Abstract: Intimate Partner Violence Victimization Among Women on Probation and/or Parole: An Examination of Attitudes and Utilization of Domestic Violence Services (Society for Social Work and Research 23rd Annual Conference - Ending Gender Based, Family and Community Violence)

Schedule:

Friday, January 18, 2019: 6:45 PM

Union Square 18 Tower 3, 4th Floor (Hilton San Francisco)

* noted as presenting author

Rachel Garthe, PhD, Postdoctoral Research Scientist, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL

Gina Fedock, PhD, Assistant Professor, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL

Samantha Guz, MSW, Researcher, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX

Seana Golder, PhD, Associate Professor, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY

TK Logan, PhD, Professor, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY

George Higgins, PhD, Assistant Professor, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY

Background and Purpose

An estimated 80 to 90% of women involved in the criminal justice system have experienced a form of intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization. Although a little over one million women in the United States are under community supervision (e.g., probation or parole), the topic of IPV among these women remains understudied. The period of community supervision is a critical point of intervention for women to build resources and support, though we know little about their attitudes and utilization of domestic violence services. The current study examined IPV victimization among a sample of women on probation and/or parole, as well as the relationship between women’s attitudes towards receiving services and their utilization of various services.

Methods

A racially and ethnically diverse sample of women on probation and/or parole (n = 406, M_age = 37.20) in an urban area of Kentucky participated in this study. Women completed measures of IPV, including stalking, attitudes about services to help address issues of domestic violence (e.g., “it is important to get services to help address issues of domestic violence or intimate partner violence”), and the frequency of using various social services (e.g., emergency protective orders (EPO), domestic violence hotlines, shelters, and individual/group counseling that focused on domestic violence). We used logistic regression analysis to examine how attitudes about services were associated with women’s utilization of services.

Results

The prevalence of IPV victimization was high among women: in examination of lifetime prevalence, women experienced psychological (95%), physical (90%), and sexual (53%) forms of IPV, and stalking (59%). The majority of women indicated that they utilized a domestic violence service at least once (71%). For example, 57% of women received an EPO, 29% called a hotline, 29% used a shelter, and 41% went to counseling.

Attitudes that it is important to get additional services to help address issues of domestic violence were associated with higher odds of receiving counseling (OR = 1.26), calling a hotline (OR = 1.29) and using a shelter (OR = 1.23). Attitudes that it is important to get services to help end a relationship safely were associated with higher odds of calling a hotline (OR = 1.44) and using a shelter (OR = 1.30). Finally, attitudes that it is important to get services to help end the violence and maintain a safe and healthy relationship were associated with higher odds of calling a hotline (OR = 1.12).

Conclusions and Implications

Women on probation and/or parole experienced high rates of IPV victimization and many of these women received services. Attitudes around receiving services were differentially associated with women’s utilization of services, depending on if women were hoping to end or maintain the relationship. However, attitudes around receiving any domestic violence services were associated with greater odds of women actually seeking and receiving services. Future research is needed to understand the directionality of these relationships. Increasing attitudes to see domestic violence services as important may have critical influence on if women on probation and/or parole seek and receive domestic violence services.