Intimate Partner Violence Training and Readiness to Respond among Students, Staff, and Faculty in Three Institutions in the United States.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant public health concern; however, limited studies have explored perceptions and experiences towards IPV among students, staff, administrators, and faculty across diverse disciplines at institutions of higher education. The purposes of this study were to (1) assess experiences of IPV among a sample of students, staff/administrators, and faculty and (2) examine the relationship among attitudes, actual and perceived knowledge, awareness, training, readiness, and personal experiences with IPV in this sample. Participants were recruited from an urban university and two university-affiliated medical institutions to participate in an online survey. Bivariate and multivariate associations were assessed. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to examine direct and indirect effects of perceived and actual knowledge and personal experiences with IPV. Of the 216 respondents, 42.6% reported personally experiencing IPV and 34.3% reported having witnessed IPV. Over 34% of participants never received training on IPV. The sub-sample with training received between one and more than 15 hours of training. Standardized total effect of training on attitudes and awareness was ß = 0.42 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.30-0.51), the combined indirect effects was ß = 0.18 (95% CI = 0.10-0.27) and the direct effects of ß=0.23 (95% CI = 0.12-0.34), indicating that hours of training was highly associated with the participants' perceived knowledge and actual knowledge, which improved their attitudes and awareness towards IPV survivors. Our findings suggest the need for campus-wide formal training on IPV to better prepare members in higher education to accurately identify, assess, and intervene to protect victims of abuse. Interprofessional approaches are needed that focus on the multiple and intersecting needs of victims of violence and should also enhance professional self-efficacy and increase readiness to respond to IPV survivors.

Women's Formal Help-Seeking Before and After Their Abusive Partner Initiates Relationship Violence Treatment.

Intimate partner violence survivors (N = 122) reported on formal help-seeking before and after their male partners enrolled in a Relationship Violence Intervention Program (RVIP). At baseline, only 20% of survivors had ever received domestic abuse (DA) counseling. DA counseling was more common among survivors with more extensive partner abuse exposures, and for black women residing in suburban versus urban communities. New help-seeking was associated with survivor perceptions of the abusive partner's stage of change. RVIP impact may be enhanced through culturally sensitive survivor outreach that is responsive to a broad range of needs and includes repeated contact over time.

A randomized clinical trial of motivational enhancement therapy for alcohol problems in partner violent men.

This study examined the efficacy of brief alcohol intervention in the context of community-based treatment for partner violence. In a randomized clinical trial, 228 partner-violent men with hazardous or problem drinking were recruited at three Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) treatment agencies and randomly assigned to receive one of two 4-session alcohol interventions: Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET: N = 110) or Alcohol Education (AE: N = 118). After completing alcohol intervention, participants received standard agency counseling services for IPV. Participants completed assessments of alcohol use, drug use, and IPV at pre-treatment, post-alcohol intervention, and quarterly follow-ups for 12 months. At the end of the 4-session alcohol intervention, MET participants displayed greater acknowledgment of problems with alcohol than AE participants (Partial ή2 = 0.039, p = 0.006). Significant changes from baseline across treatment conditions (at p < 0.001) were observed for percent days of alcohol abstinence [95% empirical CI for Partial ή2 =0.226, 0.296], heavy drinking [0.292, 0.349], illicit drug use [0.096, 0.156] and partner violence [0.282, 0.334]. No significant condition differences (treatment by time interactions) were found for alcohol abstinence [95% empirical CI for Partial ή2 = 0.007, 0.036], heavy drinking [0.016, 0.055], illicit drug use [0.005, 0.035] or partner violence [0.001, 0.004]. Results encourage continued use of brief alcohol interventions in community IPV services, but do not provide evidence of a unique benefit of MET in reducing alcohol use in this population.

Current levels of perceived stress among mental health social workers who work with suicidal clients.

