Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a serious public health problem with known negative physical and mental health outcomes for women exposed. Studies have shown that with increased violence exposure, there are increased risks of negative outcomes for women. Likewise, chronicity of IPV across multiple partners is linked to more profound psychological suffering than acute exposure. However, little is known about the social- and individual-level characteristics of women that are correlated with engagement with multiple abusive partners. The current study ( N = 164) identifies the characteristics of women that are associated with the number of violent partners with which they have been involved, with 35% of the sample reporting multiple IPV relationships. Participants reported on the number of violent partners, demographic characteristics, trauma history, current trauma and depressive symptoms, and exposure to IPV, including physical, sexual, and psychological violence. Results of multiple regression analysis indicate that trauma history (childhood sexual abuse, being held hostage, and torture) and current psychological violence were associated with women's engagement with multiple violent partners. Additional findings reveal that identification as African American and White was associated with greater re-engagement compared with identification as Latina. Finally, current exposure to sexual violence was associated with fewer violent partners. The clinical implications of these findings for treatment for women at risk for engagement with multiple partners in IPV relationships are discussed.

This adaptation of a program designed to reduce problems associated with experiencing IPV addressed several mental health treatment needs for Latinas, particularly the need for services in Spanish. These findings demonstrate that it is possible to tailor current treatment programs for IPV in ways that are both effective and culturally sensitive. (PsycINFO Database Record

No abstract

You know institutions tend to become static; they build walls around themselves to protect themselves from change, and eventually die. You should fight that by opening up your thinking and your ideas, and work for a change.

The purpose of this research is to investigate peer-to-peer sexual violence victimization and perpetration among male and female adolescents in a large, racially and economically diverse, community-based sample. Using cross-sectional data over a four-year period (2009-2013) from a regional sample of middle school and high school students in southeastern Michigan, we examined the prevalence and correlates of peer-to-peer sexual violence victimization and perpetration among adolescents. 33.9% of males and 53.5% of females reported sexual violence victimization, while 22.8% of males and 12.6% of females reported sexual violence perpetration. The majority of peer-to-peer sexual victimization and perpetration occurred by someone of the opposite sex, however, same-sex victimization and perpetration were not uncommon. Substance use, depression, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and conduct disorder were associated with peer-to-peer sexual violence (victimization or perpetration) for both males and females, with few differences in the patterns of associations by sex. These findings are an important step in better understanding the types of peer-to-peer sexual violence that adolescents experience and risk factors for both male and female youth.