Sharon M. Wasco

Feminist approaches to social science: epistemological and methodological tenets.

This paper is a primer for community psychologists on feminist research. Much like the field of community psychology, feminist scholarship is defined by its values and process. Informed by the political ideologies of the 1970s womens movement (liberal, radical, socialist feminism, and womanism), feminist scholars reinterpreted classic concepts in philosophy of science to create feminist epistemologies and methodologies. Feminist epistemologies, such as feminist empiricism, standpoint theory, and postmodernism, recognize womens lived experiences as legitimate sources of knowledge. Feminist methodologies attempt to eradicate sexist bias in research and find ways to capture womens voices that are consistent with feminist ideals. Practically, the process of feminist research is characterized by four primary features: (1) expanding methodologies to include both quantitative and qualitative methods, (2) connecting women for group-level data collection, (3) reducing the hierarchical relationship between researchers and their participants to facilitate trust and disclosure, and (4) recognizing and reflecting upon the emotionality of womens lives. Recommendations for how community psychologists can integrate feminist scholarship into their practice are discussed.

Social reactions to rape victims: Healing and hurtful effects on psychological and physical health outcomes.

In this study, 102 rape survivors were interviewed about the social reactions they received from family and friends post-rape. Results supported Ullman’s (1996b) conclusion that the overall contribution of positive social reaction (e.g., providing support, listening, believing) on victims’ recovery is negligible, but that negative social reactions (e.g., blaming) hinder recovery. In contrast to Ullman’s (1996b) work, this research also examined whether rape victims have similar perceptions as to what constitutes a “positive” and “negative” social reaction. Results indicated that victims often agree as to what reactions are healing (positive), but that they do not agree as to what is hurtful (negative). By taking victims’ perceptions into account, this study was able to compare the relative contributions of social reactions that were considered healing, social reactions that were considered hurtful, and the absence of social reactions. Results indicated that survivors who had someone believe their account of what happened or were allowed to talk about the assault—and considered these reactions to be healing—had fewer emotional and physical health problems than victims who considered these reactions hurtful, or victims who did not experience these reactions at all. Implications for future research on social reactions are discussed.

Effectiveness of hotline, advocacy, counseling, and shelter services for victims of domestic violence: a statewide evaluation.

The authors report the results of an evaluation of services provided by 54 Illinois domestic violence agencies. In collaboration with the University of Illinois at Chicago evaluation team, domestic violence advocates identified services to be evaluated, specified desired outcomes of those services, and participated in developing measures of those outcomes in both English and Spanish. With in the limitations of the study, outcomes were positive in all four program areas: hotline, counseling, advocacy, and shelter. The authors then discuss implications for evaluation of domestic violence programs that maintain victim safety as a guiding principle.

A Statewide Evaluation of Services Provided to Rape Survivors

This article presents the descriptive results of a statewide evaluation of hotline, advocacy, and counseling services provided to sexual assault victims in Illinois. Collaborative efforts of a multidisciplinary research team and sexual assault service providers resulted in victim-sensitive evaluation measures and data that reflect, for the first time, the collective impact of services on rape victims across the state of Illinois. Results of the evaluation suggest that, overall, services provided to rape victims provided support, increased information and knowledge, and helped victims to understand options and make decisions. The evaluation approach is notable for its collaborative nature and its sensitivity to rape victims during help-seeking and delivery; however, due to the high levels of distress common among rape survivors, some evaluation methods may not be appropriate for crisis intervention services such as hotline or advocacy. Implications for future evaluation research and policy are noted.

Evaluating services for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault

I. The Political and Social Context of Evaluation 1. The Evolution of the Violence Against Women Social Movement and Services for Victims 2. Collaboration in Evaluation Research II. Key Aspects of Doing an Evaluation 3. Why Evaluate? 4. Basic Concepts in Evaluation 5. Using Evaluation Results III. Lessons Learned 6. Lessons Learned in Evaluating Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Services IV. Additional Resources V. References VI. Appendix A. Evaluation Measures for Domestic Violence Services VII. Appendix B. Evaluation Measures for Sexual Assault Services VIII. About the Authors

Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) Programs Alternative Systems for Service Delivery for Sexual Assault Victims

In recent years, new programs have emerged in hospital emergency departments to care for sexual assault victims. These programs, collectively known as Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) programs, improve the treatment of sexual assault victims through explicit attention to the medical, emotional, and legal needs of sexual assault survivors. Although SANE programs have proliferated over the past several years and now number nearly 100 nationwide, details about how these alternative services were developed have been missing in the literature. In this article, two recently established SANE programs are studied in depth to reveal how rape crisis centers in different communities created these services. Factor associated with the successful implementation of these SANE programs included (a) strong organizational history, (b) use of sexual assault councils and task forces, (c) affiliation with larger organizations, (d) positive relationships with hospitals, (e) engaging in training and collaboration with community systems, and (f) strategies for resolving differences. Implications for the health care of sexual assault victims are discussed.

Counseling Services for Battered Women A Comparison of Outcomes for Physical and Sexual Assault Survivors

Approximately 15% of married or cohabiting women and as many as 60% of battered women are raped at least once by their partners. This study compared community-based counseling outcomes of battered women with outcomes of women who were both raped and battered by their partners. Over time, both groups improved in wellbeing and coping. Although those both battered and raped progressed more in counseling, they had lower scores before and after counseling compared to women who were battered only. Implications for research and intervention are discussed.