Domestic Violence Resources Research Articles

The Impact of Intimate Partner Violence on Homelessness and Returns to Housing: A Qualitative Analysis From the California Statewide Study of People Experiencing Homelessness.

Homelessness is a public health concern in California and throughout the United States. Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a risk factor for experiencing homelessness. Few studies have examined the interplay between IPV, homelessness, and housing. Qualitative methods can provide a greater understanding of the lived experience of IPV and homelessness to identify potential solutions. We purposefully sampled 104 adults who reported experiencing IPV in the California Statewide Study of People Experiencing Homelessness (CASPEH), a representative, mixed-methods study. We administered semi-structured interviews focusing on IPV and six other topic areas pertaining to homelessness from October 2021 to May 2022. We created and applied a codebook with a multidisciplinary team using a hybrid of deductive and inductive logic. Our analysis included all participants who discussed IPV and homelessness across the seven studies. We conducted a thematic analysis using an interpretivist approach and informed by grounded theory. We found that violence within a partnership was multidimensional (physical, sexual, emotional, and financial) and bidirectional. We identified six themes: (1) IPV precipitated and prolonged homelessness; (2) Need for housing, financial stability, and material resources influenced staying in abusive relationships; (3) Alcohol and illicit substance use exacerbated violence between partners; (4) Participants struggled to find resources in domestic violence (DV) shelters; (5) The healthcare system did not provide substantial support; and (6) discrimination and stigma influenced equitable access to housing and DV resources. Experiencing IPV contributed to homelessness and impeded returns to housing. Limitations in current IPV resources impede care. We propose equitable expansion of survivor-centered services that improve access to long-term subsidized housing, prevent IPV and homelessness with flexible funding options, and facilitate rapid exits from homelessness through trauma-informed, non-congregate shelter that transitions to permanent housing.

Prehospital Care for Persons Experiencing Homelessness: A Cross-Sectional Survey of the Challenges, Experiences, and Perspectives of Operational EMS Agency Medical Directors

Objective Persons experiencing homelessness (PEH) are among the most vulnerable populations and experience significant health disparities. Nationally, PEH utilize Emergency Medical Services (EMS) at disproportionately higher rates than their housed peers. Developing optimal strategies to care for PEH has become critically important. However, limited data exists on best practices, challenges, and experiences of providing care to PEH. The objective of this study was to describe the experiences, challenges and perspectives of operational EMS agency medical directors in Los Angeles (LA) County as they confront the homelessness crisis. Methods We performed a cross-sectional survey of 9-1-1 operational EMS agency medical directors in LA County, which has one of the largest populations of PEH nationally. Twenty-nine 9-1-1 operational EMS agencies operate in LA County. The link to an anonymous, web-based survey examining documentation, training, resources, operational impact, and care challenges was emailed to medical directors with three reminders during the study period (4/19/2023-9/15/2023). Results Three quarters (75.9%; 22/29) of operational EMS agencies responded to the survey, with all questions answered in 69% (20/29) of surveys. Of these, 68.2% (15/22) of agencies document housing status and 75% (15/20) agreed or strongly agreed that homelessness presents operational challenges. No operational EMS agency reported adequate EMS clinician training on homelessness. Operational EMS agencies most commonly utilized domestic violence resources (43%, 9/21), social services (38%, 8/21), and law enforcement (38%, 8/21) services to assist PEH. Referrals were limited by accessibility (86%, 18/21), time (52%, 11/21), lack of awareness (52% 11/21) and lack of mandates (52%, 11/21). All operational EMS agencies agreed or strongly agreed that mental health and substance use disorders are major issues for PEH. The most common daily challenges reported were mental health (55%, 11/20), substance use (55%, 11/20), and patient resistance (35%, 7/20). Conclusion In LA County, EMS agencies experience important operational and clinical challenges in caring for PEH, with limited resources, minimal training, and high rates of substance use disorders and mental health comorbidities. Further prehospital research is essential to standardize documentation of housing status, to identify areas for intervention, increase linkage to services, and define best practices.

A Multiple Streams Framework Approach to Access to Domestic Violence Services in an Indigenous Community.

This article focuses on access to domestic violence services within Belize. Using data from community asset mapping, interviews with key informants, and focus groups with community members, the multiple streams framework was used to identify potential areas for intervention to improve access and ameliorate the effects of family violence in Belize. Identified challenges to accessing limited domestic violence resources were mainly confidentiality concerns and mistrust. Existing laws and regulations, organizational structures, and policies and plans also influenced access. Women's groups, nongovernmental organizations, and the health department can play a crucial role in improving access to domestic violence services.

