NCJ Number
155588
Journal
Violence and Victims Volume: 9 Issue: 3 Dated: (Fall 1994) Pages: 203-206
Date Published
1994
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This introductory paper provides an overview of the journal's eight papers focusing on violence against minority women; the papers were published in a special journal issue and were based on the presentations at a December 1992 workshop sponsored by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).
Abstract
The paper notes that although violence against women has long been recognized as a major problem in the United States, violence against minority women has received little research attention. Women of color are at a disadvantage in addressing the social and societal constructs that increase their likelihood of victimization. A major issue at the NIMH workshop involved the multiple problems inherent in conducting clinical research on violence against minority women. Few studies try to include both microlevel and macrolevel characteristics. In addition, the accessibility, sensitivity, and usefulness of services for battered women to women of color are unknown. The eight papers focus on spouse abuse in Hispanic families, the relationship between childhood sexual abuse and adult sexual assault in a multiethnic sample, the experience of childhood sexual abuse as a significant predictor of later adult sexual harassment in black and white women, family violence in Native American Indians, the validity of the Index of Spouse with African- American women, the experiences of black women who have used a domestic violence shelter over an extended time period, and the cultural competence of community organizations designed to support and assist battered women. 3 references