Intimate Partner Violence Research Projects

Violence Towards Peers, Dates, and Self: A Developmental Focus

Historically, each type of violence has been treated as a separate phenomenon. As a result, violence prevention interventions tend to be categorical in that they target only one type of violence at a time. One unique aspect of this study is that it examines the links between multiple types of violence. This study has specific aims that uses a developmental perspective to: 1) examine the inter-relationships among violence directed towards peers (peer violence), towards dates (psychological, physical, and sexual dating violence), and towards self (suicide attempts); and 2) identify unique and shared risk factors across these types of violence from four levels of influence: individual, peer, family, and neighborhood. In fall 2005, the study team collected the last of the seven waves of data for this study from approximately 2,500 adolescents in the Vance and Person County schools in North Carolina. Two manuscripts have been submitted that examine the overlap in prevalence, demographic correlates, and risk and protective factors for youth violence and dating violence. Several other manuscripts are being prepared.

Key Personnel:

Vangie Foshee, PhD (PI); Susan Ennett, PhD; Karl Bauman, PhD; Andrea Hussong, PhD; Chirayath Suchindran, PhD; Robert DuRant, PhD

Other Organizations or Institutions Represented:

Wake Forest University

Funding:

National Center for Injury Prevention and Control

Contact:

Vangie Foshee, PhD

foshee@email.unc.edu

Predictors of Obtaining Civil Relief From Domestic Violence In Two North Carolina Counties (COPE)

Domestic violence protective orders (DVPOs) are civil orders limiting the contact a person may have with a victim. The COPE study seeks to determine the ease with which such an order might be obtained. Women seeking DVPOs participated in qualitative and quantitative interviews to: 1) describe women’s experiences of filing for and obtaining DVPOs; 2) characterize the frequency, types and perceptions of helpfulness of previous contact with heath care, legal, social service, and other service providers among women who file for DVPOs; 3) compare women who have filed for and received DVPOs with women who filed for, but did not receive DVPOs, 4) assess the appropriateness of the latter for use as a comparison group in a future longitudinal study; and 5) identify the combination of individual, organizational, and community-level factors that predict that a woman will be granted a DVPO, once she has initiated the process by filing.

Key Personnel:

J. Michael Bowling, PhD (PI); Kathryn E. Moracco, PhD; Anna E. Waller, ScD; Sandra L. Martin, PhD; Deborah Weissman, JD; Janeen Gingrich, MSW

Other Organizations or Institutions Represented:

Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE)

Funding:

National Center for Injury Prevention and Control,

North Carolina Governor’s Crime Commission

Contact:

J. Michael Bowling, PhD

jbowling@email.unc.edu

Social Network Strategies to Prevent Violence and HIV Among Men in Tanzania: Formative Research for an Intervention Trial.

Youth in Tanzania are disproportionately affected by HIV, and physical violence is associated with HIV risk and substance abuse. While men often control the terms and conditions of their sexual relationships, few HIV interventions target young men. The purpose of this research is to gather exploratory data regarding: 1) venues where young men engage in HIV risk behavior; and 2) sexual networking patterns, violence towards women and HIV risk behavior of young men who socialize in these venues in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. To date, investigators have gathered data that have given them insight into characteristics of the venues where young men engage in HIV risk behavior, and thus some ideas about how they might conduct an intervention in these venues. Also, the investigators have gathered formative data on young men’s sexual networking patterns. They learned that nearly two thirds of the men engaged in sexual partnership concurrency and about quarter of the men were physically violent towards one of their sexual partners from the previous 6 months. Structured interviews are planned in spring 2008 with a larger group of men and women who exhibit similar social habits. Data from these interviews will be used to develop a venue-based intervention for young men to reduce their HIV risk behavior and violence towards women.

Key personnel:

Suzanne Maman, MHS, PhD (PI); Jessie Mbwambo, MD; Nina Yamanis, MPH

Other Institutions or Organizations Involved:

Muhimbili University, College of Health Sciences, Department of Psychiatry (Tanzania)

Funding:

National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (UNC IPRC Faculty Small Grant)

National Institute of Mental Health

Contact:

Suzanne Maman, MHS, PhD

maman@email.unc.edu