Violence Against Women

This article explores the relationship between understandings of domestic violence and the child protection response drawing on material gathered in focus groups with workers who support mothers dealing with both domestic violence and child protection issues. The interviewees expressed concern that the dynamics of domestic violence are often misunderstood and inappropriately responded to by child protection workers.This article critically examines the interviewees’ concerns and concludes that to properly protect children, it is crucial that child protection workers have a clear understanding of the dynamics of and issues related to domestic violence.

This study assessed the course of perinatal depression among 210 Latinas who were and were not affected by intimate partner violence (IPV) and identified associated psychosocial factors. Peak depression prevalence occurred prenatally among 45.7% of IPV-exposed and 24.6% of non-IPV-exposed Latinas. At each assessment, depression was significantly higher for IPV-exposed compared to non-IPV-exposed mothers. Mastery and social support were associated with lower depression, whereas history of IPV, perceived stress, and avoidant coping behaviors were associated with higher depression. Findings support recommendations for routine depression and IPV screening of Latinas in perinatal clinical settings.

This article outlines the development and feasibility of an HIV and IPV prevention intervention. Researchers formed a partnership with a group of women representative of the population that the intervention was intended to reach using methods derived from participatory action research. The use of health protective behaviors changed from pre- to postintervention in the clinically desirable direction. Results indicated that intervention delivery was feasible in the novel setting of a large urban day care center. This intervention has promise as a strategy to reduce HIV among low-income women; however, a controlled study is indicated to further examine intervention efficacy.

Exiting street-level prostitution is a complex, convoluted process. Few studies have described this process within any formal conceptual framework. This article reviews two general models and two prostitution-specific models and their applicability to the exiting process. Barriers encountered as women attempt to leave the streets are identified. Based on the four models, the barriers, the prostitution literature, and the authors’ experience with prostituted women, a new integrated six-stage model that is comprehensive in scope and sensitive to women’s attempts to exit prostitution is offered as a foundation for continued research on the process of women leaving the streets.

Women who experience intimate partner violence often experience birth control sabotage, forced sex, and partner’s unwillingness to use condoms. We interviewed 53 women at four domestic violence shelters. Participants reported that their abusive partners frequently refused to use condoms, impeded them from accessing health care, and subjected them to birth control sabotage, infidelity, and forced sex. However, women also reported strategies to counteract these actions, particularly against birth control sabotage and attempts to force them to abort or continue a pregnancy. Domestic violence counselors can focus on these successful strategies to validate coping skills and build self-esteem.