Family and consumer sciences (FCS) professionals frequently work as advocates for survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV). The purpose of this study was to explore IPV advocacy at the individual, relational, community, and societal levels of the Social Ecological Model (SEM) and to provide suggestions for FCS courses based on findings. This…

Pregnancy rates among youth experiencing homelessness are much higher than those of their housed peers, yet limited research exists on this population's abortion experiences. This study examined abortion attitudes, experiences, and decision making through individual interviews with 30 female, male, and gender-fluid youth (ages 18-21 years)…

Numerous children around the world are forced to make multiple moves with their mothers in and out of refuges for abused women. Each time, they experience a sudden upheaval of their familiar environment. For these children, domestic violence and flight from violence is not an isolated event but part of their upbringing. Few statistics and little…

This research study was an exploratory analysis to determine if a relationship existed between mission attachment and job satisfaction of emergency nonprofit domestic violence shelter/transitional housing workers. The study examined if the perceptions, beliefs, and attitudes were different between entry-level, middle-level, and senior-level…

The aim of this article is to investigate the competence of young children staying with their mothers in refuges for abused women as participants in qualitative interviews. Discourse of the verbal and non-verbal actions of seven young children (4-7 years old) was analysed using a theory originally developed to describe infant-mother interaction as…

University programs are currently faced with a number of challenges: how to engage students as active learners, how to ensure graduates are "work ready" with broad and relevant professional skills, and how to support students to see their potential as agents of social change and contributors to social good. This paper presents the…

In this online vignette study, a national sample of domestic violence shelter service providers (N = 282) completed a 10-item questionnaire about a woman experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV). Scenarios varied in terms of couple sexual orientation (heterosexual or lesbian) and type of abuse (physical or nonphysical). Results indicate that…

Child sexual abuse and intimate partner violence may have a significant impact on parenting. The current study expands on existing research by examining the effects of child sexual abuse and intimate partner violence on parenting styles and parenting self-efficacy. In women from a parenting intervention program (n = 20), child sexual abuse was…

For over 30 years, children have been accompanying their mothers to women's refuges. We now know that these children are at risk of developing an array of behavioural and psychological difficulties. We also know the importance for children of keeping active and playing while at the refuge, and to be given the possibility of addressing and dealing…

We investigated agency directors' perspectives about how service goals should be prioritized for domestic violence and sexual assault service subtypes, including crisis, legal advocacy, medical advocacy, counseling, support group, and shelter services. A sample of 97 (94% response rate) North Carolina domestic violence and/or sexual assault agency…

As part of a larger qualitative study using Life Story methods, an ethnically diverse, purposive sample (n = 27) of young adolescents (ages 12-14) and their mothers residing in four US domestic violence emergency shelters were interviewed about their perspectives of shelter life. Youth reported aspects they liked, most often expressing that they…

Domestic violence is a devastating social problem that leaves an enduring, negative impact on all family members, especially the victims and their children. The costs to children and to society as a whole are enormous. Children who have witnessed domestic violence or have been threatened or abused by a parent are at great risk for emotional and…

There is little empirical research about the services victims of violence in shelters receive and when, yet such information would increase our understanding of their unmet service needs especially after they leave shelter. This article utilizes data from a randomly selected sample of individuals in shelter to examine their service trajectories.…

The purpose of this study is to examine domestic violence shelter workers' perceptions of child maltreatment reporting. A sample of 82 professionals from domestic violence shelters across the United States participated in a survey focusing on a variety of different types of reports and the frequency of both positive and negative outcomes arising…

The Risk Amplification and Abatement Model (RAAM) demonstrates that negative contact with socializing agents amplify risk, while positive contact abates risk for homeless adolescents. To test this model, the likelihood of exiting homelessness and returning to familial housing at 2 years and stably exiting over time are examined with longitudinal…