Citation

Shavers CA, Levendosky AA, Dubay SM, Basu A, Jenei J. J. Appl. Biobehav. Res. 2005; 10(1): 27-38.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2005, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/j.1751-9861.2005.tb00002.x

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Presently, in our society, thousands of children, adolescents, and adults are physically, mentally, and emotionally traumatized from exposure to domestic violence (DV). Exposure to DV, defined here as male violence against their female partners, occurs among all ethnic, cultural, socioeconomic, geographical, and racial groups. DV can lead to depression, negative self-esteem, and general psychological distress in women. Children exposed to DV have an increased risk of behavioral, emotional, and social problems. DV shelters often provide group counseling and support services for battered women, children, and adolescents residing there, but the programs do not reach the majority of women living in the broader community. Furthermore, few studies have examined the effectiveness and efficacy of support group treatment intervention programs for battered women and children. This is due, in part, to the methodological difficulties inherent in this design. As a way to meet the needs of families that have experienced DV, academic researchers from a Midwestern university and a director of counseling services from a local domestic violence agency have partnered to offer a psycho-educational intervention designed to

Language: en