Background: National studies have previously found that those within the disabled population are underserved in regard to healthcare, education, employment and medical access. Historically, the majority of those who are disabled due to this engrained inequality receive government assistance. Multiple laws have been enacted to protect those who fall into this minority such as ADA, section 504 and IDEA. These laws ensure the disabled equal access to employment, public services, education, public accommodations and telecommunications. Federally funded departments called student disability services (SDS) are on college/university campuses to ensure equal access and treatment throughout a student's college career. Under the SDS department, students can request accommodations, advocacy, and support throughout their 4- year degree. The purpose of this study is to explore whether student's who utilize the SDS department at the University of Central Florida are earning equivalent or higher GPA percentages in comparison to student's who do not utilize services from the department. Method: I worked along with the SDS department on the University of Central Florida's campus to gather data on current students being assisted by the department without any identifying information from the spring 2018 term. The sample total was 2,569 students who were active with the SDS department. In order to assess this question, an OLS regression analysis will be run to regress each of the variables: ethnicity, sex, diagnosis and academic classification.

Using data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, I applied Phelan, Link and Tehranifar's (2010) fundamental cause theory (FCT) framework to examine the association between socioeconomic status (SES) and prescription opioid use behaviors. I also explored the mediating roles of health status and the deployment of flexible resources. I hypothesized that (1) a negative association would exist between SES and prescription opioid use, misuse, and use disorder, and (2) health status and the deployment of flexible resources (e.g. health care access, knowledge, social support) would mediate this relationship. As hypothesized and consistent with FCT, higher SES was associated with significantly lower odds of prescription opioid use behaviors. Two flexible resources, health care access and social support, and various indicators of poor health helped explain this relationship. Inconsistent with FCT, knowledge of heroin use as being a "great risk" was not a mediator of the SES-prescription opioid use behaviors association. Based on these findings, efforts to reduce SES disparities in prescription opioid use behaviors should emphasize reducing SES disparities overall as well as in health and access to important health-enhancing resources. Limitations of this study and directions for future research are discussed.

This 2 x 3 factorial study focuses on roles of different rejection types (instigating force) and lack of self-regulation (weak inhibiting force) on the commission of obsessive relational intrusion (ORI). Rejection was manipulated through vignettes depicting no rejection or one of two types of romantic rejection: an explicit rejection (rejection that makes an internal attribution to the rejected as cause of relationship ending) or a passive rejection that “lets the pursuer down easy” (external attributions for relationship demise). Self-regulation was manipulated through a thought suppression exercise (2 conditions: free writing/no suppression vs. restricted writing/thought suppression). After scenario and writing exercise, participants (N = 221) rated their likelihood of thinking or engaging in ORI. A main effect of rejection and an interaction between rejection and self-regulation were observed. Participants explicitly rejected reported higher scores for aggressive acts compared to participants passively rejected. The difference was exacerbated with depleted self-regulation.

Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and intimate partner violence (IPV) are both crimes with high prevalence rates which frequently have females as their victims. Survivors of each are frequently found in psychotherapy, yet to date few studies have examined the interaction between each form of gender violence. The present study looked at several ways in which CSA and IPV interact, including assessing prevalence rates of CSA among female IPV survivors, examining somatic difficulties found among female CSA survivors who are also survivors of IPV vs. female non-CSA IPV survivor controls, and by exploring body image and sexual difficulties found among female CSA survivors who are also survivors of IPV vs. female non-CSA IPV survivor controls. Participants were a sample of 140 women with a history of domestic violence recruited from a variety of settings including community mental health facilities and correctional facilities. Results showed that all three forms of childhood maltreatment studied (CSA, childhood physical abuse (CPA), and childhood witnessing of IPV) were elevated among survivors of IPV; rates of CSA were 51.4% within our sample of female survivors of IPV, rates of CPA were 52.1%, and rates of childhood witnessing of IPV were 67.1% within the same sample. Among various somatic complaints studied (sleep difficulties, depression, eating difficulties, and weight problems), female CSA survivors of IPV evidenced higher rates of childhood sleep difficulties, childhood and adulthood depression, and adulthood eating difficulties than did female non-CSA IPV survivor controls. While participants overall evidenced high rates of problems with body image and sexuality, there were no significant differences between female CSA survivors of IPV and female non-CSA IPV survivor controls within this study. Possible reasons underlying the latter negative findings were discussed. Both groups showed higher rates of body image and sexual dysfunction than would be predicted for normative participants, though given the absence of a normal control group in the present study it is difficult to discern how much higher these rates might be.

