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Neighborhood influences and intimate partner violence: Results from concept mapping activities

Jessica Burke, PhD, Department of Population and Family Health Sciences, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 North Wolfe Street, E4010, Baltimore, MD 21205, 410-614=6127, jburke@jhsph.edu, Patricia O'Campo, PhD, Department of Population and Family Health Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, 615 N. Wolfe Street, Baltmore, MD 21205, Geri L Peak, Two Gems Consulting Services, 1016 Lenton Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21212, Karen A. McDonnell, PhD, Maternal and Child Health, George Washington University School of Public Health, 2175 K Street Suite 700, Washington, DC 20037, and Andrea C. Gielen, ScD, ScM, CHES, Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health, 624 N. Broadway, HH-750, Baltimore, MD 21205.

Little is know about the range of neighborhood factors, the relationship of those factors to different intimate partner violence (IPV) experiences, and the mechanisms of the relationships. This research used the innovative qualitative methodology of concept mapping to reduce this gap. A three-step data collection process (brainstorming, sorting and rating, and discussion groups) was conducted with a total of 37 participants. A majority of the participants were African American, had completed high school or the equivalent, and were over the age of 30 years. A list of 51 neighborhood items thought to be associated with IPV was generated from the brainstorming sessions. Examples of the items include “job availability”, “communication between neighbors” and “home ownership”. The items were organized into a final seven-cluster solution. For example, the items “poverty”, “abandoned houses” and “lots of trash” were grouped together into one cluster labeled “Deterioration Contributors”. Maps illustrating the relationships between the items and the clusters will be presented. Rating activity results suggest that violence attitudes and beliefs and negative social attributes are strongly associated with IPV prevalence, perpetration and severity, while community enrichment resources and stabilization contributors are more important for IPV cessation. Participant-constructed diagrams illustrating the mechanisms of relationships will also be presented. These findings suggest that important neighborhood factors are missing from existing research and that neighborhood factors are differentially related to various IPV outcomes. This information can be synthesized to develop theory and to generate testable hypotheses to be examined in future quantitative research.

Learning Objectives:

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.

Family Violence and Injury Prevention

The 132nd Annual Meeting (November 6-10, 2004) of APHA