Exploring State Policies and Program Practices for Offenders of Intimate Partner Violence

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a prevalent and urgent public health and social crisis in the United States. Batterer Intervention Programs (BIPs) are the standard treatment for adjudicated and court-mandated IPV offenders but have demonstrated questionable effectiveness. States across the nation have policies or “practice standards” that guide BIP practices. Many researchers assert that one reason BIPs are not effective is because these practice standards are not based on the scientific evidence on IPV perpetration and intervention. Given these concerns, there is a critical need to better understand what is and is not working within the policies and practices used to reduce IPV (i.e., batterer intervention). To fill this knowledge gap, my three-paper dissertation involved a policy document review of practice standards, qualitative interviews and a survey to better understand the needs, challenges and recommendations for improving the policies and practices used to reduce violence recidivism among IPV offenders. The first paper is a policy document review, which synthesized and analyzed the state practice standards for BIPs across the 45 states and the District of Columbia (n=46) that have practice standards in place. Findings reveal several ways in which practice standards for BIPs are not evidence-informed and must be updated, given their influence over BIPs nationwide. The second paper is a qualitative study of key stakeholders in batterer intervention in North Carolina (n=17). Findings highlight needs and challenges related to state oversight of BIPs, a lack of program sustainability and court system processes. Many of the challenges described are a result of a lack of funding at the state and program level and weakness in the coordinated community response. Finally, the third paper is a mixed-methods study that explores program practices through a statewide survey of BIPs (n=26) and results from the qualitative study regarding the challenges and needs of BIP practices. Findings draw attention to the need to implement more evidence-based practices into BIPs. Further, multiple barriers need to be addressed in order to successfully implement evidence-based practices.Doctor of Philosoph

A scoping review of vicarious trauma interventions for service providers working with people who have experienced traumatic events

Health and human service providers who aid traumatized individuals frequently experience vicarious trauma (VT). Although VT plays a critical role in service providers’ mental health and well-being, as well as in the quality of their service provision, little information is available concerning the development and implementation of VT interventions for service providers. To advance the development of evidence in this area, we undertook a scoping review in which we reviewed existing interventions intended to address VT among service providers working with traumatized clients. Searches of electronic databases were conducted to identify studies published in peer-reviewed journals, with no date restrictions. Over 1,315 citations were reviewed, and a total of 27 studies were included in the final review. The findings show that VT interventions in the literature can be divided broadly into four categories: psychoeducation, mindfulness intervention, art and recreational programs, and alternative medicine therapy. The VT interventions reviewed generally showed promise in their key outcomes, including reductions in secondary trauma stress, compassion fatigue, burnout, and other mental health outcomes. However, the current body of research is lacking both in rigor and in specificity regarding the definition of VT. Furthermore, existing VT interventions are generally self-care based and tend to focus on general stress management rather than addressing the specific effects of VT. Therefore, we call for an increase in efforts to tailor VT interventions to different service settings and participant characteristics, as well as greater attention to developing primary VT interventions at the organizational level

Gendered geographical inequalities in junior high school enrollment. Do infrastructure, human, and financial resources matter?

This paper is to examine the spatial patterns of gender inequality in junior high school enrollment and the educational resource investments associated with the spatial trends.Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the spatial patterns of gender inequality in junior high school enrollment and the educational resource investments associated with the spatial trends. Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses data on 170 districts in Ghana and hot spot analysis based on the Getis-Ord Gi statistic, linear regression, and geographically weighted regression to assess spatial variability in gender parity in junior high school enrollment and its association with resource allocation. Findings – The results reveal rural-urban and north-south variability in gender parity. Results show that educational resources contribute to gender parity. At the national level, educational expenditure, and the number of classrooms, teachers, and available writing places have the strongest positive associations with girls’ enrollment. These relationships are spatially moderated, such that predominantly rural and Northern districts experience the most substantial benefits of educational investments. Practical implications – The findings show that strategic allocation of infrastructure, financial, and human resources through local governments holds promise for a more impactful and sustainable educational development of all children, regardless of gender. Besides seeking solutions that address the lack of resources at the national level, there is a need for locally tailored efforts to remove the barriers to equitable distribution of educational resources across gender and socioeconomic groups. Originality/value – This paper’s use of advanced spatial analysis techniques allows for in-depth examination of gender parity and investments in educational resources, and highlights the spatial nuances in how such investments predict gender disparities in junior high school enrollment. The findings speak to the need for targeted and localized efforts to address gender and geographical disparities in educational opportunities