Background: The HIV/AIDS pandemic has largely affected women in Africa. Apart from the physiological susceptibility to HIV infection, factors such as intimate partner violence (IPV) are considered to heighten the risk of infection for women. In 2009, sixty percent of all new infections were contracted within married unions in Zambia. HIV prevalence rates for women continue to remain high in Zambia while IPV is a rampant social problem in this society. Thus, this study examines the relationship between intimate partner violence and HIV status of currently married women in Zambia. Methods: The study used the 2007 Zambian Demographic and Health Survey data to achieve the objectives of the study. The study included a sample of 2 895 currently married women aged 15-49 who participated in the domestic violence module and the HIV test. The main independent variable of the study was IPV and covariates included: age of respondent, age at sexual debut, religion, highest education level, household wealth index, place of residence, the country’s provinces, partners age and partners education. The dependent variable of the study was HIV status. Data analysis was conducted in three stages. First ly, a univariate analysis was conducted to show the prevalence’s of HIV and IPV. A bivariate analysis was also conducted; which illustrate the distribution of the population’s characteristics by the dependent variable. Secondly, Binomial Logistic regression was used to examine the relationships between each of the independent variables and dependent variable. Thirdly, Multivariate Logistic Regression was used to examine the relationship between IPV and HIV status while controlling for selected covariates. Results: HIV prevalence of 14 percent was found among currently married women while 43 percent of the women experienced violence from an intimate partner. It was found that women who experienced both physical and sexual violence were more likely to be HIV positive. The more educated and affluent the women were; the more likely they were to be HIV positive. Age of the respondent and partner’s age were also found to have significant relationships with the HIV status of women. Conclusion In Zambia, there was a relationship found between IPV and the HIV status of currently married women. The sustained high prevalence of IPV and HIV amongst women in Zambia is of social and public health concern and should be addressed if the country wants to effectively reduce the infection rate of

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a public health concern in the United States that puts women at increased risk for negative health and vocational outcomes. Severity and duration of negative outcomes, however, vary widely among trauma survivors, with some women developing more severe, negative outcomes and others developing less severe or fewer negative outcomes, or none at all. The study of cognitive appraisals for trauma, or an individual's assessment of her/his beliefs, feelings, and behaviors after a traumatic event, shows promise for illuminating what, and how, post-trauma outcomes develop for trauma survivors. Few studies have examined cognitive appraisals of trauma in relation to IPV, and none to date have examined them in relation to physical health and vocational outcomes. The purpose of this dissertation study was to use a correlational, descriptive, non-experimental, survey research design to examine whether trauma appraisals mediate the relationships among a broad range of IPV experiences and mental health, physical health, and vocational outcomes for adult women IPV survivors. Participants were a community sample of 158 women who had experienced IPV in adulthood. Participants were recruited from multiple community organizations and completed surveys online or in-person or over-the-phone with the principal investigator. Stepwise linear regressions were used to analyze the mediation models, and linear regressions were performed to examine how specific trauma appraisals predicted physical health and vocational outcomes. Dissertation study findings showed that trauma appraisals significantly and fully mediated the relationship between IPV experiences and mental health outcomes for women, with appraisals of fear, alienation, and anger significantly predicting mental health outcomes. When childhood betrayal trauma was controlled for within this model, however, trauma appraisals only partially mediated the relationship between IPV and trauma-related mental health. A mediation model was not used for physical health and vocational outcomes, but findings revealed that appraisals of self-blame and anger significantly predicted physical health outcomes, and appraisals of anger and shame significantly predicted vocational self-efficacy outcomes. These findings highlight the importance that trauma appraisals play in the development of a broad range of outcomes for IPV survivors. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.

