An explanation of the relationship between vulnerable populations' social capital networks and intimate partner violence: Honing our methodological understanding

This research provides an explanation for intimate partner violence (IPV) among residents of a major urban region by examining the complexity of individual social networks and social capital. Objective: The research accomplishes two objectives, one methodological and the other substantive. First, through the development of unique weighted scales, the author introduces an innovative, valid measure of social capital that taps four dimensions of social-networks: family, friends, socio-cultural, and neighborhood. Second, the author illustrates both theoretically and empirically the link between social capital and IPV. Methods: Using a stratified, random sampling methodology, the author interviews over 1,600 residents in a major urban region. In addition to the construction of social capital scales, data are gathered along several dimensions of health (chronic disease and conditions), health behaviors, substance abuse, access to health-related resources and health services, mental health treatment, and health literacy. Results: The results confirm significant relationships among the four dimensions of social networks. Noted also are the differences among groups controlling for socio-demographic characteristics; detailed are the empirically significant differences in the structure of social networks and the disparities in IPV among the underserved and vulnerable population segments. Conclusion: This research has made a contribution both methodologically (e.g., validity of social network scales) and substantively (honing understanding of segments ripe for intervention). Establishing these empirical connections while parsing socio-demographic variables has contributed to our theoretical understanding of the complexity inherent in predicting IPV and, thus, may allow practitioners to better target on-going interventions.