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Michigan State University's Adolescent Project (MSUAP) was founded in the mid-1970s to create university-community collaboration through which innovative educational experiences would be offered, best practice intervention practices employed, and sound scientific methodology used to address the pressing social issue of juvenile delinquency. The project sought to create a more effective alternative to the juvenile justice system through the use of highly trained and supervised mentors (MSU undergraduate students); to scientifically examine the efficacy of this mentoring program, the relative efficacy of multiple intervention models, and the impact of the project on students, the university, and the local community; and, contingent upon success, to create a long-term collaboration between MSU and the local community. Through a series of longitudinal field experiments the project has demonstrated that youth who participated engaged in repeat offenses at significantly lower rates than those youth randomly assigned to a control group. (Contains 4 tables.)

Prisoner reentry programs continue to be developed and implemented to ease the process of transition into the community and to curtail fiscal pressures. This study describes and provides relapse and recidivism outcome findings related to a randomized trial evaluating a multimodal, community-based reentry program that prioritized substance abuse treatment. Results from analyses suggest negligible effects for participants of the program across multiple outcome indicators. Avenues for further exploration are provided, with a cautionary emphasis on the continued expansion of multimodal community-based reentry programs. (Contains 4 tables, 2 figures and 4 footnotes.)

Examined level of faculty support and professional development reported by African-American students (n=182). Mentoring was found to be a significant predictor of student development. One-third of the sample reported receiving no help from faculty and staff at the university or from professionals in the community. (Author/NB)

Intimate partner violence (IPV) increases risk for depressive and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Most studies use a dose-response approach to examine the impact of IPV on mental health, but they often fail to explain mental health outcome specificity as well as to assess the impact of women's subjective appraisals. The present research examined women's IPV stressfulness appraisals and their psychological functioning (depressive and PTSD symptoms). Results indicate that IPV stressfulness appraisals are associated with depressive symptoms over and above frequency and severity of IPV. PTSD symptoms were associated with frequent and stressful IPV. Women who experienced highly frequent and highly stressful IPV were most likely to display comorbid depressive and PTSD symptoms. Results underscore the importance of women's subjective experiences and the heterogeneity of women's responses to IPV. Keywords: domestic violence; intimate partner violence; stressfulness appraisals; mental health; PTSD; depression DOI: 10.1891/0886-6708.24.6.707

The relationships among women's experiences of domestic violence, community violence, and their mental health functioning were explored (N = 94). Social contagion theory was used to argue for the link between community violence and family violence. Results revealed that women's experiences of domestic violence were not related to community violence. Furthermore, women's mental health functioning was solely associated with their experiences of domestic violence, not with community violence. Results are discussed in terms of an ecological model of domestic violence and future directions for exploring linkages between neighborhood characteristics and individual experiences. KEY WORDS: domestic violence; community violence; social contagion theory; women's mental health.

This study investigated the relationship between family support and mental health in a community sample of pregnant women experiencing interpersonal partner violence (IPV). This study also examined how family support may differentially affect mental health in Black and White women experiencing IPV. A total of 110 participants (32 Black and 78 White) were obtained from the first time period of a longitudinal study examining the effects of domestic violence on women. The model was supported ([chi square] = 142.55; df = 72, p > .001, RMSEA = .07). Black women had better mental health than White women. However, ethnicity was not a significant predictor of family support. Implications from this study highlight the need for further research on the role of family support in the lives of physically abused women as well as the need to incorporate cross cultural perspectives when examining this issue. KEY WORDS: pregnancy; IPV; family support; ethnicity; African American.

