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Purpose The current study examines the overlapping victimizations of sexual assault, sexual harassment, and stalking. Method An online data collection platform was used to recruit participants and data analysis examined relationship abuse and stalking victimization experiences and victim harms (e.g., resource losses, negative identity perceptions, sexual autonomy, and current mental health symptoms) for ex-partner stalking victims who were sexually assaulted during the abusive relationship (n = 392) compared to ex-partner stalking victims who were not sexually assaulted during the relationship (n = 169). Results Results found that over half of the women sexually assaulted during the relationship reported sexual assault while being stalked compared to a small proportion of women not sexually assaulted during the relationship. Sexual harassment experiences were pervasive regardless of relationship sexual assault victimization. However, women sexually assaulted during the relationship experienced increased coercive control, sexual harassment, resource losses, safety concerns, sexual difficulties, and current mental health symptoms than stalking victims who were not sexually assaulted during the relationship. Multivariate results found that younger age, higher safety efficacy, and fewer sexual difficulties were significantly associated with higher sexual autonomy while younger age, increased safety concerns, lower safety efficacy, increased resource losses, and increased sexual difficulties were significantly associated with increased recent PTSD and depression/anxiety symptoms. Conclusion The current study results suggest that it is important to examine a wide scope of victim harms and that helping victims with safety planning in intimate relationships as well as to protect resource losses may be crucial for their recovery journey., Author(s): TK Logan [sup.1] , Jennifer Cole [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) https://ror.org/02k3smh20, grid.266539.d, 0000 0004 1936 8438, University of Kentucky, , 333 Waller Ave, Suite 480, 40504, Lexington, KY, USA [...]

Firearms are used in over half of partner violence victim homicides, and many victims experience firearm-related threats from their abusive partners. It is unclear whether, and to what extent, abusers who make firearm-related threats also engage in other forms of control and violence. An online community-based sample of women whose abusive partners caused them to experience fear because of their access to guns or threats to use them were recruited for the study. This study examined coercive control, threats, violence, and help-seeking for women whose partner held them at gunpoint (n = 112) compared to women whose partners did not hold them at gunpoint (n = 125). Women whose partners held them at gunpoint experienced more severe and frequent firearm and non-firearm related threats and physical/sexual violence. Additionally, abusers used a variety of strategies to control victims including tactics to increase dependency, debility, and dread-all of which were more frequent and severe among women held at gunpoint by the abuser. Only about half of the women held at gunpoint, and 30% of those not held at gunpoint, talked to police or sought a civil protective order. Among those that sought help through the justice system, only about 70% told police or the court about the firearm threats. Current legal remedies that restrict firearms may reduce some lethality risk, but safety is far from guaranteed by solely restricting gun ownership underscoring the importance of assessment and safety planning for partner violence victims who experience firearm-related threats., Author(s): TK Logan [sup.1] , Kellie Lynch [sup.1] , Robert Walker [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.266539.d, 0000 0004 1936 8438, University of Kentucky, , 333 Waller Ave, Suite 480, 40504, [...]

The overall goals of this study were to explore factors associated with stalking assault and factors associated with stalking-related fear among those who were, and who were not, assaulted by victim gender. Men (n = 254) and women (n = 560) stalking victims were recruited through a crowdsourcing website and surveyed about their stalking experiences. Overall, one-third of stalking victims were assaulted. However, almost half of women were assaulted by (ex)partner stalkers compared to about one-quarter of women stalked by acquaintances or strangers. Additionally, about one-third of men were assaulted regardless of their relationship to the stalker. Three main findings are discussed including: (1) stalking assault rates and stalking-related fear levels differ by victim gender which may be, in part, because more women are stalked by males and by (ex)partners; (2) prior violence to the victim, threats, and frequency of confrontation were associated with stalking assault regardless of victim gender; and (3) among those not assaulted, threats and the stalker not caring about severe consequences was associated with stalking-related fear regardless of victim gender, but other factors associated with stalking-related fear differed by victim gender and assault experience. Arrest and increased concern for victim safety by professionals often hinges on physical violence and victim injury. However, educating professionals who work with stalking victims about the factors associated with assault, as well as the full range of harms and risks beyond assault, is crucial to supporting victims and holding stalkers accountable for the crime of stalking., Author(s): TK Logan [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.266539.d, 0000 0004 1936 8438, University of Kentucky, , 333 Waller Ave, Suite 480, 40504, Lexington, KY, USA Stalking victimization impacts millions of [...]

