Psychological Outcomes for Participants in Groups for Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence
Liu, Sabrina Ruixia
2011
- Effects of domestic violence are diverse and damaging to one's life (Briere & Jordan, 2004), yet the research in this field is limited (Abel, 2000). The goal of this study was to examine the effect of two different therapeutic groups � a support group and a self-defense group � on self-esteem and depression in victims of domestic violence. This was an uncontrolled, non-randomized, retrospective ... read morestudy. A local outpatient non-profit child and family clinic collected data from 69 female participants from two groups that they ran for victims of domestic violence � a support group called "Mothers in Action" and a self-defense class called "Self Defense Stress Management." Data analysis was performed to determine if the level of participants' depression or self-esteem changed from before to after group participation. This study also examined whether the amount of change in participants' depression or self-esteem levels differed across a variety of situational and demographic factors. Data analysis was also performed to determine if participants' baseline levels of depression, self-esteem, or perceived safety differed significantly between participants who dropped out of the groups and those who stayed in the groups. Finally, the study examined whether participants' baseline levels of self-esteem, depression, perceived safety, or income differed significantly across various demographic variables of participants. Analysis showed that mean depression and self-esteem scores of participants improved significantly in both groups. Participants who dropped out of the support group had felt less safe at baseline than those who stayed in the group, and participants who dropped out of the self-defense group had more severe depression and lower self-esteem at baseline than those who completed the group. These findings have useful implications for those trying to address the negative effects of intimate partner violence (IPV), in the fields of both treatment and research. Results of this study confirm existing research claims that support groups have positive effects on self-esteem and depression levels of IPV victims. It also brings some new information to light � this is the first study in the literature to look at the psychological effect of self-defense groups for victimized women. It is also the first study to consider baseline safety rating as a predictor of dropping out. These findings should be taken into account when designing future studies in the field of IPV or when trying to create an effective IPV therapy program.read less
- ID:
- 08613056p
- Component ID:
- tufts:UA005.006.133.00001
- To Cite:
- TARC Citation Guide EndNote
