The author(s) shown below used Federal funds provided by the U.S. Department of Justice and prepared the following final report: Document Title: Violence and Victimization: Exploring Women’s Histories of Survival Author(s): Judy L. Postmus ; Margaret Severson Document No.: 214440 Date Received: June 2006 Award Number: 2003-IJ-CX-1037 This report has not been published by the U.S. Department of Justice. To provide better customer service, NCJRS has made this Federally- funded grant final report available electronically in addition to traditional paper copies. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. Violence and Victimization: Exploring Women’s Histories of Survival Final Report to the National Institute of Justice (NIJ Research Award #2003-IJ-CX-1037) Submitted on November 23, 2005 Principal Investigators Judy L. Postmus, Ph.D., M.S.W. Margaret Severson, J.D., M.S.W. Assistant Professor Associate Professor University of Kansas University of Kansas School of Social Welfare School of Social Welfare 120 Twente Hall 303 Twente Hall 1545 Lilac Lane, 1545 Lilac Lane Lawrence, Kansas 66044-3184 Lawrence, Kansas 66044-3184 785-864-2647 785-864-8952 [email protected] [email protected] This project was supported by Grant No. #2003-IJ-CX-1037 awarded by the National Institute of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Points of view in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. Final Report: NIJ 2003-IJ-CX-1037 Postmus, J.L. & Severson, M. (2005). Acknowledgements Special thanks to these people, without whom this project would not have been as exciting, as rewarding and as inspiring! University of Kansas, School of Social Welfare Marianne Berry, Ph.D. Methodologist and Data Analyst Loretta Pyles, Ph.D Project Coordinator Eliticia Vieyra, BSW Research Assistant Kim Bruns, MA Research Assistant Sarah Potter, MBA Grants Administrator Participants The many women in our four communities and in the Women’s Correctional Facility, who gave freely of their time, trusting us to record and present their narratives in ways that will enhance the understanding of the life trajectories victimized women traverse in their pathways of survival. Partners Roger Werholz, Secretary, Kansas Department of Corrections Sandy Barnett, Executive Director, Kansas Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence Stacey Mann, Coordinator, Victim Services, Kansas Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence Many of the state’s domestic violence and sexual assault agencies Interviewers Dolores Ponce deLeon-Morales; Heather Borsdorf; Rebecca Hill; Sarah O’Connell; Sylvia Ramirez; Iazia Jones; Teresa E. Hernandez; MK Jones-Peterman (Molly); Renee Horinek; Tiffany Muller National Institute of Justice Dr. Nicole Gaskin-Laniyan, Grant Manager Catherine McNamee, Grant Manager Dr. Angela Moore-Parmley Draft Report Reviewers – Anonymous - 2 ­ Final Report: NIJ 2003-IJ-CX-1037 Postmus, J.L. & Severson, M. (2005). Abstract Statement of Purpose This research explored the histories of physical and sexual victimization reported by incarcerated and non-incarcerated women and sought to identify the survival strategies women activated at various points in their lifespan. The goal of this research was to examine the consequences, defined here as the health, mental health, substance use, incarceration, and suicidality, of intimate partner violence, sexual violence, and youth maltreatment and victimization to identify at-risk populations, modifiable risk and essential mediating factors, and optimal times and settings for intervention. Research Subjects The research sample was drawn from five different communities in one Midwestern state. Three urban communities, one rural community, and the only correctional facility for women in the state were selected in an attempt to secure a racially, ethnically and geographically diverse sample of women age 18 and older. Community referrals were generated through recruitment of women seeking assistance from sexual assault and domestic violence programs and from the community at-large. The total survey sample includes 423 women; 157 women incarcerated in the correctional facility, 157 women who had been recipients of services for intimate partner violence and / or sexual assault within the 12 months prior to the research interview, and 109 women from the community at-large who had not received services in the prior 12 months. Proposed Research Design & Methodology In Phase One, all women were interviewed on a variety of topics covering victimization and disclosure experiences and risk and protective factors. In Phase Two, 17 women from the prison and / or the community who had participated in the Phase One interviews were - 3 ­ Final Report: NIJ 2003-IJ-CX-1037 Postmus, J.L. & Severson, M. (2005). interviewed in an effort to provide more depth about their experiences of victimization and of the resources, social services and supports they may have received or not, subsequent to the victimization(s). Data Analysis Descriptive parametric and nonparametric analyses (frequencies, standard deviations, proportional testing, chi-square and phi coefficients, and t-tests as appropriate) were generated to determine the extent to which the three groups of women have been victims of intimate partner violence, sexual violence and child maltreatment. and to allow assessment of endorsement patterns for all measures first as total survey sample, then by the three sub-samples and other breakdowns as appropriate to explicating specific patterns of responses. Internal consistencies of all screening scales and measures were calculated (Cronbach’s alpha). A series of linear multiple regression analyses were performed to predict variables identified in the model schematic including victimization and disclosure experiences, mediating factors, service usage, and adult outcomes. A final hierarchical logistic regression analysis was also conducted to test the ability of independent variables in the model to discriminate between incarcerated and non- incarcerated women, based on their characteristics and histories. Qualitative analyses used basic a priori codes based on the questions asked during the interviews. In-depth analysis of these data for emerging codes was completed after all of the interviews were completed. After analyzing several transcripts, the emergent codes were condensed into four family groups or categories related to the questions asked. The remaining transcripts were then analyzed using those four family groups. - 4 ­ Final Report: NIJ 2003-IJ-CX-1037 Postmus, J.L. & Severson, M. (2005). Results Considered as a whole, 98 percent of the women interviewed reported experiencing some type of psychological, physical and / or sexual abuse during their lifetimes. Rates for physical and sexual victimization as children and as adults were high across sample populations but particularly for the incarcerated population. Mediating factors including social support, self- efficacy and use of adaptive and maladaptive coping skills were significant predictors of adult outcomes. Conclusions Because this research took place in one Midwestern state, additional research is necessary to confirm the applicability of these findings to other populations. Implications for future research indicate that there is much to be studied in the area of physical and sexual victimization the results of which are likely to yield methods of prevention and intervention that will help some women avoid the negative life trajectories that may be in part, the consequences of childhood, youth and adult maltreatment and victimization. - 5 ­ Final Report: NIJ 2003-IJ-CX-1037 Postmus, J.L. & Severson, M. (2005). Violence and Victimization: Exploring Women’s Histories of Survival Final Report to the National Institute of Justice (NIJ Research Award #2003-IJ-CX-1037) Executive Summary In 2003, in response to a request for proposals under the Broadening Our Understanding of Violence Against Women from Diverse Communities Initiative set forth by the National Institute of Justice Office of Research and Evaluation, a unique collaboration between two researchers with different but complimentary areas of expertise resulted in the development of a research agenda which both built on prior research and sought to explore new areas of knowledge in the study of women’s victimization. Professors Judy L. Postmus and Margaret Severson combined practice and research interests in violence and abuse against women and children and in mental health and suicide prevention in detention and correctional facilities, respectively, and proposed to study the histories and life trajectories of women victims of violence. As funded, included in this study were women who were, at the time of data collection, incarcerated in a state prison for women and women living in the communities where the sampling occurred, some of whom who were receiving services from domestic violence and / or sexual assault agencies. The National Institute of Justice provided funding for two years of research into these issues. The results are significant not only for their bearing on the research questions, but also for their implications for future research which is required in the effort to reduce and ultimately eliminate the negative effects of victimization. - 6 ­ Final Report: NIJ 2003-IJ-CX-1037 Postmus, J.L.