When IPV victims contact justice system or victim service professionals they are often advised on safety actions. Yet, there is limited research on what advice victims receive and how that advice might differ depending on where one lives (e.g., a rural versus urban area) or who is giving the advice (e.g., law enforcement versus victim advocates). The current study surveyed 133 justice system and victim service professionals who work with IPV victims in rural and urban communities. Three primary research questions were analyzed: (1) what advice do professionals give IPV victims with protective orders that had been violated?; (2) how helpful do professionals perceive six different safety strategies for IPV victims?; and (3) what role do firearms play in safety advice and perceived helpfulness among professionals? Contacting the criminal justice system was overwhelmingly the most common safety advice reported by all professionals. In comparison, less than one third of professionals mentioned safety planning and less than 20% mentioned seeking help from victim services despite these two responses being rated as the most helpful in the close-ended questions. Although obtaining a firearm was advised by few professionals and was perceived as unhelpful by most professionals, rural and justice system professionals were more likely than their counterparts to mention firearms in their advice and rate firearm-related protective behaviors as helpful. The results highlight the need to focus on improving first responder advice to victims and maximize training on the importance of safety planning in high-risk IPV circumstances., Author(s): Kellie R. Lynch [sup.1] , TK Logan [sup.2] , Elizabeth Hatch [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.215352.2, 0000000121845633, Department of Criminal Justice, University of Texas, , Durango Building, 501 W. [...]

National data suggests that more women meet a stalking definition that includes fear or concern for safety than men. However, less research has focused on how experiences of stalking may differ for men compared to women who were stalked and were afraid or concerned for their safety. This study examined stalker gender, course-of-conduct, threats and safety efficacy, and the association of those factors on stalking-related fear and mental health outcomes for men (n = 218) and women (n = 478) stalked by (ex)partners (n = 285) and non-partners (n = 411) within the past 5 years. Results showed that women had higher stalking-related-fear; but they were also more likely to be targeted by male (ex)partner stalkers than men. Even so, men who were stalked by males had higher stalking-related fear, after controlling for other factors, than men who were stalked by women. Further, (ex)partner stalkers were more threatening, interfering, and assaultive than non-partner stalkers. Safety efficacy, or perceived capability in handling a threatening situation, played a key role in mental health outcomes for both men and women stalking victims. Also, one-third of stalking victims, regardless of stalker type, indicated they also experienced proxy stalking. The study results suggest that characteristics of the stalking situation impacts fear and mental health outcomes, and that assessment and safety planning should consider both features of the stalking experience and safety efficacy of victims. Future research studies need to expand the repertoire of safety planning, and their effectiveness, to better address safety as well as to ameliorate mental health consequences., Author(s): TK Logan [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.266539.d, 0000 0004 1936 8438, University of Kentucky, , Lexington, KY, USA In general, national data suggests that more women are stalked than [...]

