Exploring Perceived Legal and Organizational Support and Attitudes on the Decision to Mediate or Arrest in Domestic Violence Cases: A Study Among Community and Criminal Justice Professionals in China.

This study investigates factors related to the decision to (a) arrest or (b) mediate in domestic violence (DV) situations-nonmutually exclusive but highly differing decisions chosen a priori as being outcomes of interest. The sample included three types of professionals handling domestic violence cases in China: (a) Women's Federation (WF), (b) police, and (c) judicial personnel. The participants (n = 817) responded to a vignette describing a DV incident. Logistic regression revealed that legal, organizational, and attitudinal factors were associated with decision-making and varied by group. The findings suggest training and detailed instructions on handling DV.

A Scoping Review of Human Trafficking Screening and Response.

Service providers are increasingly asked to identify individuals who are experiencing trafficking and to connect them with resources and support. Nonetheless, identification is complicated by the reality that those who are experiencing trafficking may rarely self-identify, and providers may fail to identify individuals who are experiencing trafficking due to lack of guidance on how to screen for trafficking capably and sensitively. With the aim of guiding practice, we undertook a scoping review to search for and synthesize trafficking screening tools and response protocols. Following the PRISMA extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR), we located 22 screening tools contained in 26 sources. We included any documents that described or tested human trafficking screening tools, screening or identification protocols, response protocols, or guidelines that were published in any year. All documents were abstracted using a standardized form. Key findings showed that most tools were developed by practice-based and non-governmental organizations located in the U.S. and were administered in the U.S. Few screening tools have been rigorously evaluated. The common types of screening questions and prompts included (a) work conditions; (b) living conditions; (c) physical health; (d) travel, immigration, and movement; (e) appearance and presentation; (f) mental health, trauma, and substance abuse; (g) associations and possessions; and (h) arrests and prior involvement with law enforcement. We were not able to locate specific response protocols that provided step-by-step guidance. Nonetheless, the review revealed available practice-based and research-based evidence to help inform guidance concerning how screening and identification of human trafficking may be administered.

Sexual and Relationship Violence Among LGBTQ+ College Students: A Scoping Review.

Although there has been increased attention to campus sexual and relationship violence (SRV) because of Title IX and the #MeToo movement, much of that attention has focused on victimization of cisgender heterosexual women. This scoping review uncovers information from empirical studies on what is known about LGBTQ+ (e.g., lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and nonbinary) students' experiences of campus SRV. Using rigorous scoping review methods (i.e., searches of 15 databases, searches of expert websites, hand searching, reference harvesting, and forward citation chaining), we identified 60 documents published since 2000 that contained findings from empirical studies related to LGBTQ+ students and SRV on U.S. college and university campuses. Through content analysis, we summarized findings around five key themes: (1) extent and types of victimization, (2) negative outcomes, (3) knowledge of and attitudes about SRV, (4) perspectives on SRV services and prevention education programs, and (5) recommendations from study authors based on their findings. Implications for research, practice, and policy based on these findings are discussed.

Understanding Intimate Partner Violence Service Delivery for Latinx Survivors in Rural Areas.

Using a statewide survey, this exploratory, cross-sectional study examined 78 domestic violence (DV) service organizations' service delivery practices and perceived challenges to serving Latinx survivors in the context of rurality. Findings showed that DV organizations in rural areas perceived more challenges to delivering culturally appropriate services for Latinx survivors compared to those in other geographic settings even after accounting for client characteristics, service provision characteristics, and community resources. The study finding offers critical insights to ensure and enhance the provision of linguistically and culturally accessible services for rural Latinx survivors of intimate partner violence.

Sexual assault of college students: victimization and perpetration prevalence involving cisgender men, cisgender women and gender minorities.

Objective To study eight types of sexual assault among cisgender women, cisgender men and gender minority college students, estimating the prevalence of perpetration by persons of particular gender identities. Participants and Methods: 13,685 sexual assault survivors were surveyed. For each type of sexual assault victimization experienced by cisgender women, cisgender men and gender minorities, prevalence estimates assessed the extent of perpetration by persons of each gender identity. Results: Cisgender men were the most prevalent perpetrators of all types of sexual assault against cisgender women and gender minorities. Cisgender women were the most prevalent perpetrators of five types of sexual assault against cisgender men, with cisgender women and cisgender men being similarly likely to perpetrate three types of sexual assault against cisgender men. Conclusions: Cisgender men perpetrate most sexual assaults against cisgender women and gender minority students; cisgender women and cisgender men perpetrate most sexual assaults against cisgender men students.

