Tasseli McKay

Employee Assistance Program Services for Intimate Partner Violence and Client Satisfaction With These Services

Objective: To describe intimate partner violence (IPV) services available through employee assistance programs (EAPs) and determine womens satisfaction with these services. Methods: A mixed-methods study consisting of semistructured telephone interviews with 28 EAPs about IPV-related services and a national web-based survey of 1765 women regarding their interactions with EAPs when seeking IPV-related assistance. Data were collected in the fall of 2008. Results: EAPs provide fairly extensive services to individuals experiencing IPV. Satisfaction with EAP services for IPV was significantly associated with annual income and the type of help received from the EAP, but not with type of IPV experienced. EAP representatives described challenges with accurately identifying IPV victims and women expressed concerns with confidentiality. Conclusions: Future efforts to enhance the ability of EAPs to respond effectively to IPV should address confidentially and strengthen how IPV-related assistance is delivered.

Understanding (and Acting On) 20 Years of Research on Violence and LGBTQ + Communities

Questions related to violence, vulnerability, and sexual and gender minorities continuing to occupy a focal place in U.S. public discourse. We reviewed findings from 20 years of research on that topic to make recommendations for policy, practice, and future research. This article synthesizes findings from 102 peer-reviewed articles as well as a small number of unpublished studies and grey literature. We found no data to support the idea (widespread in popular discourse) that those in the sexual or gender majority require protection from sexual or gender minority individuals. Instead, this wide body of research indicates that sexual and gender minorities are themselves at elevated risk for physical and sexual assault, harassment, bullying, and hate crime victimization throughout childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. Contradicting the image of hate crimes as perpetrated by strangers or acquaintances, we find that bias-related verbal abuse, physical, and sexual assault by close family members contribute heavily to observed victimization rates. Further, despite the perception that society is becoming more welcoming, victimization disparities appear to be stable or widening since the 1990s. More studies with probabilistic sampling approaches, standardized measures, and larger samples of gender minorities are needed. However, widespread victimization of sexual and gender minorities is clearly an urgent issue, demanding attention from clinicians, program developers, and policy makers.

Profile of Justice-Involved Marijuana and Other Substance Users: Demographics, Health and Health Care, Family, and Justice System Experiences:

Substance users are more likely to have co-occurring health problems, and this pattern is intensified among those involved with the criminal justice system. Interview data for 1977 incarcerated men in 5 states from the Multi-site Family Study on Incarceration, Parenting, and Partnering that was conducted between December 2008 and August 2011 were analyzed to compare pre-incarceration substance use patterns and health outcomes between men who primarily used marijuana, primarily used alcohol, primarily used other drugs, and did not use any illicit substances during that time. Using regression modeling, we examined the influence of substance use patterns on physical and mental health. Primary marijuana users comprised the largest portion of the sample (31.5%), closely followed by nonusers (30.0%), and those who primarily used other drugs (30.0%); primary alcohol users comprised the smallest group (19.6%). The substance user groups differed significantly from the nonuser group on many aspects of physical and mental health. Findings suggest that even among justice-involved men who are not using “hard” drugs, substance use merits serious attention. Expanding the availability of substance use treatment during and after incarceration might help to promote physical and mental health during incarceration and reentry.