Community services for abused women: A review of perceived usefulness and efficacy

This review of 12 studies examines both the types of community and professional services that abused women most frequently contact, and how useful and effective the women perceive those services to be. These studies show that police, social service agencies, clergy, crisis lines, physicians, psychotherapists, women's groups, and lawyers are the sources of assistance abused women most frequently contact. However, the studies reveal that some of these services are not necessarily perceived as very useful or effective. Women tend to contact different services depending on the type of abuse suffered. Abused women report that crisis lines, women's groups, social workers, psychotherapists, and physicians are helpful most of the time for all types of abuse, and that police officers, lawyers, and clergy are not helpful in most types of abuse. Results of this review suggest the need for education of professionals and community service providers in understanding needs of abused women.     

Patterns of workplace supervisor support desired by abused women

The purpose of this study was to understand differences in patterns of supervisor support desired by female victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) and to examine whether the pattern of support desired at work is reflective of a woman's stage of change in the abusive relationship, IPV-related work interference, and IPV-related job reprimands or job loss. We conducted interviews in Spanish or English with adult women working in low-income jobs who had been physically or sexually abused by an intimate partner/ ex-partner in the past year ( N = 133). Cluster analysis revealed three distinct clusters that form a hierarchy of type of support wanted: those who desired limited support; those who desired confidential, time-off, and emotional support; and those who desired support in wide variety of ways from their supervisor. The clusters appeared to reflect stages of behavior change in an abusive relationship. Specifically, the limited-support cluster may represent an early precontemplation stage, with women reporting the least interference with work. The support-in-every-way cluster may represent later stages of change, in which women are breaking away from the abusive partner and report the greatest interference with work. Women in the confidential-, time-off-, and emotional-support cluster are in a transition stage in which they are considering change and are exploring options in their abusive relationship. Understanding the hierarchy of the type of support desired, and its relationship to stages of change in the abusive relationship and work interference, may provide a strong foundation for developing appropriate and effective workplace interventions to guide supervisors in providing support to women experiencing IPV.     

Perceived positive aspects of intimate relationships among abused women in methadone maintenance treatment programs (MMTP)

This study examines the positive aspects of intimate relationships perceived by drug-involved women victims of intimate partner violence (IPV). The article examines the association of psychological distress, childhood abuse, and severity of IPV with the different positive aspects the women indicated. Most analyses were conducted on a subsample of 149 women in methadone maintenance treatment who intended to continue their relationship with their abusive partner. The women most frequently valued fulfillment of the role of an intimate partner such as "he takes care of me, loves me, makes me laugh" (29.7%). Fewer than one tenth of the women valued their partners' role as economic provider; however, these women reported more physical IPV. Women intending to continue the relationship (more than two thirds of the participants) reported less physical or sexual IPV and experienced less psychological distress. Policy and practice implications are discussed.     

Perceived social support and competence in abused children: A longitudinal perspective

The stress-social support-psychological well-being model and the social network theory of child development were used to examine the impact of child abuse and maternal perceptions of social support and competence on child perceptions of social support and competence at two points in time. The influence of child social support on child competence was also assessed. The sample consisted of 165 abused children and their mothers and a matched comparison group of 169 nonabused children and their mothers. As a source of stress, abuse had no significant independent effects on children's perceptions of social support and competence at either time period. The strongest predictors of children's views of their competence were perceived support from mothers, peers, and teachers. The findings underscore the importance of social support for the psychological well-being of children.     

A special police unit: Intimate partner violence and perceived helpfulness of services received

To evaluate the perceived effectiveness of domestic violence assistance offered by a special unit of an urban police department, 90 women having filed assault, stalking, or harassment charges on an intimate were interviewed. Threats of abuse, physical abuse, and stalking were measured—86% of the women reported experiencing severe abuse and 60% of the women had been stalked. On follow-up interview—41% of the women reported the abuse had stopped, while 7% said the abuse had decreased. Half of the women had used information provided by the unit, with 86% of the women considering police services received as being helpful. Authors' Note: Pam Willson, Ph.D., is a post-doctoral research associate at Texas Woman's University in Houston. Judith McFarlane, Dr. PH, currently holds the Parry Chair in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention at the University. Ann Malecha, Ph.D., is assistant professor of nursing at the University. Dorothy Lemmey, Ph.D., is associate professor of Nursing at Lakeland College.     