The Subtle and Overt Scale of Psychological Abuse (Marshall, 1999a) is a measure designed to examine previously unevaluated forms of psychological abuse. The scale was originally divided into seven subscales (overt: dominance, indifference, monitoring and discrediting; subtle: undermining, discounting, isolating). A sample of 172 women was used to evaluate the construct validity of this measure. In other words, the internal structure of the measure, its relation to other measures of physical and psychological abuse, and its relationship to other psychological outcomes. Empirical and theoretical approaches were used to replicate and examine the dimensions of this scale. Results revealed that this scale represents a unidimensional construct that is highly correlated to other measures of psychological abuse. Implications for future research and practice are discussed. Keywords: psychological abuse; construct validity; discriminant validity

Using an empowerment evaluation approach, the Sexual Assault and Rape Prevention (SARP) Evaluation Project brought together university researchers, public health evaluators, state funders, and program staff to provide evaluation training and consultation to all state-funded rape prevention and victim services programs in Michigan. In this paper, the specific activities of the SARP project are described, and process and outcome data are presented that address the effectiveness of this empowerment evaluation approach. Based on subjective reports from program staff and objective data obtained from state funders, results suggest that this evaluation model was successful in helping 90% of the prevention programs and 75% of the victim services programs successfully develop and launch program evaluations. One-year follow-up data indicate that 90% of the programs had sustained their evaluation efforts after the formal work of the SARP project had ended. KEY WORDS: SARP; empowerment evaluation; participatory evaluation; collaboration; program evaluation; rape; sexual assault.

The current article is an analysis of the research represented in American Journal of Community Psychology (AJCP) from 1993 to 1998, including a comparison to two previously published analytic reviews by Lounsbury et al. (J. W. Lounsbury, D. S. Leader, E. P. Meares, & M. P. Cook, 1980) and Speer et al. (P. Speer, A. Dey, P. Griggs, C. Gibson, B. Lubin, & J. Hughey, 1992), respectively. Observed trends are examined with references to major epistemological frameworks and methods used to define community psychology. Four guiding principles were examined to determine the representation of the epistemological frameworks of the articles published in the journal. The frameworks include social action, human diversity and cultural relativity, person-environmental fit, and methodological procedures. The results document the transition of community psychology from its early beginnings to an independent field conducting research consistent with the values articulated at the Swampscott Conference. This paper also comments on how well, after three decades of publication, the journal has served as a vehicle for improving community life. KEY WORDS: analytic review; community psychology; epistemology; methods.

The research literature has demonstrated that battered women living in shelters experience impaired social support. This study examines this phenomenon among battered women living in the community. This study compared a group of pregnant battered women (n = 145) and a group of pregnant nonbattered women (n = 58) in terms of their structural [e.g., total number of supporters, network members in violent relationships with their partners (an index of homophily or nonhomophily) and functional (e.g., emotional)] social support. Four reasons for impaired support in battered women were proposed and examined, including social isolation, failure to disclose abuse, homophily, and low SES. Only homophily was related to impaired support among battered women. In addition, the relationship between structural and functional support and mental health outcomes (e.g., depression, self-esteem) was examined. Criticism, practical support, homophily, and disclosure were all significant predictors of mental health for battered women. Implications for community-based interventions are discussed in the context of current intervention strategies with battered women. KEY WORDS: social support; battered women; emotional support; social networks; negative support.

The aim of this research is to examine the effects of an intervention, focusing on the development of political empowerment, with university students. Undergraduates were randomly assigned to one of two conditions (intervention/control) and were surveyed at two time points: before implementation of the intervention and upon completion of the intervention (or the equivalent two semester period). ANCOVA analyses reveal that individuals who participated in the empowering intervention had increased feelings of political commitment and a decreased sense of political efficacy compared to individuals who were randomly assigned to a waiting list/control group. Finally, limitations of this study are discussed and suggestions for future research are presented. KEY WORDS: empowerment; political empowerment; efficacy; activism.

In recent years, new programs have emerged in hospital emergency departments to care for sexual assault victims. These programs, collectively known as Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) programs, improve the treatment of sexual assault victims through explicit attention to the medical, emotional, and legal needs of sexual assault survivors. Although SANE programs have proliferated over the past several years and now number nearly 100 nationwide, details about how these alternative services were developed have been missing in the literature. In this article, two recently established SANE programs are studied in depth to reveal how rape crisis centers indifferent communities created these services. Factors associated with the successful implementation of these SANE programs included (a) strong organizational history, (b) use of sexual assault councils and task forces, (c) affiliation with larger organizations, (d) positive relationships with hospitals, (e) engaging in training and collaboration with community systems, and (f) strategies for resolving differences. Implications for the health care of sexual assault victims are discussed.

