Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

An Exploration Of The Effects Of Long-Term Intimate Partner Violence: Listening To Older Women, Suzanne Lowe

Theses and Dissertations

Abstract AN EXPLORATION OF THE EFFECTS OF LONG-TERM INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE: LISTENING TO OLDER WOMEN By Suzanne Faries Lowe, Ph.D. A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2008 Chairman of Committee Laura J. Moriarty, Ph.D. Professor of Criminal Justice Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs There has been a great deal of research during the past four decades on the topic of domestic violence. Very little research has been conducted, however, on the effects of long-term intimate partner violence on older women. The …

An Analytical Understanding Of Administrative Practices Minimizing Vicarious Traumatization In Domestic Violence Organizations I, Katharine Campbell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Working within the field of domestic violence can result in the occurrence of vicarious traumatization. The literature supports that collegial support and supervision are effective tools organizations can implement to assist in minimizing vicarious trauma. This study, guided by constructive self development theory and feminist theory, examines whether the level of vicarious trauma is impacted by knowledge base, collegial support, and supervision. Staff within certified shelters in the state of Florida were surveyed using a research designed instrument and the Trauma and Attachment Belief Scale. A total of 112 participants were recruited using the Tailor Design Method of surveying. Findings …

Victims' Perspectives On The Process Of Seeking A Protective Order: Predictors Of Perceived Empowerment, Sara-Beth Plummer

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined victims' perceived sense of empowerment during the process of seeking a Preliminary Protective Order. A cross sectional survey design with stratified sampling was used to gather information from women seeking Preliminary Protective Orders in Richmond City, Virginia. During a six month period 89 women agreed to participate, for a response rate of 83 percent. In general, the sample consisted of women who identified themselves as African-American, single, with either a high school/GED degree, and/or some college education.Overall, the women found the steps during the process of seeking an Order, either easy or very easy. In general, the …

Addressing Domestic Violence Among Small Baptist Church Clergy, Katherine Lieftink

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis was to survey and discuss how small Baptist church clergy address domestic violence (DV) with the goal of studying how clergy in small Baptist churches view domestic violence and how they address the problem of domestic violence within their congregation. The Baptist faith was selected since they form the largest portion of the Protestant faith in the United States. The sample consisted of clergy from small Baptist churches located within the geographic limits of Brevard County, Florida. Interviews were conducted with ten small Baptist church clergy. The interview questions were constructed to ascertain specific areas …

Risk Markers Associated With Physical And Psychological Abuse By Intimate Partners Against Women In Substance Abuse Treatment, Scott J. Buchanan

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

.

Student Social Workers' Attitudes About Domestic Violence And Implications For Social Work Education, Vonnie L. Hawkins

LSU Master's Theses

This descriptive, correlational and exploratory study used the Domestic Violence Blame Scale and Domestic Violence Myth Acceptance Scale, with questions suggested by the literature, to examine attitudes about domestic violence, knowledge and self-reported preparedness of a purposive sample of student social workers (N=236) in a southern state. An anonymous online web-based survey was used for data collection, and universities distributed the survey hyperlink directly to their students. Response rate was approximately 22% out of an estimated 1060 students who were reported to have received the hyperlink by their universities. Lower victim blame and myth acceptance scores were observed in students …

Filial Responsibility As A Moderator Of Witnessing Domestic Violence And Behavioral Outcomes In Latino Children, Dhakirah Amelia Hamin

Psychology Theses

Children’s perceptions of the fairness of their filial responsibility was examined as a moderator between witnessing domestic violence and behavioral outcomes in children. Hierarchical Multiple Regressions revealed that children’s perceptions of the fairness of their family responsibility influenced the relation between the psychological violence in the household and child reports of internalizing behavior problems. Specifically, higher levels of psychological violence predicted higher levels of internalizing only under perceptions of unfair filial responsibility. In addition, increased levels of reported psychological violence in the household significantly predicted increased levels of mother-reported externalizing problems. Descriptive analyses revealed that for 12 of the 27 …

Developing Practice Or Management Struggle? Barriers To Effective Youth Work Practice With Young Women Living With Violence [Thesis], Judith Kulisa