家庭暴力受虐妇女法医学鉴定69例分析

家庭暴力虐待妇女的法医学鉴定近年来在临床检案中较常见，但国内法医文献报道甚少。家庭暴力不仅严重损害了妇女的身体，而且给其心理、精神上造成创伤，这已引起社会的普遍关注。从法医学角度看，加强对受虐妇女的检验、调查、取证工作与研究具有重大意义。本文收集１９９３年１月至１９９５年１２月的６９件案例进行分析，并对有关问题进行初步探讨。     

The impact of specific battering experiences on the self-esteem of abused women

This study examined the self-esteem of 48 women who were identified as battered and compared them to a group of 48 nonbattered women. As expected, the group of battered women experienced lower self-esteem than the nonbattered women. Four clusters of battering experiences were also identified: Physical Abuse, Emotional/Controlling Abuse, Sexual/Emotional Abuse, and Miscellaneous Abuse. Analyses indicated that Emotional/Controlling abuse was the only abuse cluster that was significantly related to lower self-esteem. The findings suggest that abuse that is controlling in nature might play a significant role in the feelings of powerlessness and hopelessness noted in battered women and may contribute to the difficulty that some battered women have in terminating their abusive relationships.     

Group therapy for women sexually abused as children: mental health before and after group therapy

Forty-five female outpatients sexually abused in childhood were offered a 2-year phase-divided group therapy. Before and after treatment and at 12 months follow-up, they answered questionnaires designed to elicit responses concerning psychological symptoms (Symptom Checklist; SCL-90) and sense of coherence (SOC). Symptoms for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were assessed before and after treatment. Inpatient days and sick listing days were assessed during 2 years before and 2 years after treatment. The psychological and PTSD symptoms were significantly reduced after treatment, and the SOC was increased as well. Inpatient days were decreased, and sick listing days increased but not significantly. Compared to a similar short-term focused therapy group and a waiting-list group there were no significant differences between the groups. Trauma-focused group therapy for women who were sexually abused in childhood seems to have promising effects on mental health, both concerning long-term and short-term approaches.     

Requiring use of electronic services by certain claimant representatives. Final rules

We are revising our rules to require that claimant representatives use our electronic services as they become available on matters for which the representatives request direct fee payment. In the future, we will publish a notice in the Federal Register when we require representatives who request direct fee payment on a matter to use our available electronic services. We are also adding the requirement to use our available electronic services on matters for which the representative requests direct fee payment as an affirmative duty in our representative conduct rules. These revisions reflect the increased use of technology in representatives' business practices. We expect that the use of electronic services will improve our efficiency by allowing us to manage our workloads more effectively. These rules do not require claimants to use our available electronic services directly; they only require their representatives to use the services on matters for which the representatives request direct fee payment.     

Perceived neighborhood social disorder and attitudes toward reporting domestic violence against women

This study aims to explore the relationship between perceived neighborhood social disorder and attitudes toward reporting domestic violence against women. Data from a national representative sample (N = 14,994) of Spaniards 18 years old and older were used. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that perceived neighborhood social disorder is negatively associated with attitudes toward reporting domestic violence against women. These results take into account the potential confounding effects of gender, age, socioeconomic status, perceived frequency of domestic violence against women, and size of city on reporting attitudes. Findings support the idea that to reduce and prevent domestic violence against women, it is also important to address those conditions leading to mistrust between people and diminished social control such as concentrated disadvantage and disorder.     

Self-injurious behaviors, PTSD arousal, and general health complaints within a treatment-seeking sample of sexually abused women

Eighty-nine adult female survivors of childhood sexual abuse, presenting for psychological treatment, were assessed for self-reported rates of self-injurious behaviors (SIB), health complaints, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms of physiological arousal. A composite measure of current SIB was significantly and positively associated with health complaints, PTSD arousal, and three measures of sexual abuse severity: age of onset for sexual abuse, injury experienced during the sexual abuse, and perceived life threat. Tests of mediation revealed that symptoms of PTSD arousal mediated the relationship between earlier age of onset for sexual abuse and SIB. PTSD arousal moderated the relationship between sexual-abuse-related injury and SIB. SIB was a unique predictor of health complaints, even after controlling for sexual abuse severity and PTSD arousal.     

