Perceptions of prominent neighborhood individuals regarding neighborhood factors and intimate partner violence.

Research addressing the impact of neighborhood factors on intimate partner violence (IPV) often lacks discussion of how and why such factors impact IPV. In order to address this gap, 16 prominent neighborhood individuals (PNI) from 4 low-income urban neighborhoods were asked to share through in-depth interviews their insights and perceptions of IPV as an issue in their neighborhoods, and the relationship between social and structural neighborhood-level factors and IPV. PNIs most often associated IPV with only physical violence. Several did not feel IPV was a significant issue in their neighborhood, confirming a lack of awareness and underreporting of IPV. However, other PNIs were able to speak of the relationship between IPV and neighborhood factors, including lack of opportunities for employment, vacant housing, trash management, lack of community awareness, and social capacity to act to address IPV. Results provide unique insights regarding the mechanisms linking neighborhood factors to IPV outcomes. These results contribute to a deeper understanding of contextual influences upon IPV, the development of tailored quantitative research and to the design of local multi-level public health IPV intervention and prevention efforts.

Longitudinal associations between relationship quality and maternal depression among low-income African American and Hispanic mothers.

This examination of 237 African American and Hispanic mothers of young children explored the longitudinal linkages between romantic partner relationship quality and maternal depressive symptoms among low-income ethnic minority populations. Most studies to date have largely focused on majority non-Hispanic White populations, as well as married partner dyads, and few have utilized longitudinal designs. At 3 time points, participants completed a series of questionnaires including the Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS) for partner relationship quality and a revised version of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CESD-R) Scale for maternal depressive symptoms during home-visit interviews. Both concurrent and prospective correlations were significant and negative, indicating a higher level of relationship quality was associated with fewer depressive symptoms. After adjusting for potential confounders, partner relationship quality was prospectively associated with maternal depressive symptoms but not vice versa. This pattern did not differ by maternal ethnicity. The findings of this study support and contribute to the limited research conducted to date to uncover patterns and influences of associations between romantic partner relationship quality and depressive symptoms in representative samples of ethnic minority populations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).