Impact of executive function on efficacy obtaining resources following intimate partner violence

Abstract

AbstractFollowing intimate partner violence (IPV), women risk losing resources needed to meet their basic needs, such as food and housing. To identify potential points of community intervention, the current study examined the role of executive function (EF) in women's efficacy to obtain resources following a police‐reported physical IPV incident. Participants were 199 women from diverse, urban, and largely lower‐income backgrounds. As predicted, greater physical abuse was associated with worse EF performance and worse EF was associated with less efficacy in obtaining resources 1 year later. Greater physical abuse was indirectly related to less efficacy in obtaining resources via EF, even when controlling for income. Results provide information regarding EF as a potential link in the relationship between IPV and obtaining resources among women of lower‐income backgrounds. In the context of limited resources, preparing community service professionals to use EF‐focused interventions (e.g., to structure tasks, repeat instructions) may support women's efforts to access resources.