored on an individual level. Thus, to promote exploration of this phenomenon beyond individually held beliefs, the authors adapted a series of well-established measures to assess the perceived peer support of the constructs proposed to underlie rape culture and assess initial reliability and validity in a sample of 314 college students. Following determination of reliability and validity of these adapted measures, a hierarchical confirmatory factor analysis was run to examine the proposed model of rape culture. Results of this study highlight the uniqueness between individual and cultural factors as several items did not translate from an individual (i.e., personal endorsement) to a cultural level (i.e., perceived peer support) and were subsequently removed from the proposed final measurements. Furthermore, initial support for the aforementioned model of rape culture was identified. These findings are crucial given that limited conclusions may be drawn about the existence and in turn eradication of rape culture without an agreed upon definition and source of measurement.

Why Us? Toward an Understanding of Bisexual Women's Vulnerability for and Negative Consequences of Sexual Violence

ABSTRACT As the literature on sexual violence and its relationship with sexual orientation in women continues to grow, one issue is becoming clear: the need to investigate bisexuality as a correlate of sexual violence and of greater negative outcomes following such violence. Although several studies have noted higher rates and negative consequence of sexual violence in bisexual women, few have attempted to unravel the connections between bisexuality and victimization. In this theoretical article, the authors offer several potential explanatory variables as well as a call for more in-depth research into the unique risks suffered by bisexual women of all races. Drawing from the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions ecological model of sexual violence and multiple fields of research, the authors map the potential origins and explanations of these risks by connecting the sexual violence literature with research into heteronormativity and homo/biphobia, studies of intimate partner violence, cultural analyses of media representation of womens sexuality, and contemporary understandings of trauma following sexual violence victimization.

It is and it is not: the Importance of Context when Exploring Gender Differences in Perpetration of Physical Partner Violence

The literature on gender differences in perpetration of physical partner violence (PV) consists of two opposing camps: those who emphasize gender symmetry, and those who emphasize gender asymmetry. We propose a both/and approach to this controversy by suggesting that the issue of gender symmetry is complex and dependent upon context. Furthermore, we discuss how the role of personal investment in political agendas contributes to this divide in the literature. We argue that this both/and approach to inquiry will significantly contribute to the understanding of gender differences in perpetration of PV, as well inform the development of interventions for PV.

Iowa Gambling Task Performance in Parkinson Disease Patients with Impulse Control Disorders

OBJECTIVE A subgroup of patients with Parkinson disease (PD) develops impulse control disorders (ICD) associated with their dopamine replacement therapy. Patients and their families may be reluctant to report ICD symptoms or unaware these symptoms are related to PD medication, which can make detecting an ICD difficult for clinicians. Ideally, a behavioral measure that is sensitive to ICD could be employed to ensure that patients with these behaviors are identified and treated. The Iowa Gambling Task (IGT), a standardized decision-making task, has proven sensitive in other populations with impulse control problems. We hypothesized that the IGT would differentiate between PD patients with and without ICD. METHODS We compared IGT performance and disease variables in 24 PD patients with ICD and 24 PD patients without ICD. Patient groups were matched in terms of age, sex, and duration of PD. RESULTS There were no significant differences in IGT scores between PD groups. IGT performance declined with increasing age, but the majority of patients performed within normal limits based on published age- and education-corrected normative data. CONCLUSIONS The IGT did not distinguish between PD patients with and without ICD. Increasing age negatively impacted performance in both groups. Other studies have found that IGT performance may decline in normal aging. Our results suggest that the IGT lacks the sensitivity and specificity needed to differentiate between age-related deficits and disruption in frontal-subcortical circuits underlying ICD associated with PD medications. Therefore, the IGT is not an appropriate behavioral measure for ICD in PD patients.

The Impact of Comorbid Diagnoses on the Course of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms in Residents of Battered Women’s Shelters.

Objective: The current investigation sought to explore the impact of the comorbidities of substance use disorder (SUD), major depressive disorder (MDD), and borderline personality disorder (BPD) on the trajectory of intimate partner violence (IPV)-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms across a 6-month follow-up period in IPV survivors who seek shelter. Research has found significant comorbidity of SUD, MDD, and BPD with PTSD (see Green et al., 2006; Kessler, Sonnega, Bromet, Hughes, & Nelson, 1995; Pagura et al., 2010); however, little to no research has explored these relationships in this unique population over time. Method: A sample of 147 residents of battered women’s shelters completed study measures at baseline, 1 week, and 3 and 6 months following shelter stay. Participants completed measures assessing for demographics, abuse, and Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th edition, text revision) diagnoses. Results: Results of latent growth modeling with the time-invariant covariates of SUD, MDD, and BPD yielded a significant effect of SUD (&bgr; = .002, p = .007) on the slope of IPV-related PTSD symptoms controlling for IPV victimization. Significant effects were not identified for BPD (&bgr; = .001, p > .05) or MDD (&bgr; = .002, p > .05). Results suggest IPV survivors with SUD demonstrated less improvement in PTSD symptoms over 6 months after they left shelter as compared to women without SUD. Conclusion: Findings emphasize the deleterious effects of SUD, above and beyond MDD and BPD, on IPV-related PTSD and highlight the need for assessment and treatment of SUD and PTSD simultaneously in residents of battered women’s shelters. Clinical Impact Statement: Findings suggest the need to go beyond standard shelter services to more effectively address and treat co-occurring SUD-PTSD in IPV survivors.

Prevalence and Predictors of Bidirectional Violence in Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence Residing at Shelters

There has been a long-standing debate regarding whether or not there is gender symmetry in intimate partner violence (IPV); however, shelter samples have been understudied thus far. This study investigates the prevalence and predictors of IPV perpetration in a sample of 227 women in battered women’s shelters. Participants were asked to complete a number of measures assessing demographics, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed., text rev.; DSM-IV-TR) diagnoses, traumatic life events, and perpetration and victimization of IPV. Although the vast majority of women in this sample (93%) report perpetrating some form of IPV, few women endorsed violence that was not mutual (5.3%). Furthermore, for every type of IPV assessed, women were victimized significantly more than they perpetrated. Results also indicate that women’s perpetration of IPV, and predictors of such perpetration, varied across type, severity, and measurement of violence. However, most IPV outcome variables were predicted by women’s experience of victimization. Taken as a whole, these results support the assertion that context matters when examining the relative rates of perpetration as well as its predictors.