One of the most daunting obstacles in conducting longitudinal research in the community is retaining participants over extended periods of time. The current study examines this issue and presents a comprehensive protocol designed to maximize retention rates. The techniques developed were highly successful in locating low-income, abused women (97% retention rate at the 24-month follow-up). The authors' experiences indicate not only that it is important to make multiple contacts with participants by phone and in person but that identifying and gaining access to participants' social and community networks is crucial to attaining high retention rates. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

This study examined the levels of depression reported by women who had used a domestic violence shelter. Depressive symptoms were assessed three times: immediately after shelter exit, 10 weeks thereafter, and 6 months later. Whereas 83% of the women reported at least mild depression on the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression (CES-D) scale upon shelter exit, only 58% were depressed 10 weeks later. This did not change at the 6-month follow-up. An ecological, longitudinal model was evaluated to predict battered women's depression 8 1/2 months postshelter exit. Results of hierarchical regression analyses suggested that, after controlling for previous levels of depression, the women's feelings of powerlessness, experience of abuse, and decreased social support contributed to their depression symptoms. The women's scores on these three variables (feelings of powerlessness, abuse, and social support) at 10 weeks postshelter exit and at 6-month follow-up predicted depression at 6 months. Thus, there were both predictive and concurrent effects for these constructs. Implications for clinical and community interventions are discussed.

Presented the 6-month follow-up findings of an experimental intervention designed to provide postshelter advocacy services to women with abusive partners. The intervention involved randomly assigning half the research participants to receive the free services of an advocate, 4 to 6 hours per week for the first 10 weeks postshelter. One hundred forty-one battered women were interviewed about their experiences immediately upon their exit from a domestic violence shelter: 95% of the sample were interviewed 10 weeks thereafter (postintervention), and 93% were successfully tracked and interviewed 6 months later. At the 6-month follow-up, participants in both groups reported increased social support, increased quality of life, less depression, less emotional attachment to their assailants, and an increased sense of personal power. Although women in both groups reported some decrease in physical abuse over time, there were no statistically significant differences between those with and those without advocates, and abuse continued to be a problem for many women. Those who were still involved with their assailants continued to experience higher levels of abuse and had been more economically dependent upon the men prior to entering the shelter. Women who had worked with advocates continued to report being more satisfied with their overall quality of life than did the women in the control group.

Examined the short-term impact of providing advocacy services to women leaving battered women's shelters. The study employed a true longitudinal experimental design. Women in the advocacy condition received intensive one-one services with trained paraprofessional advocates. Advocates assisted women in accessing needed community resources. Women in the control condition received no additional postshelter services. Findings corroborated earlier research suggesting that battered women lack many resources necessary for independent living and that working with advocates produced greater effectiveness in accessing needed resources. Ongoing research will examine the long-term impact on life satisfaction, future victimization, and living arrangements.

Presents the results of a longitudinal experiment focused on the relative efficacy of varying treatments for juvenile offenders (N=213). All treatment conditions involving a specific intervention model located outside the formal juvenile justice system produced lower recidivism rates than the attention-placebo, treatment-as-usual control, or intervention conditions located within the juvenile justice system. (Author/ABB)

Describes child advocacy, its application to the juvenile court setting, and conflict between the underlying assumptions of child advocacy principles and the juvenile court system. Presents alternative methods for applying child advocacy methods in the context of the current juvenile justice system. (Author/MJL)

This article presents reactions to the ethical dilemmas facing community psychologists. It is suggested that community psychology has often ignored ethical dilemmas due to reliance on a perception of cultural relativity, confusion about the difference between conceptions of behavior and styles of intervention, overreliance on a consulting mode of intervention, and a lack of sound scientific bases for our work. Several alternatives are suggested, including a rights rather needs perspective, more active change agent roles, and an increase in the scientific credibility of our efforts.

This reaction to the Wicker paper on substantive theorizing provides a summary of salient features of the approach. It is suggested that more detail about the implementation of substantive theorizing is needed in the future. Further it is argued that there is a need to amalgamate the substantive, conceptual, and methodological facets of research.