Domestic Violence Police Reporting and Resources During the 2020 COVID-19 Stay-at-Home Order in Chicago, Illinois

Domestic violence (DV) has become a growing public health concern during the COVID-19 pandemic because individuals may be sheltering in place with abusers and facing mounting economic and health-related stresses. To analyze associations of the 2020 COVID-19 stay-at-home (SH) order with DV police reporting and resource availability, including differences by community area racial/ethnic composition. This longitudinal cohort study assessed DV police reports (January-June 2020) obtained from the Chicago, Illinois, Police Department and DV resource availability (March and August 2020) obtained from the NowPow community resource database, both for 77 community areas in Chicago. Data were analyzed July through December 2020. The COVID-19 SH order effective March 21, 2020. Monthly rates of DV police reports and DV resource availability per 100 000 persons. Of 77 community areas in Chicago, 28 (36.4%) were majority Black, 19 (24.7%) majority Hispanic/Latinx, 18 (23.4%) majority White, and 12 (15.6%) a different or no majority race/ethnicity, representing an estimated population of 2 718 555 individuals. For each community area, the SH order was associated with a decrease in the rate of DV police reports by 21.8 (95% CI, -30.48 to -13.07) crimes per 100 000 persons per month relative to the same months in 2019. Compared with White majority community areas, Black majority areas had a decrease in the rate of DV police reports by 40.8 (95% CI, -62.93 to -18.75) crimes per 100 000 persons per month relative to the same months in 2019. The SH order was also associated with a decrease in DV resource availability at a rate of 5.1 (95% CI, -7.55 to -2.67) resources per 100 000 persons, with the largest decreases for mental health (-4.3 [95% CI, -5.97 to -2.66] resources per 100 000 persons) and personal safety (-2.4 [95% CI, -4.40 to -0.41] resources per 100 000 persons). The Black majority south side of Chicago had a larger decrease in resource availability (-6.7 [95% CI, -12.92 to -0.46] resources per 100 000 persons) than the White majority north side. In this longitudinal cohort study, the rate of DV police reports decreased after the SH order was implemented in Chicago. This decrease was largely observed in Black majority communities, whereas there was no significant change in White majority communities. These findings may reflect decreased DV incidence but may also reflect an exacerbation of underreporting. In addition, DV resource availability decreased disproportionately on the predominantly Black south side of Chicago.

"I'm Just Like, You Know What, It's Now or Never": Exploring How Women of Color Experiencing Severe Abuse and Homicide Risk Journey Toward Formal Help-Seeking.

Women in the United States are more likely to be killed by an intimate partner than anyone else, and prior, severe domestic violence (DV) is typically involved in such intimate partner homicides (IPH). Black women experience disproportionately high rates of DV and IPHs, severe injury, and abuse with weapons. Distinct patterns of escalating DV are associated with impending risk of re-victimization and lethal violence. One of the most common predictors associated with formal DV help-seeking is severity of physical violence. The current study uses semi-structured interviews with 11 severe abuse survivors to answer the following research questions: (1) How do women experiencing severe abuse make sense of DV resources across the course of their abusive relationships? (2) How do women experiencing severe abuse make sense of services when fear of death/homicide risk is present? Approximately 91% of the sample is comprised of women of color (WOC) survivors. Results demonstrate that WOC survivors navigated complex journeys toward formal DV help-seeking that involved resisting help-seeking when the abuse still felt manageable; delaying help-seeking to protect themselves from escalating violence; and hastening help-seeking when breaking points were reached and the risk of death felt tangible. DV resources took on a different meaning in participants' lives as abuse became more severe across the abuse lifecourse, and in relation to life circumstances and patterns of abuse, and personal perceptions of homicide risk. WOC participants also often experienced multiple structural barriers to formal help-seeking and waited until the violence was severe and/or life-threatening to make first contact, which highlights the necessity of immediate risk assessment with responsive service offerings that address the link between DV and poverty, as well as regular follow-up and ongoing support.

A Survey of Black Churches’ Responses to Domestic Violence

A high level of church involvement among African Americans suggests the potential of the Black church in addressing domestic violence. However, very little research has examined this topic. The current study is an exploratory study of how aware African American churches are of victims in their congregation and how they respond to them. The survey was conducted with a convenience sample (N=112) of church pastors and lay leaders, ¾ of whom were senior or associate/assistant pastors, from 9 cities and various denominations. The results showed that these churches may underestimate the number of members who are victims, infrequently address domestic violence from the pulpit, and sometimes provided interventions that are potentially harmful, i.e. couples’ counseling and/or lack of safety risk assessment. Respondents thought that their church’s response to domestic violence could be improved with more training for clergy and more knowledge of domestic violence resources. This paper provides recommendations for Christian Social Workers working with Black churches around issues of domestic violence.

