Consequences of Male Partner Violence for Low-Income Minority Women.Janel M Leone, Michael P Johnson, Catherine L Cohan, Susan E Lloyd. Journal of Marriage and Family. Minneapolis: May 2004.Vol.66, Iss. 2; pg. 472, 19 pgs.

The current study used a random sample of 563 low-income women to text Johnson's (1995) theory that there are two major forms of male-partner violence, situational couple violence and intimate terrorism, which are distinguished in terms of their embeddedness in a general pattern of control. The study examined the associations between type of violence experienced and respondents' physical health, psychological distress, and economic well-being. Analyses revealed three distinct patterns of partner violence: intimate terrorism, control/no threat, and situational couple violence. Compared to victims of control/no threat and situational couple violence, victims of intimate terrorism reported more injuries from physical violence and more work/activity time lost because of injuries. Compared to women who experienced no violence in the previous year, victims of intimate terrorism reported a greater likelihood of visiting a doctor, poorer health, more psychological distress, and a greater likelihood of receiving government assistance.

Welfare Policies and Domestic Abuse Among Single Mothers: Experimental Evidence from Minnesota. Lisa A Gennetian. Violence Against Women. Thousand Oaks: Oct 2003.Vol.9, Iss. 10; pg. 1171.

This article examines the effects on domestic abuse of a pilot welfare program that took place in urban and rural counties of Minnesota from 1994 to 1998. Like many other random assignment evaluations of welfare programs, this pilot program was not designed to explicitly test the effects of special provisions on victims of domestic abuse. Yet in urban counties, the Minnesota program increased employment and reduced domestic abuse among single-mother welfare recipients. Similar effects were not found in rural counties. Urban-rural differences were not a result of racial/ethnic composition but were likely related to differences in prior marital experiences.

Abject Economics: The Effects of Battering and Violence on Women's Work and Employability Angela M Moe, Myrtle P Bell. Violence Against Women. Thousand Oaks: Jan 2004.Vol.10, Iss. 1; pg. 29.

Research on the effects of battering on women's lives has focused on poverty, homelessness, and welfare receipt, often centering on women who are uneducated or undereducated. The authors analyze how battering impacts the work and employability of women from various employment levels and backgrounds. Data were obtained through qualitative interviews with 19 residents of a domestic violence shelter, some of whom had obtained substantial education and built solid and lucrative careers prior to being abused. The women described instances in which battering had obstructed their ability to find work, maintain employment, and use their wages to establish greater economic independence and safety.

Personal, Family, and Multiple Barriers of Long-Term Welfare Recipients. Mary Jane Taylor, Amanda Smith Barusch. Social Work. New York: Apr 2004.Vol.49, Iss. 2; pg. 175, 9 pgs.

This article reports the results of an in-depth, descriptive study of long-term welfare recipients. A random sample of 284 respondents, all of whom had received public assistance for at least 36 months, were interviewed. Results illustrate personal barriers to self-sufficiency, including physical health problems that prevent work, severe domestic violence, educational deficits, substance abuse, learning disabilities, child behavior problems, generalized anxiety disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, and clinical depression. Study findings underscore the complex, persistent, and multiple difficulties experienced by this population and suggest that for some welfare recipients, long-term (even lifelong) financial supports and social services may be in order. Implications for policy and programming are discussed.

The Nexus of Domestic Violence and Poverty. Stacey L Williams, Kristin D Mickelson. Violence Against Women. Thousand Oaks: Mar 2004.Vol.10, Iss. 3; pg. 283.

Abstract: This study extends past research by examining the mediating role of cognitive and social resilience in the domestic violence-anxiety relation. Mediation is tested on a sample of 100 impoverished women from the Women's Health Outcomes in Urban and Rural Environments (Women's HOUR) Study. Regression analysis and structural equation modeling provide consistent support for the proposed model: poor women's violence experience impairs support and self-esteem, which in turn influences their anxiety levels. Results demonstrate the dynamic role impaired resilience may play in the violence process, highlighting implications for research, practice, and policy at the nexus of violence and poverty.