Mental health social workers are at increased risk of being confronted with fatal and nonfatal client suicidal behavior (CSB). Research has documented personal and professional reactions to CSB; however, empirical evidence describing the potential long-term effects is scarce. This study examined current reactions of perceived stress and continual thoughts of the CSB in 285 social workers. Results from multiple regression suggested that higher levels of secondary traumatic stress immediately following CSB predicted higher levels of current perceived stress, and the more time that had passed since the CSB predicted lower levels of perceived stress. Predictors of current level of thinking about the CSB included time since the CSB and whether the social worker completed the grieving process. Implications for social work practitioners, supervisors, and educators are discussed.

Out of Africa: coping strategies of African immigrant women survivors of intimate partner violence.

We explored the coping behaviors of 15 immigrant African survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) in the United States. Similarities and differences in coping strategies between African and other immigrant women were noted. Results from the qualitative analysis are that African immigrant survivors utilized multiple coping strategies including beliefs in spirituality and divine retribution, a future orientation, and a sense of self-efficacy. Acceptance/ endurance of abuse, which they believe was "normal" in male/ female relationships; minimization of the abuse; and avoidant behaviors and thoughts also were used. Informal and formal support/help seeking, and knowledge of available services empowered women. Implications for policy, practice, and future research are discussed.

Profiling abusive men based on women's self-reports: findings from a sample of urban low-income minority women.

Understanding abusive behaviors among nonclinical samples of men is important to help women in the community understand the risks they may face. The purpose of the current study is to identify abusive profiles and subgroups of non-treatment-seeking men using women's self reports. Of the sample of 611 women, 43% reported current abuse; chronicity of psychological aggression was the highest. Cluster analysis results revealed three different types of abusers. Findings provided support for recognizing batterer heterogeneity, especially based on women's reports. Recommendations for future research and the limitations of using batterer typologies are discussed.

Available supports and coping behaviors of mental health social workers following fatal and nonfatal client suicidal behavior.

Research indicates that mental health social workers risk being confronted with fatal and nonfatal client suicidal behaviors during professional practice. Although reactions to client suicidal behavior have been documented, there is little empirical evidence about coping behaviors and available supports following client suicidal behavior. This study explores types of supports available, perceived effectiveness of support resources, and coping behaviors of 285 mental health social workers who experienced either fatal or nonfatal client suicidal behavior. Factors predicting positive and negative coping were also explored. Predictors of positive coping included increased levels of secondary traumatic stress, the availability of family and friends, group therapy, religion, older age, and male gender. Predictors of negative coping were increased levels of secondary traumatic stress, male gender, having support from family and friends, and the lack of administrative support. Future research recommendations and implications for social work administrators and practitioners are discussed.

Dealing with the aftermath: a qualitative analysis of mental health social workers' reactions after a client suicide.

Social workers provide services to populations with mental health issues, including suicidal ideations and are thus at risk of experiencing a client suicide at some point during their career. Limited research using quantitative methods has explored the effect of client suicide on social workers, but little is known about their reactions from a qualitative standpoint-a method of study that is essential for fully understanding a social science phenomenon. This study addresses the gap in the literature by providing findings from an in-depth qualitative study of 25 mental health social workers who shared their experiences and reactions in the aftermath of a client suicide. Major themes were identified, including both professional and personal reactions of denial, anger, grief, and acceptance. Avoidance and intrusion, as well as additional themes of professional incompetence, responsibility, isolation, and justification were indicated and discussed in the conceptual framework of grief and secondary traumatic stress. The implications for practitioners, administrators, and educators are discussed.

The neglect scale: confirmatory factor analyses in a low-income sample.

The Neglect Scale is an easy-to-administer, retrospective, self-report measure of neglect. Research conducted by Straus and colleagues with college students indicates that this scale has a high level of internal consistency reliability and moderate construct validity. The purpose of this article is to examine the reliability and validity of the Neglect Scale when used with a low-income, inner-city sample. The sample included 151 women who were participating in a neglect prevention demonstration project. The Neglect Scale was completed as part of a computer-administered baseline interview before services were provided. To assess whether the 20-item, four-factor structure reported by Straus et al. fit the data from this sample, a confirmatory factor analysis was performed; the model did not fit the data well. Additional analyses identified a model that did fit the data well and suggest that the Neglect Scale is a promising self-report measure.