UMD Theses and Dissertations
Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/3
New submissions to the thesis/dissertation collections are added automatically as they are received from the Graduate School. Currently, the Graduate School deposits all theses and dissertations from a given semester after the official graduation date. This means that there may be up to a 4 month delay in the appearance of a given thesis/dissertation in DRUM.
More information is available at Theses and Dissertations at University of Maryland Libraries.
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Item Community Health Workers Managing Intimate Partner Violence: Current Practice and Promise(2021) Saboori, Zahra; Gold, Robert S; Public and Community Health; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant public health problem that affects more women than men, both nationally and globally. According to the Health Resource and Service Administration (HRSA), the top priority is to train the nation’s healthcare and public health workforce in addressing IPV at community and health systems levels. Community health workers (CHWs) are trusted frontline public health workers that serve as liaisons between the healthcare system and the communities they serve, and therefore play a unique role in providing care to clients with various chronic diseases. Despite their effectiveness, there is a dearth of literature examining the provision of care to victims of IPV by CHWs.The following study utilized a multiple methods design to determine the current practice and promise of CHWs managing clients who are victims of IPV. This dissertation research occurred in multiple phases. The preparation phase consisted of modifying the PREMIS survey, a validated tool that has been used to assess physician readiness to manage IPV, and subsequently making it more appropriate for CHWs using expert feedback. Study 1 involved the administration of the modified PREMIS survey to a sample of currently practicing CHWs (n=152), followed by psychometric analyses. Study 2 utilized semi-structured interviews with a panel of experts (i.e., experienced CHWs, CHW trainers, CHW supervisors, CHW Advisory Committee members) (n=10) to determine appropriate roles of CHWs in addressing IPV. Most sub-scales in study 1 yielded moderate to high reliability (0.70<α’s<0.97), some sub-scales had low reliability (0.57<α’s<0.64), and construct validity was established for several of the subscales. On average, many CHWs had low scores on objective knowledge of IPV (mean=15.4 out of 26), perceived preparation to manage IPV (mean=3.8 out of 7), and perceived knowledge of IPV (mean=3.7 out of 7). Adjusted regression models indicated that staff capabilities and staff preparation were significant predictors of perceived preparedness to manage IPV (all p’s<.05). Study 2 identified eight themes and five sub-themes on potential roles that CHWs can take in managing clients who are victims of IPV. Results of this study provide valuable insight on IPV training and credentialing opportunities for CHWs.Item Pathways to assistance for victims of intimate partner violence(2015) Stabile, Rebecca Michelle; Dugan, Laura; Criminology and Criminal Justice; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Efforts to understand disclosure of abuse for victims of intimate partner violence have largely focused on characteristics of disclosure rather than the consequences of disclosure. Past research has found that disclosure of abuse to formal and informal sources of support is common among victims of intimate partner violence (Fanslow & Robinson, 2010), however little research exists that attempts to explain the effect that disclosure has on a victim’s ability to survive abuse. This thesis draws upon arguments from Edward Gondolf’s survivor theory (Edwards & Gondolf, 1988) and contends that the act of disclosing is an important step in seeking help from public services in order to escape or reduce abuse. It posits that the effect of disclosure of abuse varies across a number of characteristics. Using National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey data, this thesis finds that the effect of disclosure on the likelihood that a victim receives needed services varies across type of support to whom the victim discloses, type of service needed, and seriousness of violence.Item THE ROLE OF RESOURCE LOSS IN THE PSYCHOLOGICAL AND ECONOMIC WELL-BEING OF SURVIVORS OF INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE(2015) Sauber, Elizabeth Winick; O'Brien, Karen M; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This study advanced knowledge regarding the mechanisms through which intimate partner violence leads to psychological and financial distress. Data were collected from 141 female domestic violence survivors who were abused by a male partner within the past six months. Four hierarchical regression analyses revealed that psychological, physical, and economic abuse were predictive of posttraumatic stress, depression, and economic self-sufficiency among survivors. Guided by the Conservation of Resources Theory (Hobfoll, 1998), the loss of financial, work, and interpersonal resources also predicted these three outcomes, above and beyond abuse experiences. Specifically, psychological abuse, economically controlling behaviors, interpersonal resource loss and financial resource loss remained unique predictors after all of the other variables were entered into the models. Additionally, bootstrap mediation analyses showed that financial resource loss partially mediated the relationship between economic abuse and economic self-sufficiency. Together, these findings can be used to inform future interventions to promote the financial and psychological well-being of survivors.Item Should I Stay or Should I Go? Cognitive and Relationship Factors Associated with the Likelihood of Relationship Dissolution among Couples Experiencing Mild to Moderate Physical and Psychological Common Couple Violence(2013) Curtis, David Stuart; Epstein, Norman B; Family Studies; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)There has been insufficient attention given to mild to moderate bi-directional intimate partner violence in the literature. Using a secondary dataset in which strict exclusion criteria decreased the likelihood of cases of partner battering being included, this study investigated the association between mild to moderate intimate psychological and physical aggression and steps taken by the recipient to leave an intimate relationship among a sample of 251 couples who sought therapy at a University-based clinic. Based on the relative costs and benefits model, the degree to which relationship satisfaction mediated the association between aggression received and steps taken to leave was tested. The moderating effects of social support from friends and attributions blaming the partner for relationship problems also were investigated. Findings indicated that psychological aggression was a particularly significant predictor of steps being taken to leave by the recipient, and that relationship satisfaction mediated this association, especially for males.