This study examines male (n = 2,612) and female (n = 2,644) clients entering SUD treatment who rated their quality-of-life (QofL) lower or higher and then examined thier recovery needs at program entry and at follow-up as well as return to substance use at follow-up. Results found that lower QofL ratings at program entry were associated with many recovery needs at both program entry and at follow-up. In the multivariate analysis, QofL ratings at program entry were significantly and uniquely associated with the average number of recovery needs at follow-up as well as return to use after controlling for recovery needs at program entry. Individuals who continued to rate their QofL lower at follow-up had lower SUD program satisfaction and engagement ratings and had more recovery needs, on average, at follow-up. Focusing on recovery needs and quality-of-life, which vary by person and context, may enhance recovery from substance use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined mental health and recovery needs at substance use disorder (SUD) program entry and at follow-up (n = 2064) among: (1) women with no stalking victimization; (2) women with lifetime stalking victimization experiences; and (3) women with recent stalking victimization experiences (within 12 months of program entry). Stalking can be defined as a repeated pattern of behavior that creates fear or concern for safety or extreme emotional distress in the target. Women who experienced any stalking victimization, and particularly recent stalking victimization at program entry, had more recovery needs and increased mental health symptoms. At follow-up, women with any stalking victimization experiences continued to have more recovery needs with few differences between the lifetime and recent stalking victimization groups. Stalking victimization experiences were significantly associated with depression and anxiety symptoms in the multivariate analysis. Addressing stalking victimization during SUD treatment may be important to facilitate recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stalking victimization, regardless of victim–stalker relationship, has been associated with negative consequences including high fear levels, mental health problems, and resource losses. Much of the research on stalking has focused on (ex)partner stalking victim experiences and consequences; however, many women are stalked by acquaintances. This is one of the first studies to examine acquaintance stalking victims who did (n = 140) and who did not (n = 222) experience negative work consequences from stalking victimization. Results found that just over half of the acquaintance stalking victims indicated the stalker was someone from work or school. Overall, many acquaintance stalking victims regardless of work losses experienced work interference, although those with work losses experienced increased work interference and job performance problems. Additionally, stalking victims with negative work consequences experienced more stalking threats, life interference, more non-work-related resource losses, and had higher stalking-related fear levels than victims without work losses. Regardless of group, stalking victims lost an average of nine different resources other than work losses, and resource losses were associated with current negative mental health symptoms and help-seeking. Help-seeking, outside of friends or family, even though they endured stalking for an average of almost 2 years, was low for all of the victims. However, acquaintance stalking victims with work losses sought help from more sources on average. Implications from this study suggest that safety at work should be a primary concern for all types of stalking victims, and workplace policies should consider stalking as a separate category of victimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although safety planning is a widely recommended intervention for domestic violence and sexual assault victims, there has been limited research on the safety planning process, content, context or effectiveness. This study builds on prior research to increase the understanding of safety planning in every day practice through focus group discussions with domestic violence and sexual assault advocates from a variety of settings. Five focus groups with 37 participants from a variety of settings discussed typical safety planning strategies and addressing the complexity of safety in challenging situations. Six main themes emerged with regard to typical safety planning strategies. Additionally, discussions revealed there are no widely accepted protocols or evidence-based strategies regarding how to assess and handle common but risky situations. Lastly, results indicate that risks are multi-layered and impacted by resources available to victims as well as civil or criminal justice system procedures, policies and victim status. It is essential that evidence based best practices and protocols be developed for safety planning for a number of high risk situations along with ongoing training, supervision and support. Future research is needed to examine whether, and how, safety planning best practices and protocols should differ depending on agency setting or delivery mode (e.g., hotline, case management, counseling) and geographic context., Author(s): TK Logan [sup.1] , Robert Walker [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (Aff1) 0000 0004 1936 8438, grid.266539.d, Center on Drug and Alcohol Research, Department of Behavioral Science, University of Kentucky, , [...]

Previous research indicates that many individuals who perceive themselves to be at no risk of HIV have recently engaged in risky sexual behaviors (Klein et al., 2003; Schroder et al., 2001). Because HIV risk has been associated with partner violence (Maman et al., 2000), it is important to examine self-perceived risk and actual sexual risk behaviors among partner violence victims. Findings are from a study of adult women (N = 569) who were recruited from courts after they had obtained a protective order against a male intimate partner. Two groups were developed on the basis of self-reported perceptions of risk of HIV at the time of the interview (n = 341, no chance; n = 228, some to high chance). Three main findings from this study are discussed: (1) The number of sexual partners and illicit drug use were associated with women's self-perceived risk of HIV; (2) sexual behaviors within the relationship with the abusive partner were not associated with self-perceived risk; and (3) severity of physical violence and frequency of threatened or forced sex in the abusive relationship were not associated with self-perceived risk of HIV. Implications for social work practice are discussed.

Partner violence may have significant consequences on women's employment, yet limited information is available about how women cope on the job with perpetrators' tactics and the consequences of her coping methods on employment status. This article investigates whether there is an association between workplace disclosure of victimization and current employment status; and whether there is an association between receiving workplace support and current employment status among women who disclosed victimization circumstances to someone at work. Using a sample of partner victimized women who were employed within the past year (N = 485), cross-tabulation and ANOVA procedures were conducted to examine the differences between currently employed and unemployed women. Binary logistic regressions were conducted to examine whether disclosure and receiving workplace support were significantly associated with current employment. Results indicate that disclosure and workplace support are associated with employment. Implications for clinical practice, workplace policies, and future research are discussed.

In general research suggests partner violence has a negative impact on women's employment. However, there has been limited examination of partner stalking and consequences for employment. The purpose of this study was to examine partner stalking and employment consequences among two samples of women. One sample was women who had obtained a protective order against a violent partner and had worked in the prior year (n = 482), about one half of these women were stalked by their violent partner and one half were not. The second study examined qualitative information from women recently stalked (n = 62) by a violent partner. Results from both studies suggest that women who were stalked by a violent partner were significantly more susceptible to on-the-job harassment and problems. Also, women reported that stalking by a partner interfered in their work through on-the-job harassment, work disruption, and job performance problems. Implications for policy and research are discussed.

