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The purpose of this study was to examine the role of victim alcohol use and partner-perpetrator on interprofessional collaboration on Sexual Assault Response Teams (SART). Telephone surveys with 78 medical, criminal justice, and victim advocacy professionals were conducted. When asked to identify case factors that pose challenges to interprofessional collaboration, 48.7% mentioned victim characteristics and 28.2% mentioned situation characteristics. Significantly more victim advocates identified aspects of the victim's behavior before the sexual assault as a challenge to collaboration compared to criminal justice professionals. Using vignette methodology, professionals anticipated more disagreement between SART professionals on the hypothetical case involving victim alcohol use and a partner-perpetrator compared to a hypothetical stranger/no alcohol case, with victim advocates rating agreement significantly lower than other professionals. Finally, professionals who perceived of more disagreement between professionals when discussing the vignettes also perceived of lower interprofessional collaboration on their SART. Implications for practice and research are discussed.

It is well documented in the literature that child sex trafficking can be perpetrated by family members, though limited research has focused on describing this type of sexual exploitation. This pilot study addresses this gap by providing an analysis of familial sex trafficking considering trafficking dynamics, and rurality. Using a sample of 31 child welfare-involved children referred for behavioral health assessment and treatment, this mixed methods study explores: (1) victim and trafficker characteristics, the trafficking situation, law enforcement classifications of trafficking, clinical profiles of victims, and system involvement of children and youth involved in familial sex trafficking; (2) gender differences in clinical outcomes in sex- trafficked children; and (3) geographical differences in severity of the victimization experience. Major findings document high rates of family members trafficking children for illicit drugs; high severity of abuse as measured with the Sexual Abuse Severity Score, with higher severity of abuse for children living in rural communities; clinical threshold level scores on the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), and the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children (TSCC-A). Boys and girls had similar clinical profiles except boys had higher CBCL externalizing scores, and females had higher TSCC depression scores. Additionally, more than half of the children in this sample had attempted suicide in their lifetime. This formative study sheds light on the phenomenon of familial sex trafficking, thereby creating the context for further investigations. Implications for identification and effective responses to familial sex trafficking, with specific attention to gender and geography are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article has two overall goals. First, to examine the current state of sexual violence research to highlight several shortcomings in the knowledge on partner sexual violence. Second, to describe several factors to consider in future research to facilitate a more in-depth understanding of partner sexual violence. Shortcomings of the research on partner sexual violence include (1) overreliance on dichotomous yes/no representations of sexual violence experiences; (2) lack of, or inadequate documentation of the scope and nature of partner sexual violence; (3) inadequate ways to account for impairment of consent under different circumstances; (4) difficulties in discriminating unwanted from nonconsensual sexual activities; and (5) limited information about the role sexual violence plays in the larger context of coercive control. In order to facilitate a more in-depth understanding of partner sexual assault, there is a need (1) to better understand the scope and nature of partner sexual assault and (2) to better understand the role partner sexual violence plays in coercive control. By improving the measurement of this phenomenon, victims, researchers, practitioners, and those involved in the justice system might be better equipped to respond to sexual violence among intimate partners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research indicates that many individuals who perceive themselves to be at no risk of HIV have recently engaged in risky sexual behaviors (Klein et al., 2003; Schroder et al., 2001). Because HIV risk has been associated with partner violence (Maman et al., 2000), it is important to examine self-perceived risk and actual sexual risk behaviors among partner violence victims. Findings are from a study of adult women (N = 569) who were recruited from courts after they had obtained a protective order against a mar intimate partner. Two groups were developed on the basis of self-reported perceptions of risk of HIV at the time of the interview (n = 341, no chance; n = 228, some to high chance). Three main findings from this study are discussed: (1) The number of sexual partners and illicit drug use were associated with women's self-perceived risk of HIV; (2) sexual behaviors within the relationship with the abusive partner were not associated with self-perceived risk; and (3) severity of physical violence and frequency of threatened or forced sex in the abusive relationship were not associated with self-perceived risk of HIV. Implications for social work practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this article was to examine the prevalence of, as well as risk factors for, revictimization by a new partner. Data was collected via face-to-face interviews at Time 1 (about 5 weeks after obtaining a protective order against a violent partner [DVO partner]) and at Time 2 (approximately 12 months later). Of those women who reported having a new partner at Time 2 ( n = 412), 35.2% reported abuse. Findings indicate that there is a subset of women who are at greater risk of experiencing abuse by future partners: women with greater cumulative lifetime victimization and those who abuse or are dependent on illicit drugs. Intervening with women when they obtain a protective order is a critical point of intervention to reduce women's risk for revictimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines descriptive information for rural White ( n = 371), urban White ( n = 254), and urban African American ( n = 103) women with protective orders on relationship characteristics, victimization experiences, protective order stipulations and violations, and self-reported effectiveness of the orders. Results indicate that women, regardless of group, reported high rates of physical and psychological violence. Although the majority of the women reported the protective order was effective, almost one in four women reported their partner had violated the order even though the order had only been in effect an average of five weeks. The rural White women reported longer involvement in the violent relationship, worse economic circumstances, more victimization, more protective order stipulations, and feeling less safe compared to the urban groups. The urban White and the urban African American women in this sample were very similar with regard to self-reported relationship and socioeconomic characteristics as well as on perceptions of protective order effectiveness and satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Women experiencing intimate partner violence may use a variety of help-seeking resources and coping strategies. The purpose of this study was to examine rural (n = 378) and urban (n = 379) women's help seeking, coping, and perceptions of the helpfulness of resources used in dealing with partner violence. Overall, results suggest that women from both areas utilized a variety of help-seeking resources and coping strategies in significantly different ways. Urban women used more help-seeking resources than rural women. Urban and rural women used different types of resources. Rural women perceived the justice system services as less helpful than urban women. Coping strategies and help seeking are related, with problem-focused coping associated with the use of more formalized help-seeking resources. Implications for research and practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intimate sexual violence was examined among a sample of women who had recently obtained protective orders against male partners using three groups: no sexual victimization (n = 368), sexual insistence (n = 114), and threatened and/or forced sex (n = 117). Differences in childhood sexual abuse as well as types of partner psychological abuse, stalking, and severe physical violence experiences were found across the groups. Multivariate analysis showed that women with no sexual victimization had significantly fewer mental health problems than women who had experienced sexual insistence and women who had been threatened or forced to have sex. Findings from this study underscore the importance of health, mental health, and criminal justice professionals assessing for a range of sexually abusive acts when working with victims of partner violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relatively little is known about rural women's intimate violence experiences in comparison to urban women's experiences, partly because of the difficulty in accessing rural women. This pilot study used a protective order sample of 23 women (15 urban and 8 rural), which provides an access point that is relatively similar for comparisons across rural and urban areas. The number of participants is low and, therefore, results are preliminary. However, several significant findings emerged. Rural women reported significantly less social support, less education, less income, more physical abuse in the preceding year, more childhood physical and sexual abuse, and worse overall health and mental health, as well as encountering abuse earlier in the relationship. Both groups reported higher rates of illegal drug and cigarette use than those among the general population. The findings highlight some overall important themes in examining rural and urban intimate violence victims by suggesting that rural and urban intimate violence victims have different victimization experiences and service needs. Implications for further research and intervention are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]