This study examines the extent to which programs for domestic violence and sexual assault gear services toward women facing multiple barriers (i.e., substance abuse disorders, mental health problems or learning disabilities, incarceration, and prostitution) and the unique problems such women encounter when accessing services. As part of a national evaluation, the authors interviewed staff from 20 programs focusing their service efforts on multibarriered women. Problems encountered by such women include lack of services dealing with multiple barriers, uneducated service providers, and batterers using women's barriers to further control or victimize them. This article describes the strategies programs use to meet these women's distinct needs.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Bennett, L. (1995). Substance abuse and the domestic assault of women. Social Work, 40, 760-771.
2.
Bennett, L. , & Lawson, M. (1994). Barriers to cooperation between domestic violence and substance abuse programs. Families in Society, 75, 277-286.
3.
Brown, V. (1997). Breaking the silence: Violence/abuse issues for women diagnosed with serious mental illness. Los Angeles: Prototypes Systems Change Center.
4.
Burt, M. , Zweig, J. M., Schlichter, K., Kamya, S., Katz, B., Miller, N., Keilitz, S., & Harrell, A. V. (2000). 2000 report: Evaluation of the STOP formula grants under the Violence Against Women Act of 1994. Washington, DC: Urban Institute. Prepared for the National Institute of Justice, forwarded to Congress.
5.
Burt, M. R. , Zweig, J. M., Andrews, C., VanNess, A., Parikh, N., Uekert, B. K., & Harrell, A. V. (2001). 2001 report: Evaluation of the STOP block grants to combat violence against women under The Violence Against Women Act of 1994. Washington, DC: Urban Institute. Prepared for the National Institute of Justice, forwarded to Congress.
6.
Center for Substance Abuse Treatment . (1994). Assessment and treatment of patients with coexisting mental illness and alcohol and other drug abuse. Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) Series 9. Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Substance Abuse Treatment.
7.
Center for Substance Abuse Treatment . (1997). Substance abuse treatment and domestic violence. Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) Series 25. Rockville, MD: DHHS, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Substance Abuse Treatment.
8.
Dansky, B. S. , Saladin, M. E., Brady, K. T., Kilpatrick, D. G., & Resnick, H. S. (1995). Prevalence of victimization and post-traumatic stress disorder among women with substance abuse disorders: Comparison of telephone and in-person assessment samples. The International Journal of the Addictions, 30, 1079-1099.
9.
Farley, M. , & Barkan, H. (1998). Prostitution, violence, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Women and Health, 27, 37-49.
10.
Gil-Rivas, V. , Fiorentine, R., & Anglin, M. D. (1996). Sexual abuse, physical abuse, and post-traumatic stress disorder among women participating in outpatient drug abuse treatment. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 28, 95-102.
11.
Goodman, L. A. , Dutton, M. A., & Harris, M. (1995). Episodically homeless women with serious mental illness: Prevalence of physical and sexual assault. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 65, 468-478.
12.
Jacobson, A. , & Richardson, B. (1987). Assault experiences of 100 psychiatric inpatients: Evidence for the need for routine inquiry. American Journal of Psychiatry, 144, 908-913.
13.
Liebschutz, J. M. , Mulvey, K. P., & Samet, J. H. (1997). Victimization among substance-abusing women: Worse health outcomes. Archives of Internal Medicine, 157, 1093-1097.
14.
Melchior, L. A. , Huba, G. J., Brown, V. B., & Slaughter, R. (1999). Evaluation of the effects of outreach to women with multiple vulnerabilities on entry into substance abuse treatment. Evaluation and Program Planning, 22, 269-277.
15.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (1995). Practical approaches in the treatment of women who abuse alcohol and other drugs. Rockville, MD: DHHS, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
16.
Zweig, J. M. (1997). A longitudinal examination of the risk factors and consequences of sexual victimization of rural young adult women. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Pennsylvania State University, University Park.