Relatively little is known about characteristics of sexual assault survivors who present to the emergency room. Examination of differences in survivor, assault, and exam characteristics by type of offender (intimate partner, acquaintance, acquaintance-just-met, and stranger) was conducted using intake data collected from 331 women who presented to an emergency room and were examined by a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner between 2001 and 2004. First, the data suggest there is a difference in injury patterns depending on the survivor--offender relationship. Second, there was a high rate of women assaulted by a known offender presenting to the emergency room. Third, there are important differences in survivor substance use among women assaulted by different offenders. Implications for research and practice are discussed. (Contains 3 tables.)

A significant proportion of survivors of rape do not utilize formal services to cope with the aftermath of rape. Understanding victimization experiences in environments that differ on resources, such as rural versus urban areas, may be an important dimension to consider in understanding barriers. Thirty women (18 rural and 12 urban) were recruited from rape crisis centers to participate in focus groups. Study results suggest that (a) survivors of rape experience many barriers to service utilization, (b) there were some differences in barriers to service utilization that were mentioned only in rural areas and some that were mentioned only in urban areas that may suggest that community context is important to consider in understanding barriers to service use, and (c) barriers to health and mental health services overlap with barriers to criminal justice system services.

Intimate partner violence in the United States is significantly associated with employment instability. Using a latent growth curve model, the current study investigates the impact of intimate partner violence on mothers' (N=4897) employment outcomes trajectories in the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing study which include four waves of data collection starting when a child was born and ending about eight years later. Outcomes included annual weeks worked and employment status (employed vs. unemployed). There was a significant effect of intimate partner violence on weeks worked and employment status at the second wave of data collection, indicating that mothers were most likely to experience employment instability when they had a three-year-old child. Results also showed that intimate partner violence survivors were still experiencing unemployment six years after abuse occurred. Workplaces and policymakers should protect mothers with young children experiencing intimate partner violence by extending time off from work and connection to community resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Study was designed to develop and evaluate a Drug Court employment intervention program to improve drug treatment retention and to reduce recidivism. Focus groups with clients helped in understanding the employment needs in order to target and refine the enhanced employment intervention. Clients consistently expressed difficulty in balancing work and treatment involvement. Implications for designing employment interventions are discussed. (JDM)

Children of Drug Court clients are at high-risk for substance abuse and other risk factors. This paper summarizes the results of a program needs assessment, process evaluation, and outcome evaluation from the Kentucky Drug Court Strengthening Families Pilot Program. Results indicated overall positive changes for families in the program. Recommendations are offered for programs that target children of substance abusers. (JDM)

Prior research suggests that economic abuse and work sabotage are common tactics for abusers and (ex)partner stalkers. This study examines the context and timing (i.e., during the relationship or during separation) of work harassment among women stalked by abusive (ex)partners among victims who did (n =271) and who did not (n =302) experience work losses (significant problems at work or loss of work due to the abuse/stalking) and whether work losses and non-work related resource losses were associated with current mental health symptoms. Results showed that almost half of the women in the study reported they experienced work losses because of their abusive (ex)partner. Women with work losses experienced more work harassment particularly during periods of separation. Women who experienced work losses also experienced more work harassment, separation attempts, economic control, coercive control, physical and sexual abuse, higher fear levels, and a higher number of non-work related resource losses compared to women who did not report experiencing work losses. Women with work losses experienced more symptoms of current depression, anxiety, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Further, in the multivariate analysis, non-work related resource losses were significantly and uniquely associated with current mental health symptoms. In conclusion, women being stalked by abusive (ex)partners are at significant risk of resource losses, and those losses have long term impacts on mental health suggesting that safety planning for stalking victims should include plans to protect resources as well as physical safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the heightened risk for fatality and known non-fatal harm firearms pose in abusive situations, it is critical to consider the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on firearm-related abuse and safety planning—particularly considering the surge in firearm sales in 2020. This study documented the impact of the pandemic on firearm access and violence, advice and safety planning surrounding firearms, and firearm-related abuse tactics through the perspective of victim service providers across the US participants included victim service professionals from both rural (n = 93) and urban/suburban (i.e., non-rural; n = 78) areas who worked with victims of gender-based violence (i.e., intimate partner abuse and dating violence, child abuse, elder abuse, sexual assault, stalking, or human trafficking victims). Results revealed that nearly half of participants reported that abusers threatening to shoot victims or others became more frequent since the start of the pandemic, while nearly 30% reported that homicide involving firearms became more frequent during the pandemic. Further, nearly 40% of participants indicated an increase in firearm sales during pandemic—with higher sales in non-rural versus rural areas. Common themes related to safety planning with firearms included advising the victim to contact the system for help, assessing the location of firearms and/or remove the firearms, and leaving the abuser. The results stress the importance for safety planning around firearms when victims are isolated with an abuser at home and potential impact of abuser firearm access on public safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]