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The research process described in this thesis brought to consciousness, for myself, the researcher, and for the youth work practitioners involved, the limitations placed upon their ability to practice effective youth work by the divergent understanding of `youth work' held by those responsible for either managing or funding the services in which they worked. The study set out to discover why youth work practitioners were not identifying or responding to the needs of young women living with violence at home. The study sought to identify the problem and then to formulate practical strategies to enhance youth worker knowledge and skills …

Professional Perceptions Of Domestic Violence: The Relationship Between Causal Explanations And Views On Prevention And Intervention, Rachel A. Taylor

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The 1970s saw a shift of focus by professions responding to domestic violence cases perpetrated by men towards women within Australia. Their focus was targeted at the factors that surround male perpetrators? violent behaviour. As a result, a number of alternative interventions were established based on a new understanding of domestic violence. Wider explanations have therefore led professional groups to form different angles of approach. Consequently researchers have found that perceptions towards domestic violence and the effectiveness of relevant interventions remain controversial across professions (Laing, 2002). Based on the literature supporting the importance of consistent professional perceptions and responses towards …

Relationship Violence Among College Students: The Predictive Power Of Sociodemographic Characteristicsand Domestic Violence Beli, Erin Nabors

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines relationship violence among college students, focusing on the predictive roles of their sociodemographic characteristics and domestic violence beliefs. College students experience an extremely high level of abuse among intimate partners, with prevalence rates ranging between 20 and 50%. Since relationship violence among college students is such a widespread problem, it is important to understand what lies at the foundation of this type of abuse. Findings from previous studies demonstrate correlations between sociodemographic characteristics and perpetration of relationship violence as well as correlations between beliefs supportive of abuse among intimate partners and perpetration of relationship violence. However, research …

A Study Of The Decision To Remove Children From Their Parents By Child Welfare Supervisors, Charles F. Lorbeer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A STUDY OF THE DECISION TO REMOVE CHILDREN FROM THEIR PARENTS BY CHILD WELFARE SUPERVISORS

by Charles F. Lorbeer

Dissertation Chair: Dr. Aqueil Ahmad

Committee Members: Dr. Aqueil Ahmad, Dr. Robert Butters, and Dr. Ashakant Nimbark,

The goal of this study was to analyze the decision by child welfare supervisors to remove children from their parents. This was accomplished by studying the effect that three specific factors have on that decision. The three factors were 1) physical abuse, 2) domestic violence and substance abuse, and 3) availability of services to help the family.

Decision theory provided the conceptual framework for …

Aggression In Lesbian And Bisexual Relationships, Jennifer Rae Parham

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

For years, researchers, clinicians, and those working with victims/survivors of domestic abuse have overlooked the issue of same-sex partner aggression among lesbians and bisexual women. Through in-depth interviews with 19 women who identify themselves as either lesbian or bisexual, information was documented in this study demonstrating the severity of issues of power and control among some same-sex partners, as well as some if the dynamics that are unique to same-sex abusive relationships. Patterns of abuse within same-sex relationships often mirror those that are so commonly associated with partner aggression among heterosexual couples, and therefore demonstrate not only the need for …

Breaking The Silence: Understanding Domestic Violence, Anita L. Aricchi

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

No abstract provided.

The Domestic Violence Myth Acceptance Scale: Development And Psychometric Testing Of A New Instrument, John Peters

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Since 1980, researchers and practitioners have had access to valid and reliable measures of myths about rape (Burt, 1980) and child sexual abuse (Collings, 1997). Despite the utility of such measures in research and program evaluation, no such measure of domestic violence myths currently exists. The present study was undertaken to fill this gap. In this study, domestic violence myths were defined as stereotypical attitudes and beliefs that are generally false but are widely and persistently held, and which serve to minimize, deny, or justify physical aggression against intimate partners. Based on defensive attribution and radical feminist theories, these myths …

Client Satisfaction In A Battered Women's Shelter, Sandra Kathleen Womeldorf

Theses and Graduate Projects

The purpose of this study is to survey and evaluate client satisfaction within a shelter for battered women. This descriptive study was a fuuctional learning tool for the agency, the community as well as for the purpose of the research study, Through an anonymous questionnaire developed by the researcher, participants were asked to complete questions on the five selected areas of focus in an effort to obtain the most recent reflections of women residing in a community shelter for abuse and violence. They were: client satisfaction within access to community resources, staff allocation of time, staff respect and benefit to …