Local Gender Policies in Brazil

The purpose of this paper is to verify whether and in which degree Brazilian's local policies are oriented toward strategic or practical gender needs. In order to achieve that I analyzed data on Brazilian local gender policies from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics' Survey of Basic Municipal Information 2009, the main findings of this analysis were: in 4,522 (81.3%) out of the 5,564 Brazilian municipalities there were not any gender unit. Only in 1,042 (18.7%) municipalities there was a gender unit. Only 3.4% of them have designed a plan and 6.8% have a budget. Around 7% of the municipalities implemented policies that address violence against women. Among these initiatives were shelters and domestic violence resource center. Policies were also implemented in education, health, or work. Some programs are developed in cooperation with the government at the national or state level, NGOs, religious institutions and worker's organizations. Among these, NGOs and religious institutions stand out. The greater the municipality's population size, the greater the likelihood of the existence of a gender unit. Gender policies were different across the Brazilian states as well. For instance, in Roraima, a state in the Northern Region, there was not any municipality with policies addressing women. It has been observed as well whether Mayors' characteristics were associated with the existence of gender policies in the municipalities.

Simulations and Social Empathy: Domestic Violence Education in the New Millennium.

When teaching about domestic violence, we hope that our students will be moved to act and organize against it within a social justice framework. We argue that instructional simulations can be used to inspire students to do so. Instructional simulations and gaming tools have been part of higher education pedagogical tool kits since at least the 1960s. Yet it is only recently that a domestic violence resource exists that reflects the interdisciplinary, interactive, and empathy-building orientation of feminist pedagogy. Drawing on the concept of "social empathy," we analyze the potential of the instructional simulation "In Her Shoes," developed by the Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence, to help students gain knowledge of and empathy for the constrained choices facing battered women, understand the frequent disjuncture between leaving and safety, and close the gap between cultural perceptions and lived realities.

Intersections of Race, Gender, Disadvantage, and Violence: Applying Intersectionality to the Macro-Level Study of Female Homicide

Intersectionality implies that multiple socially constructed categories (race, gender, and class) interact, but also operate at many levels when contributing to inequality. This paper provides an illustration of the intersection of race, gender, and disadvantage in the study of race-specific female homicide rates. In this research, we are interested in how race- and gender-specific forms of disadvantage differentially influence rates of homicide offending by white and African-American women in cross-sectional and change models. We account for the availability of domestic violence resources and crime control policies, in addition to the structural forces that have been found to influence female offending specifically. Methodological techniques are used to amend caveats in the data, such as the rare nature of female homicide offending. Our findings reveal similarities in the way economic marginalization and divorce influence female homicides across racial groups but a number of differences in the role of crime control policies and availability of domestic violence resources on race-specific female homicides cross-sectionally and over time. Overall, our study produced results which advocate the intersectional framework.

Domestic violence: knowledge, attitudes, and clinical practice of selected UK primary healthcare clinicians.

Domestic violence affects one in four women and has significant health consequences. Women experiencing abuse identify doctors and other health professionals as potential sources of support. Primary care clinicians agree that domestic violence is a healthcare issue but have been reluctant to ask women if they are experiencing abuse. To measure selected UK primary care clinicians' current levels of knowledge, attitudes, and clinical skills in this area. Prospective observational cohort in 48 general practices from Hackney in London and Bristol, UK. Administration of the Physician Readiness to Manage Intimate Partner Violence Survey (PREMIS), comprising five sections: responder profile, background (perceived preparation and knowledge), actual knowledge, opinions, and practice issues. Two hundred and seventy-two (59%) clinicians responded. Minimal previous domestic violence training was reported by participants. Clinicians only had basic knowledge about domestic violence but expressed a positive attitude towards engaging with women experiencing abuse. Many clinicians felt poorly prepared to ask relevant questions about domestic violence or to make appropriate referrals if abuse was disclosed. Forty per cent of participants never or seldom asked about abuse when a woman presented with injuries. Eighty per cent said that they did not have an adequate knowledge of local domestic violence resources. GPs were better prepared and more knowledgeable than practice nurses; they also identified a higher number of domestic violence cases. Primary care clinicians' attitudes towards women experiencing domestic violence are generally positive but they only have basic knowledge of the area. Both GPs and practice nurses need more comprehensive training on assessment and intervention, including the availability of local domestic violence services.

