A Sample of Predominately African American Domestic Violence Victims’ Responses to Objective Risk Assessments

Abstract

One area of significant concern for researchers of domestic violence is identifying the utility of objective risk assessment tools on diverse samples. This study included a sample of predominately African American women ( n = 57) living in a domestic violence shelter. The study compared the Danger Assessment (DA) and the Ontario Domestic Assault Risk Assessment (ODARA) to evaluate their responses of their risk for re-abuse. Results revealed a moderate to strong correlation between the DA and ODARA ( r = .73). Offender’s age, habitation, and pregnancy status were not related to the victim’s perceptions of risk for future abuse. Implications of these findings are discussed.