216924 Intimate partner violence and resilient women: The impact of African American race and family support

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Martha L. Coulter, DrPH MSW , Department of Community and Family Health, University of South Florida, College of Public Health, Tampa, FL
Carla L. VandeWeerd, PhD , Department of Community and Family Health, University of South Florida, College of Public Health, Tampa, FL
Melissa Cristal Mercado-Crespo, MSc, MA , Department of Community & Family Health, University of South Florida, College of Public Health, Tampa, FL
  
Problem: Women on welfare are disproportionately affected by intimate partner violence (IPV); an IPV prevalence two to three times larger than the national rate for all women. Apart from IPV's direct impact on the victim's employment success, its influence may be dependent on the interactions of multiple demographic and mediating factors.

Methods: This study assessed IPV's impact on employment among women leaving welfare in Florida. A purposive sample of 411 women who participated or were actively participating in the 2000-2002 WAGES program were interviewed via telephone or in person. Data on their socio-demographic characteristics (age, education, race, home environment), IPV experiences, and mediating factors (social support, employer support, physical and mental health, parenting stress, employment success) were collected.

Results: Among women currently in an intimate relationship, logistic regression analyses found that employment success is best predicted by the short-term impact of having experienced IPV before the past 12 months (OR=2.17). Having some technical training (OR=2.04) and employer support (OR=1.46) best predict employment success for women not currently in a relationship. Linear regression analyses found that being African American (AA) significantly (p<=001) predicted lower parenting stress (F=3.77) and better mental health outcomes (F=6.28).

Conclusions: Consistent with previous qualitative analyses, AA race and family support were identified as protective factors against IPV's impact on employment success – illustrating the complexity of the IPV-employment relationship. The mediating impact of demographics, social support, physical and mental health, parenting stress, and technical education provide directions for intervention, which may benefit employment success.

Learning Areas:
Advocacy for health and health education
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Program planning
Public health or related research
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Describe the mediating impact of demographics, mental and physical health, social support, parenting stress, and technical education on the inter-relationship between intimate partner violence and employment success.

Keywords: Domestic Violence, Workforce

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: As Faculty at the University of South Florida College of Public Health and Director of The Harrell Center for the Study of Family Violence, I conduct and oversee multiple family violence research studies.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

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