液相色谱-质谱联用同时检测17种常见毒品的定性分析方法

目的 建立同时检测17种常见毒品的液相色谱-质谱联用定性分析方法.方法 对海洛因、吗啡、冰毒、氯胺酮等17种毒品的色谱行为进行了研究,对流动相梯度程序和质谱参数进行了细致考察和优化.采用岛津Shim-pack XR-ODS（100mm×2.0mm,2.2μm）色谱柱,流动相A：0.3％甲酸;流动相B：0.3甲酸乙腈,梯度洗脱程序0min～3min～8min～15min～20min,3％B～18％B～23％B～93％B～93％B,雾化电压5kV,扫描速度3750u/sec,雾化气流量1.5L/min,干燥气流量10L/min.结果 所测17种毒品的21种组分均获得了良好的分离效果和质谱响应,scan模式下检测限（S/N≥3）1.9pg/μL～40.0pg/μL.结论 该方法快速、简便、高效,适合公安办案中对未知毒品进行定性检测.     

受虐儿童及青少年法医学鉴定92例分析

本文对92例不满18周岁家庭暴力受虐儿童和青少年法医学鉴定案例进行回顾性研究。结果表明：虐待行为多发生于下午5时前后，受虐者以女性居多（63．04％），损伤部位以头面部最多见（36．98％）。损伤类型以软组织挫伤最常见（51．13％），损伤具有多部位、广泛性、新旧不一等特点；发生场所以家中及家居周围附近为多，受虐者家庭情感生活环境差等.同时，作者还对虐待行为产生的社会根源、受虐儿童及青少年法医学鉴定及法律保护等问题进行了探讨。     

Psychosocial adjustment and psychopathology of men sexually abused during childhood

The purpose of this study was to evaluate psychosocial adjustment and psychopathology among men sexually abused during their childhood and arrive at a better understanding of the reasons for which, following such sexual experiences, some adult males manifest greater distress than others. In total, 64 participants were interviewed and completed eight questionnaires covering various aspects of childhood and adult life. Results suggest the existence of three types of sexual abuse scenarios. Participants in each of these three groups presented with an adult-specific adjustment. However, the methodology and multivariate analyses used in this study suggest that some of these problems were not only associated with the sexual contacts but also with other childhood experiences and with the participant's cognitive, affective, and psychological resources.     

Perceived chances for promotion among women associate professors in computing: individual, departmental, and entrepreneurial factors

This article expands understanding of gender and advancement in academic science by going into a new dimension of inquiry: Focusing on women associate professors in computing, it assesses the relationship between perceived chances for promotion to full professor and indicators of entrepreneurship, as part of key sets of individual and departmental independent variables that are also addressed. Data from a national survey of women in academic computing indicate that time spent in entrepreneurial activity does not predict excellent/good (compared to fair/poor) chances for promotion perceived by these women faculty, nor does the quantity/quality of entrepreneurial activity that they report for their home units. Departmental reward structures reported as favoring entrepreneurial activity negatively predict perceived chances for promotion. Other key individual and departmental characteristics also predict chances for promotion: faculty members’ age, collaboration, family characteristics, departmental climate, and US (compared to Canadian) location. Findings from interviews with a small subset of respondents to the survey illuminate the survey findings on the role of entrepreneurial factors in perceived chances for advancement.     

Health and social care services for women offenders: current provision and a future model of care

Secure provision for women in both the Criminal Justice System and the Health Service has evolved in the last decade, in line with emerging gender-specific policy. Notable gains have been the approach to self-harm in prison and a reduction in the inappropriately high levels of secure hospital care. Although treatment pilots in UK settings are in progress, much practice remains poorly described and insufficiently evaluated. Recent strategic initiatives by both the Ministry of Justice and the Department of Health, as well as the commissioning changes that have followed the Health and Social Care Act 2012, provide a basis for reconsideration and a further paradigm shift. Suggestions for a reinvigorated model of gender-sensitive provision are made, relying on principles of resilience and autonomy.