Sense of Community among Female Residents of a Trauma-Informed Sober Living Home.

BACKGROUND: Substance use disorders (SUDs) and domestic and/or sexual violence (DSV) co-occur at high rates. Although some studies have examined sober living homes (SLHs), no research to date has evaluated SLHs specifically designed for women with histories of SUDS and DSV. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this article is to present data from an exploratory analysis of the association between sense of community (SOC) and mental health symptoms within a unique trauma-informed and gender-responsive SLH (i.e., Support, Education, Empowerment, and Directions [SEEDs]). METHOD: Participants included current or former residents of SEEDs (N = 28) who completed surveys assessing SOC and mental health symptoms. The sample was predominantly White (85.7%), heterosexual (64.3%), low income (71.4% < $20,000 per year), had children (67.9%), and reported a history of incarceration (71.4%). RESULTS: On average women reported high levels of SOC. Higher SOC was related to lower posttraumatic stress and depression symptoms and higher coping self-efficacy and sexual assault resistance self-efficacy, with large effect sizes. CONCLUSIONS: Trauma-informed SLHs may promote positive mental health symptoms for women with histories of DSV and SUDs via SOC. Additional research is needed to more rigorously evaluate these preliminary findings. Further, longitudinal, prospective research is needed to better understand the process by which SOC develops and mechanisms by which SOC promotes (and/or is impacted by) positive mental health symptoms.

Is the End Really the End? Prevalence and Correlates of College Women's Intentions to Return to an Abusive Relationship.

Fifty-six college women completed surveys before and after terminating an abusive, heterosexual dating relationship. Whereas 64% of women had contact with their abusive partner post break-up, only 14% reported a moderate to high likelihood that they would return. Intentions to return were prospectively predicted by fewer perceived quality of alternatives, and cross-sectional correlates of intentions to return were being single, shorter time since relationship termination, having contact with one's abusive ex-partner, and social pressure to return. These data can be used to inform intervention and advocacy efforts and to guide future research.

Co-Occurrence of and Recovery from Substance Abuse and Lifespan Victimization: A Qualitative Study of Female Residents in Trauma-Informed Sober Living Homes.

Despite the co-occurrence of substance use disorders (SUDs) and domestic and/or sexual violence (DSV) in the lives of women, there remains a dearth of research on how and why these phenomena intersect as well as the role that trauma-informed sober living homes (SLHs) may play in promoting recovery. Following a detailed description of a unique trauma-informed SLH (Support, Education, Empowerment, and Directions [SEEDs]), we present findings from a qualitative study that documented the perceptions and lived experiences of 28 female current or former residents of a trauma-informed SLH; all women had histories of SUDs and DSV. Results uncovered four themes (fractured foundations, points of intersection of SUDs and DSV, pervasiveness of SUDS and DSV, resiliency) and a constitutive pattern (moving away from instability and harnessing self-agency). Women noted that their engagement with SEEDs played a significant role in their recovery, specifically through fulfilling their needs for tangible resources (e.g., food, clothing, shelter) and the community's provision of emotional support (e.g., family, love, consistency) to promote recovery. These findings provide new insights on SUDs and DSV and preliminary support for the effectiveness of a trauma-informed SLH.

Participants' Reactions to and Suggestions for Conducting Intimate Partner Violence Research: A Study of Rural Young Adults.

PURPOSE: To document rural young adults' reasons for emotional reactions to participating in intimate partner violence (IPV) research as well as to hear young adults' perspectives on how to most effectively conduct comprehensive IPV research in their rural communities. METHODS: The data presented in this paper draw from 2 studies (ie, an online survey study and an in-person or telephone interview study) that included the same 16 US rural counties in New England and Appalachia. Participants, 47% of whom were in both studies, were young (age range 18-24), white (92%-94%), heterosexual (89%-90%), female (62%-68%), and mostly low to middle income. FINDINGS: Nine percent of participants reported they were upset by the questions due to personal experiences with IPV or for other reasons not related to personal IPV experiences. Forty percent of participants reported they personally benefited from participating in the study, and they provided various reasons for this benefit. Regarding suggestions for conducting IPV research with rural young adults, participants believed that both online recruitment and online data collection methods were the best ways to engage young adults, although many participants suggested that more than 1 modality was ideal, which underscores the need for multimethod approaches when conducting research with rural young adults. CONCLUSIONS: These findings are reassuring to those committed to conducting research on sensitive topics with rural populations and also shed light on best practices for conducting this type of research from the voices of rural young adults themselves.