Exposure to gangs in low-income urban communities and substance use among Hispanic youth.

A third of Hispanic youth live below the poverty line, making them vulnerable for exposure to gangs, substances, and violence, all of which have been associated with substance use. The aim of the present study was to test the link between these variables, using a multiple mediation model. Results suggest that the relationship between gang exposure and adolescent substance use was mediated by both access to substances and exposure to violence. Findings provide insight into how gang exposure impacts outcomes for low-income youth. Implications for prevention and policy are discussed.

Communitarianism and youth empowerment: Motivation for participation in a community-based substance abuse prevention coalition.

In recent years, collaborative efforts between universities and community-based coalitions have helped develop prevention-intervention efforts to decrease the prevalence of drug and alcohol use among youth in low-income, majority-minority urban areas.  One theory often employed to understand the efficacy of community member involvement is McMillian and Chavis's (1986) sense of community (SOC) model. This model posits how 4 main tenants (i.e., sense of belonging, emotional connection, needs fulfillment, and influence) lead to increased empowerment. The present study examines how individual SOC affected substance abuse coalition members' (N = 17) motivations for serving on a coalition. Findings explore how all four tenants of McMillian and Chavis's (1986) model influenced community members' involvement in the coalition, which have implications for prevention, policy, and further research.

Community coalitions as spaces for collective voice, action, and the sharing of resources.

This study examined how a community coalition, focused on prevention efforts, can aid in bridging resources between community organizations in a resource-deprived area. We also explored how it may serve as a venue to support significant changes to the community, adults, and youth who live there. Drawing on 18 individual interviews with adult coalition members from various community organizations, in a large, underserved city in the northeastern United States, we examined these data for narrations of the coalition's place within the broader prevention community and how the coalition may be an organizational venue for collective voice. We were specifically interested in hearing if these adult community members saw the coalition as filling a gap within their community. Our data revealed that while organizations within the community have been decimated due to reduced funding, the present coalition aided in meeting a variety of needs. These needs included the facilitation of community voice while helping to bridge resources between organizations, which would otherwise work alone.

An Exploratory Analysis of Unhealthy and Abusive Relationships for Adults with Serious Mental Illnesses Living in Supportive Housing.

Individuals living with serious mental illness are at high risk of chronic homelessness, victimization, and intimate partner violence. In recent years, supportive housing programs have emerged as one way to prevent homelessness and victimization for this population, while also expanding social interactions and social networks. In concert with a focal supportive housing program, this research conducted two focus groups with 18 individuals who have a serious mental illness diagnosis. The authors sought to answer the research question, "What are perceptions of healthy and unhealthy relationships among formerly homeless people with serious mental illness?" To this end, the eight-item questionnaire was created around dimensions of power and control, as well as relationship equality. Findings from an inductive thematic analysis reveal three broad families of themes (relationship ideals, lived experiences, and risk/resources in supportive housing), around which smaller themes and subthemes are organized. Implications for policy, practice, and future research are also discussed.

The Role of Minority Stress in Psychological Distress and Hazardous Drinking Among Sexual Minority College Student Victims of Intimate Partner Violence.

Sexual minority, individuals who are not heterosexual, college students experience high rates of intimate partner violence (IPV), which is linked to a myriad of deleterious outcomes. However, little work has evaluated whether there are differences in IPV outcomes among sexual minority college students as compared to heterosexual college students. Further, the extent to which minority stress at the institutional and individual level relates to IPV outcomes among sexual minority students is understudied. As such, the purpose of the current study was to evaluate IPV outcomes in a large sample of undergraduate students attending 18 medium- to large-sized universities across the contiguous U.S. Results supported that sexual minority victims of IPV had more anxious and depressive symptoms than heterosexual victims of IPV but were not more likely to engage in hazardous drinking. Further, analyses supported that several campus-level (but not individual-level) indicators of minority stress moderated the relation between IPV victimization and negative outcomes among sexual minority students, such that the association between IPV and negative outcomes was stronger among students embedded in campuses with higher levels of minority stressors. Results support the critical importance of interventions addressing campus-level minority stressors to reduce deleterious IPV outcomes among sexual minority college student victims.