Understanding the Change in Male and Female Intimate Partner Homicide Over Time

Research on intimate partner homicide has increased along with public awareness and policy responses toward domestic violence. The current study addresses the decline in gender-specific intimate partner homicides during a time marked by significant transformations in domestic violence legislation, including the enactment of the 1994 Violence Against Women’s Act. In an attempt to account for changes in intimate partner homicide during this time period, we examine the exposure reducing potential of domesticity, domestic violence resources, and females’ economic status, while also acknowledging their possible backlash/retaliation effects when accounting for inequalities in the economic statuses of males and females. By incorporating a pooled time-series design to model change, our research reveals changes between 1990 and 2000 in key theoretical predictors of domesticity, domestic violence resources, and economic deprivation significantly influence the trends in male-victim intimate partner homicide, but not female-victim intimate partner homicide for a large sample of 178 urban cities.

Understanding gender-specific intimate partner homicide: A theoretical and domestic service-oriented approach

Research on intimate partner homicide has increased in recent years, partially due to growing efforts to disaggregate homicides into meaningful categories but also because of a growing interest in policy responses toward domestic violence. Much of this research tends to focus on two perspectives—exposure reduction and the backlash/retaliation hypotheses—when explaining the link between intimate partner homicide and domestic violence resources. Support has been found for both approaches even though they offer contradictory predictions. This frustrating finding is further complicated by methodological issues, such as the inability to address the rare nature of these events, offer a wide range of domestic violence services and resources and control for structural characteristics of urban areas where violence is found. This issue is addressed by offering a systematic examination of male- and female-victim intimate partner homicide in 2000. The current study investigates both exposure reduction and backlash arguments, in addition to economic deprivation and a number of structural factors relevant to homicide rates. Results suggest that while these perspectives are relevant to intimate partner homicides, there are statistically significant differences across the gender-specific models once the corrected statistical test for coefficient equality is estimated.

Domestic violence assessments in the child advocacy center

Objective This study was designed to identify the frequency, methods, and practices of universal assessments for domestic violence (DV) within child advocacy centers (CACs) and determine which factors are associated with CACs that conduct universal DV assessments. Methods The study design was a cross-sectional, web-based survey distributed to executive directors of National Children's Alliance accredited or accreditation-eligible CACs. Results Responses were received from 323 of 376 eligible CACs (86%). Twenty-nine percent of CAC directors report familiarity with current DV recommendations and 29% require annual education for staff regarding DV. Twenty-nine percent of CACs conduct “universal assessments” (defined as a CAC that assesses female caregivers for DV more than 75% of the time). The majority of CACs use face-to-face interviews to conduct assessments, often with children, family or friends present. The presence of on-site DV resources (OR = 2.85, CI 1.25–6.50) and an annual DV educational requirement (OR = 2.88, CI 1.31–6.32) are associated with assessment of female caregivers. The presence of on-site DV resources (OR = 3.97, CI 2.21–7.14) is associated with universal assessments. Conclusions Many CAC directors are not aware of current DV recommendations and do not require annual DV training for staff. Less than one-third of CACs practice universal assessments and those that do often conduct DV assessments with methods and environments shown to be less comforting for the patient and less effective in victim identification. CACs are more likely to assess female caregivers if they have co-located DV resources and they require DV training of their staff. CACs are more likely to universally screen for DV if they have co-located DV resources. Practice implications The presence of DV in the home has significant potential to negatively impact a child's physical and mental health as well as the ability of the caregiver to adequately protect the child. Current practice in CACs suggests a knowledge gap in this area and this study identifies an opportunity to improve the services offered to these high-risk families.

E‐government access to social service information: State web resources for domestic violence survivors

AbstractThis study provides the first nationwide analysis of states' e‐government support for domestic violence (DV) survivors, identifying characteristics and patterns of domestic violence content and access to this content on all state government Web sites (50 states plus the District of Columbia). Using a systematic examination of click paths and site search results, DV content was located, examined, and codified in terms of information type (e.g., shelter access), accessibility (e.g., language), and type of authoring agency (e.g., law enforcement). General DV resources such as hotline/referral services were more prevalent than content related to specific needs such as child custody. States provide substantially more information on immediate emergency needs, which are actually met at the local level, than on intermediate or long‐term support. Accessibility was hampered by both cognitive concerns (e.g., English‐only sites) and affective concerns (e.g., a tone which focused on data transmission rather than on information use). Legal/law enforcement agencies rather than social service or medical agencies consistently provided the most information as well as the largest numbers of connections to other sites, both within and beyond the state government site.