The Prevalence of Sex Trafficking of Children and Adolescents in the United States: A Scoping Review.

TOPIC: This scoping review investigated research regarding the magnitude of minor sex trafficking (domestic minor sex trafficking and/or commercial sexual exploitation of children) in the United States, summarizing estimates, methodologies, and strengths and weaknesses of the studies. METHOD: Using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, peer-reviewed articles and the gray literature were accessed via databases searches, reference harvesting, and expert advice. Articles were included if they provided a count or prevalence proportion estimate of trafficked or at-risk minors across or within a region of the United States. Six empirical studies, published from 1999 to 2017, were included in the review. RESULTS: Included studies produced count estimates (n = 3) or prevalence proportion estimates (n = 3) for youth at risk of minor sex trafficking (n = 2) or reporting victimization (n = 5). Studies examined sex trafficking risk and victimization in different geographical areas, including across the United States (n = 2), in New York City (n = 1), and in Ohio (n = 1). Further, several studies focused on particular populations, such as street and shelter youths (n = 1) and adjudicated males (n = 1). Sampling methodologies of reviewed estimates included traditional random sampling (n = 1), nationally representative sampling (n = 2), convenience sampling (n = 1), respondent-driven sampling (n = 1), purposive sampling (n = 1), and use of census data (n = 2). CONCLUSION: Little research has estimated the prevalence of minor sex trafficking in the United States. The existing studies examine different areas and populations and use different categories to estimate the problem. The estimates reviewed here should be cited cautiously. Future research is needed on this important topic, including methodologies to produce more representative estimates of this hard-to-reach population.

Rigor and Respect: Recruitment Strategies for Engaging Vulnerable Populations in Research.

Engaging vulnerable populations in research is a critical focus for researchers seeking to find ways to improve safety and well-being for broader populations. Vulnerabilities often co-occur, meaning that individuals may experience vulnerabilities in multiple facets of their life (e.g., victim of abuse and mental health diagnoses). Unfortunately, many vulnerable populations remain underinvestigated due to difficulty reaching, engaging, and safely including such populations in research. While most researchers assert the importance of including vulnerable populations in research, few actively and successfully recruit them. Many vulnerable populations are understandably weary of research participation. Victims and survivors of domestic minor sex trafficking (DMST) are one such vulnerable population, in that identification may incur substantial risk for DMST victim's physical safety and well-being. In addition, DMST victims and survivors often experience co-occurring vulnerabilities including substance use, histories of abuse, delinquency, and poor mental health. Accordingly, they are notoriously difficult to recruit for research participation. The current paper uses a detailed case example to describe the recruitment and retention strategies used by one researcher to promote DMST survivor research participation. A candid account of challenges, successes, and lessons learned is offered in service of building methodological techniques for recruitment that both honor participant experiences while championing methodological rigor. Findings detail the importance of trust and a trauma-informed approach to qualitative data collection and analysis. Authors include specific strategies to promote comfort and candor amid traumatic response in ways that may empower research participants. A detailed discussion of how such strategies may be adapted for vulnerable populations beyond DMST victims and survivors is provided.

Measuring the Cultural Competence of Latinx Domestic Violence Service Organizations.

