NCJ Number
181736
Journal
Violence Against Women Volume: 6 Issue: 3 Dated: March 2000 Pages: 272-285
Date Published
March 2000
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This report on the first phase of an exploratory study generated hypotheses about factors that may place women at risk for an abusive relationship, the potential early warning signs for physical partner violence, and the potential protective factors for cessation of violence once it has begun.
Abstract
Forty-eight urban African-American, 39 rural African-American, 42 urban white, and 39 rural white women participated in the study. All participants were between the ages of 18 and 50 years. All had experienced physical violence in intimate relationships and had been free of violence for at least 6 months. A total of 22 focus groups in five U.S. regions were convened. The discussion guide included probes for each area of inquiry, including early warning signs of partner violence, women's reasons for staying in the abusive relationship, factors associated with taking steps to end the violence, and factors that would help women move through the process of change from living with a violent partner to cessation of intimate partner violence. The focus groups showed that intimate partner violence can occur in relationships irrespective of socioeconomic status, education, ethnicity, or locale. The following categories of special prevention implications emerged from the study: vigilance in identifying early warning signs, the role of family history of abuse, and reaching early adolescents before they initiate intimate relationships. Implications are also drawn for intervention. 12 references