A Matter Of Respect: The Mother-Home Visitor Relationship In The Healthy Families America Program, Sarah Mullins

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This thesis explores factors that influence the mother-home visitor relationship within the home visiting program, specifically, the Healthy Families America Program. The thesis was done as part of an evaluation of the local HFA program and used qualitative evaluation methods. Participants in the study consisted of five families chosen randomly from families who had been in the program at least one year, three Family Support Workers, and two supervisors. Data was gathered from participant observation of home visits and taped semi-structured interviews with participants. Qualities found to be helpful to the relationship were responsiveness, respect, and sharing personal experiences. Qualities …

Differences In Attitude Between Black And White Women Towards Domestic Violence, Paula Ellis

Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine the similarities and/or differences between African American and White women in their level of acceptance and personal experience regarding domestic violence. This study compared 62 women, 31 African American and 31 White women, ages ranging from 18 to over 58, employed at an area hospital in St. Louis. The study addressed their experiences and attitudes toward domestic violence. The data was analyzed through descriptive statistical comparisons between the two groups, using the Chi-Square procedure. The results of the study indicate no significant difference in the level of acceptance of violence between the …

The Co-Occurrence Of Substance Abuse And Domestic Abuse And Domestic Violence Victimization In Incarcerated Females, Beverly J. Cornejo

Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a significant co-occurrence of domestic violence victimization among chemically dependent incarcerated females. Additional intents of this study were to examine the presence of domestic violence within the family of origin for this population. Further explorations of childhood trauma, such as physical abuse from parents or sexual abuse, were conducted. The study was conducted using 207 female inmates from a drug and alcohol treatment center located within a Mid-west penitentiary. Domestic violence was operationalized using selected subscale items from the Conflict Tactics Scale which measures type and frequency of violence …

A Study Of The Knowledge And Attitudes Of Physicians Toward Victims Of Spouse Abuse, Ramani N. Garimella

Health Services Research Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to measure the knowledge and attitudes of physicians toward victims of spouse abuse. All 150 practitioners in the specialities of emergency medicine, family medicine, obstetrics-gynecology and psychiatry, in a large area general hospital are included in the sampling frame; 76 responded (RR = 51%). Knowledge and attitudes were measured using the Physician Survey on Spouse Abuse. Rosenberg's Tripartite Model of Attitude formed the theoretical basis for this study. Participants were 72% male, 90% white, 88% currently married, with a mean age of 44 years (SD = 7.99). Mean years in practice was 14.61 (SD …

Men Who Batter: Personality Variables, Relationship Variables, And Treatment Outcome, Lisa M. Petrica

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study investigated the relationship between the personality characteristics of male batterers and treatment outcome. It also examined a pattern of communication found in violent couples where the male pursues the female and the female withdraws in an argument. The study also compared alcohol use with treatment outcome.

Twenty-one men who attended a group psychoeducational treatment program for batterers completed the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI-2). The men were divided into three groups based on their scores: non-pathological (normal profile), narcissistic/antisocial (elevated psychopathic deviate scale), and severely disordered (elevations on several scales). Pre and post-test measures were completed: Dyadic Adjustment …

Neuropsychological Assessment Of Battered Women, Mona Matheney Tiernan

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study examined the effect of physical battering on the neuropsychological functioning of women. Twenty-five battered women and twenty-five non-battered women were administered a neuropsychological screening battery (11 separate tests, yielding 16 variables) to assess for possible deficits in the areas of attention/concentration, memory, visual-perceptual skills, sensory-motor skills, novel problem solving, and verbal fluency. All participants completed a demographic questionnaire, a post-concussive syndrome checklist, and a questionnaire evaluating for the presence of depressed mood and possible effects of depression. Potential participants with a history of previous head injury (occurring from a source other than battering) or other neurological disorders were …

The Relationship Between Early Family Experience And Courtship Violence, Jodi Lynne Weiner

Theses Digitization Project

Female college students -- Early parent-child relationship -- Dating violence -- Insecure mother-child or father-child attachments.