Domestic violence (DV) represents a significant public health concern in the United States, including among Latinx populations. Despite the negative consequences associated with experiencing DV, research has shown that Latinx DV survivors may be less likely than others to utilize important services. One potential barrier is cultural competence (CC) in the provision of services specific to Latinx survivors among DV organizations. Thus, a beneficial addition to the field of DV service provision for such survivors is a better understanding and measurement of CC for this unique population. The exploratory, cross-sectional study herein presents the development and evaluation of a novel instrument for measuring the CC of DV organizations. Exploratory factor analysis was used on a purposive sample of 76 organizations in North Carolina who completed a comprehensive survey on their characteristics, practices, norms, and values. Psychometric results found best support for a 29-item, 4-factor bifactor model with both a general CC factor as well as three sub-factors. The general scale was named "General Cultural Competence," while the three sub-scales were named "Organizational Values and Procedures," "Latinx Knowledge and Inclusion," and "Latinx DV Knowledge." The final measure also demonstrated convergent validity with key organizational characteristics. Overall, higher CC scores were associated with organizations having more DV services in Spanish, a higher percentage of staff attending CC training, a higher percentage of staff attending Latinx service provision training, and a medium or greater presence in the Latinx community, and a moderate or stronger relationship with the Latinx community. The development of this measure is particularly useful in addressing knowledge gaps regarding the measurement of CC for Latinx DV services. Implications have importance for both the measurement of organizational CC and the scope of the measure's associations with organizational, provider, and client outcomes.

An Integrated Conceptual Model to Understand Suicidality among Queer Youth to Inform Suicide Prevention.

In this article, we apply and combine elements from four theoretical frameworks (i.e., Minority Stress Theory, Person-in-Environment and Risk and Resilience Framework, Interpersonal-Psychological Theory of Suicide, and Intersectionality) to explain the problem of queer youth suicide through our integrated conceptual model, Queer Prevention of Youth Suicidality Model (Queer-PRYSM). The need for this conceptual model is based on the current state of the literature, including mixed empirical findings on factors related to queer youth suicidality, no scholarly consensus on specific contributing factors regarding high rates of suicidality among queer youth (including queer youth subgroups), and the absence of a unifying theory to explain the queer youth suicide risk. To address these limitations in theory, evidence, and scholarship explaining suicidality among queer youth we present our integrated model with growing, current, relevant research with queer youth. Queer-PRYSM includes minority stressors specific to queer youth, mental health problems, interpersonal-psychological factors, socioecological factors (i.e., family, school, peers, and community), and intersectionality concepts. Queer-PRYSM is essential to understanding the relationship of distal and proximal risk and protective factors in queer youth suicide and developing evidence-informed suicide preventive interventions that can be incorporated into practice, policy, and system structures.

Study protocol for an evaluability assessment of an anti-human trafficking program.

BACKGROUND: Human trafficking is a serious global challenge associated with a complex array of health inequities for individuals, families, and communities. Consequently, in addition to a conventional criminal justice approach, anti-trafficking scholars have increasingly called for a public health approach to address this global challenge. Such calls have emphasized that a comprehensive, robust, and social justice-informed public health strategy for anti-trafficking must include services to facilitate survivors' HT exit and recovery, and to prevent their re-victimization. Fortunately, many community-based organizations and non-governmental organizations worldwide have heeded these calls and developed anti-trafficking programs for survivors. Unfortunately, despite the growing numbers of organizations providing anti-trafficking services, research concerning these programs' effectiveness remains nascent overall, and even more scant when filtered through an equity focus. METHODS: To advance the field by developing guidance concerning how best to evaluate anti-human trafficking programs, an ongoing research project aims to conduct a mixed methods evaluability assessment of a prominent anti-trafficking program using a social justice framework. Guided by well-established evaluability assessment frameworks, the study activities include four sequential steps: (a) focusing the assessment, (b) developing the program theory and logic, (c) gathering feedback, and (d) applying the assessment findings. Activities will include qualitative interviews and focus groups, observations, and quantitative analysis of program data among others. Human subjects and ethical review for the evaluability assessment has been granted by the Office of Human Subjects Research at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. DISCUSSION: Once completed, evaluability assessment results will provide evidence and products that have the potential to guide both evaluation research and service provision not only for the specific organization under study, but also for other anti-human trafficking programs worldwide. Findings will be developed into a variety of dissemination products tailored for both practice professionals and researchers. In the interim, this protocol manuscript offers research strategies and recommendations that can help inform the development of other studies in the developing field of anti-trafficking program evaluation research.

Suicide Completion Among Incarcerated Women.

Little is known about factors that contribute to suicide completion among women who are incarcerated. The current study used data from the National Violent Death Reporting System to examine contributing factors for 176 suicide deaths from 2003 to 2015 in 21 states among women who were incarcerated. Common circumstances for suicide completion included mental health and substance use challenges. Women experienced these problems at rates higher than men who were incarcerated and completed suicide. In addition, women were more often the victim of violence and abuse. Qualitative narratives were coded, revealing that isolation and health concerns may also contribute to suicide risk for women who are incarcerated.

