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ABSTRACT: Despite high revalence rates of intimate partner violence in the lives of extremely poor women with dependent children, few
studies have investigated the patterns of violence that occur over time, and the characteristics of women that serve as risk
markers for partner violence. This paper describes patterns of domestic violence longitudinally and uses multivariate analyses
to delineate childhood and adult risk markers for recent intimate partner violence in this population of women. Analyses draw
upon a sample of 436 homeless and extremely poor housed mothers receiving welfare, in a mid-sized city in Massachusetts with
a large Hispanic population of Puerto Rican descent and relatively fewer Blacks. We found that among women with complete longitudinal
data (N=280), almost two-thirds experienced intimate partner violence at some point during their adult life by the end of study follow-up,
and that the abuse before and after the baseline interview was episodic and limited over time. To examine the role of individual
women's factors, while controlling for partner characteristics, we used baseline data on women who had been partnered during
the past year (N=336). Among childhood predictors, we found that sexual molestation contributed most significantly to adult intimate partner
violence that occurred during the past year prior to the baseline interview. Adult risk markers included inadequate emotional
support from non-professionals, poor self-esteem, and a partner with substance abuse problems. Having a partner with poor
work history was another independent predictor of recent abuse. Ethnicity did not significantly predict whether women were
abused or not during the past year, contrary to other findings reported in the literature.
Journal of Family Violence 04/2012; 21(6):387-399. · 1.17 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: As part of a national, multi-site treatment outcome study, an instrument was designed to assess consumers' perceptions of key services integrating trauma, mental health, and substance abuse issues, the Consumer Perceptions of Care (CPC). This study evaluates the psychometric properties of this instrument and analyzes consumers' perceptions of the services they received. The results suggest that the measure has four factors: services integration, choice in services, trauma-informed assessment, and respect for cultural identity. These factors demonstrated adequate reliability, and the overall results suggested that the measure is a reliable, sensitive, and valid reflection of consumers' perceptions of their services and their providers for diverse racial and ethnic groups. Women in the intervention programs perceived their services as more highly integrated for trauma, mental health, and substance use than women in the services as usual or comparison programs, supporting its utility as a measure of programs designed to provide integrated services.
The Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research 02/2008; 35(1):71-90. · 1.32 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: This paper is a report of a study to identify the extent of postgraduate nursing students' information literacy skills in relation to electronic media and health information and barriers to accessing this information.
The Internet is a key source of information for a significant group of patients. However, there is evidence of quality issues with some Internet health information sites. Nurses need to be aware of the range and quality of online health information so as to assist patients and families to locate and evaluate relevant and current information.
A questionnaire designed to collect quantitative and qualitative data was posted to a convenience sample of all students enrolled in a postgraduate nursing programme in December 2005. The response rate was 55.1% or 123 responses.
Most respondents had Internet access at home and work and believed that access to online health information resources had improved their practice. However, some had difficulties in accessing computers at work and insufficient time to search for online health information. Concern was expressed about the quality of online information, but the majority of respondents did not assess patient use. Frequent users of online resources were more likely to assess patient use.
The development of nursing competencies in accessing and using online resources is a key precursor to supporting patients and families' use of the medium. Access to Internet resources at work, along with training and time for searching, is necessary for the development of skills enabling effective use of information technology.
Journal of Advanced Nursing 02/2008; 61(1):19-28. · 1.48 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: In this article we describe the development and implementation of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA's) multisite Women, Co-Occurring Disorders and Violence Study (WCDVS), highlighting some of the challenges encountered, decisions made, and lessons learned. Four themes are discussed. First, the unique contributions of the consumer/survivor/recovering (C/S/R) women to the research process are described through instances where their knowledge and advocacy were clearly influential. Second, the solutions chosen to address research design challenges are recounted, as are the ways in which these choices played out. Third, the procedures for standardizing recruitment, data collection, and data management across sites are described. Finally, the strategies employed by the nine sites to retain contact with this challenging population are reviewed and successful techniques are highlighted. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comm Psychol 33: 411–427, 2005.
Journal of Community Psychology 05/2005; 33(4):411 - 427. · 0.99 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) funded the Women, Co-Occurring Disorders and Violence Study to generate empirical knowledge on how to improve services for women who are trauma survivors and have co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders. We first review the literature on the pervasiveness of trauma among women and the ways in which current service systems fail to address their needs. We then describe the four core principles of the model grantees developed to test in the project. Working through a project Steering Committee, grantees mandated that services be (a) integrated, (b) trauma-informed, (c) consumer-involved, and (d) comprehensive. For each of these principles, we describe the specifications adopted by the committee, the strategies the study sites used to implement the principle in their local settings, and the concrete lessons sites learned concerning how to implement the principle. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comm Psychol 33: 395–410, 2005.
Journal of Community Psychology 05/2005; 33(4):395 - 410. · 0.99 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: We sought to identify factors associated with adult or child hunger.
Low-income housed and homeless mothers were interviewed about socioeconomic, psychosocial, health, and food sufficiency information. Multinomial logistic regression produced models predicting adult or child hunger.
Predictors of adult hunger included mothers' childhood sexual molestation and current parenting difficulties, or "hassles." Risk factors for child hunger included mothers' childhood sexual molestation, housing subsidies, brief local residence, having more or older children, and substandard housing.
This study found that the odds of hunger, although affected by resource constraints in low-income female-headed families, were also worsened by mothers' poor physical and mental health. Eliminating hunger thus may require broader interventions than food programs.
American Journal of Public Health 02/2004; 94(1):109-15. · 3.93 Impact Factor
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