Objective: While child welfare policy and legislation in Canada and other regions has increasingly defined children who are exposed to intimate partner violence (IPV) as maltreated, little is known about the response of the child welfare system to children exposed to IPV. This dissertation seeks to determine the response of child protection services to reports about IPV; the outcomes of child protection investigations referred for children exposed to IPV; and what factors predict decisions made by child protection workers (e.g., court involvement, child welfare placement, closing the case, substantiation, and making a referral to other supportive services) for investigations involving children exposed to IPV. Methods: This study is based on a secondary analysis of data collected in the 2003 Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect (CIS-2003). Bivariate analyses and multiple multinomial regression were conducted to study the substantiation of maltreatment, and logistic regression was conducted to predict child protection workers’ decisions to keep the case open, make a child welfare placement, take the family to court, and make a referral for investigations involving children’s exposure to IPV. Results: Seventy-eight percent of the investigations involving only IPV were substantiated. The multinomial regression could not accurately classify the suspected and unfounded cases. Substantiated investigations involving co-occurring IPV were three times more likely to stay open for ongoing child protection services compared to IPV only cases (adjusted odds ratio = 2.93, p < .001). Child protection service outcomes for substantiated investigations involving co-occurring IPV were ten times more likely (adjusted odds ratio = 10.61, p < .001) to involve a child welfare placement compared to IPV only cases. The factors driving child protection worker decisions were primarily the co-occurrence of maltreatment, younger children, and emotional harm. Conclusions: Due to the expansion in what constitutes a child in need of protection, there has been an overwhelming increase in the number of referrals about children being exposed to IPV in Canada. Future analyses should explore whether policies that direct IPV cases to child welfare services is both an effective way of protecting children and a reasonable use of limited child welfare resources.

Objective: While child welfare policy and legislation in Canada and other regions has increasingly defined children who are exposed to intimate partner violence (IPV) as maltreated, little is known about the response of the child welfare system to children exposed to IPV. This dissertation seeks to determine the response of child protection services to reports about IPV; the outcomes of child protection investigations referred for children exposed to IPV; and what factors predict decisions made by child protection workers (e.g., court involvement, child welfare placement, closing the case, substantiation, and making a referral to other supportive services) for investigations involving children exposed to IPV. Methods: This study is based on a secondary analysis of data collected in the 2003 Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect (CIS-2003). Bivariate analyses and multiple multinomial regression were conducted to study the substantiation of maltreatment, and logistic regression was conducted to predict child protection workers’ decisions to keep the case open, make a child welfare placement, take the family to court, and make a referral for investigations involving children’s exposure to IPV. Results: Seventy-eight percent of the investigations involving only IPV were substantiated. The multinomial regression could not accurately classify the suspected and unfounded cases. Substantiated investigations involving co-occurring IPV were three times more likely to stay open for ongoing child protection services compared to IPV only cases (adjusted odds ratio = 2.93, p < .001). Child protection service outcomes for substantiated investigations involving co-occurring IPV were ten times more likely (adjusted odds ratio = 10.61, p < .001) to involve a child welfare placement compared to IPV only cases. The factors driving child protection worker decisions were primarily the co-occurrence of maltreatment, younger children, and emotional harm. Conclusions: Due to the expansion in what constitutes a child in need of protection, there has been an overwhelming increase in the number of referrals about children being exposed to IPV in Canada. Future analyses should explore whether policies that direct IPV cases to child welfare services is both an effective way of protecting children and a reasonable use of limited child welfare resources.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a public health problem that affects millions every year across the U.S., including families with young children. Children exposed to IPV can suffer consequences such as negative developmental and psychological outcomes and sometimes physical harm. Previous research has found an association between IPV victimization and risk of child maltreatment. In addition to further examining the relation between IPV and child maltreatment risk, this study tested maternal depression and parental stress as mediators and social support as a moderator in the IPV-child maltreatment risk relation. The research was conducted using data from a study of low-income, first-time mothers who were enrolled in a home visitation program. Results show that IPV physical and psychological victimization is significantly associated with child maltreatment risk, and this relation is mediated by maternal depression. These findings provide valuable information for those in the child welfare field, IPV victim advocacy, and home visitation services. A multi-system response should be employed to ensure that services for victims are comprehensive and address all areas of need. This approach is necessary in order to improve outcomes for IPV victims as well as their children.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Kent State University, 2008. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed Nov. 2, 2009). Advisor: Stevan Hobfoll. Keywords: intimate partner violence; PTSD; empowerment; resources. Includes bibliographical references (p. 74-83).