Intimate Partner Violence in the LGBTQ+ Community: Experiences, Outcomes, and Implications for Primary Care.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other sexual and gender (LGBTQ+) minorities experience intimate partner violence (IPV) at higher rates than heterosexual and/or cisgender people. Providers often are less prepared to work with LGBTQ+ survivors, which can be the result of a reliance on stereotypes on what constitutes an IPV victim. This article provides recommendations for working with LGBTQ+ survivors, including screening for IPV regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, participating in LGBTQ+-affirming trainings regarding IPV, and creating a welcoming and inclusive space that promotes LGBTQ+ survivors' comfort in disclosing IPV.

"The System Had Choked Me Too": Abused Mothers' Perceptions of the Custody Determination Process That Resulted in Negative Custody Outcomes.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a public health problem that continues to affect abused mothers after separation from an abusive partner. In addition to the risk of ongoing control and violence by abusers, the custody determination process may present challenges for mothers who end up with negative custody outcomes (e.g., share custody with abusers or lose custody). Using constructivist grounded theory techniques, we conducted a qualitative analysis of interviews with 24 abused mothers with negative custody outcomes to understand how they perceive and make sense of the process as a whole, and how they cope with these outcomes. The custody determination process was reportedly complex and stressful, and most mothers did not anticipate a negative custody outcome. Mothers' perceptions and experiences followed three phases: "trusting "the system" to protect them and their children, adapting to "the system" in search of positive outcomes, and, once custody decisions were determined, coping with the aftermath of the judicial system process, either by accepting or resisting the outcome. This study echoes previous calls for further training and policies that make the custody determination process less burdensome and harmful for survivors and their children.

Mental and Active Preparation: Examining Variations in Women's Processes of Preparing to Leave Abusive Relationships.

Although the process of leaving abusive relationships has received increased research attention, preparing to leave is still largely understudied. Despite an emphasis on safety planning, not all women take active steps to prepare, and the characteristics and experiences of those who do or do not actively prepare are unknown. We address this gap with a secondary data analysis of interviews with 25 abused mothers in the process of leaving. All women initially engaged in mental planning, where they had emotionally disconnected from their partners. Using constructivist grounded theory techniques, we identified two distinct groups: those whose mental planning led to active planning (n = 11), and those who moved directly from mental planning to leaving (n = 14) with little time or need to actively plan. The groups differed on several individual, relationship, and child factors, which may have impacted the ability or decisions to prepare. This study supports the feminist view that survivors are not helpless victims but active agents who strategize for safety. Those who engage solely in mental planning still prepare to leave, even if they do not engage in active planning. Practitioners should consider factors affecting preparations and acknowledge mental planning as a necessary effort in leaving.

"I Was Naive in Thinking, 'I Divorced This Man, He Is Out of My Life'": A Qualitative Exploration of Post-Separation Power and Control Tactics Experienced by Women.

The purpose of this study was to explore women's perceptions of the power and control tactics used by their former husbands post-separation. A total of 22 in-depth interviews with divorced mothers who reported male-initiated partner abuse (psychological and/or physical) during and/or after their marriages were analyzed. The most common themes to emerge from the narratives were, in order of prevalence, as follows: Using the Children; Using Threats, Harassment, and Intimidation; Emotional Abuse; Economic Abuse; "Stuff to Try to Hurt Me"; Disrupting Her Relationships With the Children; Using the System; and Physical Violence. We also found that the violent and coercive behaviors men used during the marriage continued to influence the women's perceptions of the power and control their former husbands had over them post-separation. As a result, many of the women described how they gave up everything just to get out of their abusive marriages.