Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Unique Challenges In Risk Assessment With Rural Domestic Violence Victims: Implications For Practice, Nicole L. Youngson

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Through interviews with violence against women (VAW) workers (n=14), the present study examined workers’ perspectives of risk factors and the challenges in assessing risk for women experiencing domestic violence (DV) in rural locations. The present study also examined what promising practices VAW workers are utilizing when working with women experiencing DV in rural locations. Qualitative analysis indicated several risk factors including the location (i.e., geographic isolation, lack of transportation, and lack of community resources) and cultural factors (i.e., accepted and more available use of firearms, poverty, and no privacy/anonymity). Moreover, qualitative analyses indicated several challenges for VAW workers assessing risk …