A practice-centered intervention to increase screening for domestic violence in primary care practices.

BackgroundInterventions to change practice patterns among health care professionals have had mixed success. We tested the effectiveness of a practice centered intervention to increase screening for domestic violence in primary care practices.MethodsA multifaceted intervention was conducted among primary care practice in North Carolina. All practices designated two individuals to serve as domestic violence resources persons, underwent initial training on screening for domestic violence, and participated in 3 lunch and learn sessions. Within this framework, practices selected the screening instrument, patient educational material, and content best suited for their environment. Effectiveness was evaluated using a pre/post cross-sectional telephone survey of a random selection of female patients from each practice.ResultsSeventeen practices were recruited and fifteen completed the study. Baseline screening for domestic violence was 16% with a range of 2% to 49%. An absolute increase in screening of 10% was achieved (range of increase 0 to 22%). After controlling for clustering by practice and other patient characteristics, female patients were 79% more likely to have been screened after the intervention (OR 1.79, 95% CI 1.43–2.23).ConclusionAn intervention that allowed practices to tailor certain aspects to fit their needs increased screening for domestic violence. Further studies testing this technique using other outcomes are needed.

Commentary on Websdale

As we go into the 21st century, we can look at the past 30 years of domestic violence advocacy and research and remark proudly on how far we have come. The accumulated scientific knowledge, practitioner wisdom, policy changes, and public opinion changes are all remarkable (Klein, Campbell, Soler, & Ghez, 1997). What is even more exciting is that it looks like all that work has achieved at least partially the goal of decreasing, if certainly not yet ending, domestic violence. At the very least, we have definitely decreased the number and rate of intimate partner (IP) homicide of both men and women since 1976. However, one of the ironies in the field is that the rates of IP homicide have decreased much more for men than for women. The studies that have examined the decrease have found that a significant proportion of the decrease is attributable to increases in domestic violence resources such as hotlines and shelters and improvement in domestic violence laws (Browne, Williams, & Dutton, 1998; Dugan, Nagin, & Rosenfeld, 1999, 2003). It is also important to note in this era of marriage promotion as a solution for domestic violence that divorce availability was also associated with the decline in IP homicide in the Dugan et al. (1999) multivariate analysis. Even with IP homicide decreasing and progress apparent, every life that is lost from domestic violence is far too many and haunts all of us. Fatality reviews have increased exponentially as one way to identify ways the system can be improved to prevent these deaths. Another strategy is the development of lethality risk assessment instruments and systems. Barbara Hart (1988) led the

Understanding Domestic Violence Resource Utilization and Survivor Solutions Among Immigrant and Refugee Women

Understanding Domestic Violence Resource Utilization and Survivor Solutions Among Immigrant and Refugee Women

“No Way Out”

This article explores the experience of domestic violence and utilization of domestic violence resources among immigrant women who were Russian speaking. Participants, many of whom came to the United States as so-called mail-order brides, reported diverse forms of abuse, including isolation and financial restrictions, and were reluctant to get outside help because of embarrassment about their circumstances. Survivors stressed the importance of language- and culture-appropriate outreach and services and urged that women receive information about domestic violence services and laws on immigration. Assistance with housing, child care, and job searches is integral to safe transitions out of abusive relationships.

Domestic Violence Resources for Women Receiving Intensive Family Preservation Services

Domestic Violence Resources for Women Receiving Intensive Family Preservation Services

Exposure Reduction or Retaliation? The Effects of Domestic Violence Resources on Intimate-Partner Homicide

Rates of homicide involving intimate partners have declined substantially over the past 25 years in the United States, while public awareness of and policy responses to domestic violence have grown. To what extent has the social response to domestic violence contributed to the decline in intimate-partner homicide? We evaluate the relationship between intimate-partner homicide and domestic violence prevention resources in 48 large cities between 1976 and 1996. Controlling for other influences, several types of prevention resources are linked to lower levels of intimate-partner homicide, which we interpret in terms of their capacity to effectively reduce victims' exposure to abusive or violent partners. Other resources, however, are related to higher levels of homicide, suggesting a retaliation effect when interventions stimulate increased aggression without adequately reducing exposure. In light of other research on deficiencies in accessing and implementing prevention resources, our results suggest that too little exposure reduction in severely violent relationships may be worse than none at all.