Investigating the Complex Relationship Between Intimate Partner Violence Victimization and Perpetration Among System-Involved Women in Heterosexual Relationships: An Exploratory Analysis.

Research indicates women who perpetrate intimate partner violence (IPV) experience both more frequent and more severe IPV victimization. However, the IPV field needs additional research to understand the complex relationship between various forms of IPV victimization (e.g., psychological, physical, sexual) and IPV perpetration by women. In particular, the field needs a better understanding of the unique interplay of various forms of IPV victimization and perpetration among female system-involved survivors (i.e., female survivors involved with child protective services and/or the court system and mandated to services). Such understanding would aid extant efforts to ensure that mandated services address the experiences and meet the needs of these system-involved women. To address this knowledge gap, we conducted an exploratory, secondary data analysis using cross-sectional baseline data collected as part of a larger evaluation study of a psychoeducational therapeutic IPV and parenting program for system-involved IPV survivors mandated to services (N = 73). Results from multiple regression analyses revealed that both psychological and physical IPV victimization were uniquely associated with the perpetration of psychological and physical abuse by system-involved female IPV survivors. Furthermore, our examination of the interaction between physical and psychological victimization and its impact on perpetration revealed that higher levels of both physical and psychological IPV victimization were associated with significantly higher levels of psychological perpetration (p < .01) and increased likelihood of physical perpetration (p < .05). Results are discussed in the context of service provision within systems, agencies, and programs targeting system-involved women mandated to services for IPV.

Housing Interventions for Intimate Partner Violence Survivors: A Systematic Review.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) survivors are much more likely to experience housing insecurity or homelessness than those who have not experienced IPV. However, little comprehensive research has evaluated the effectiveness of interventions used to address IPV survivors' housing insecurity. To address this knowledge gap, our team conducted a systematic review guided by three questions: (a) What are current interventions for addressing IPV survivors' housing needs? (b) What are the methodological strengths and limitations of the research evaluating those interventions? (c) How effective are the identified interventions? We identified potentially relevant peer-reviewed and gray literature using variations of predetermined search terms and four search methods. Twelve articles met inclusion criteria. Accordingly, this study showed that there is an overall dearth of research concerning interventions that address IPV survivors' housing insecurity and needs. Shelter is the most commonly assessed and available housing intervention for IPV survivors, but only limited empirical evaluation is available of shelter effectiveness. In addition, findings indicate both traditional shelter services and innovative interventions (e.g., rapid rehousing, flexible funding) would benefit from rigorous evaluation including examining survivor and situation characteristics contributing to housing strategy effectiveness.

Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Service Providers' Perspectives on Nigerian Immigrants' Domestic Violence Experiences.

We investigated 13 domestic violence (DV) and sexual assault agency directors' perspectives regarding Nigerian immigrants' experiences of violence, DV-related service needs, and best strategies for providing those needs. Directors across five U.S. states were surveyed. Descriptive analyses showed the most common DV types were controlling behavior and cultural/traditional. The most important DV support needs were informational, informal, and legal. Formal support from DV agencies, support groups, and law enforcement was rated the most helpful strategies. Participants wanted to learn more about Nigerian immigrants' DV experiences. Findings highlight implications for the development of Nigerian-specific DV services.

Reporting Maltreatment to Child Protective Services in the Context of Intimate Partner Violence Research.

Given the overlap between intimate partner violence (IPV) and child maltreatment, IPV-exposed child participants in research might disclose instances of child maltreatment. Such disclosures might require researchers to report the maltreatment to child protective services (CPS). However, the literature provides minimal guidance on how to navigate the complex challenges and ethical dilemmas around reporting in the context of research. To help address this gap and stimulate discussion regarding protocols and policies for reporting child maltreatment, this article presents a CPS reporting protocol developed as part of a community-engaged research project evaluating a parenting intervention for system-involved mothers experiencing IPV.

The Relationship Between Children's Exposure to Intimate Partner Violence and Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: A Systematic Review of the Literature.

Children exposed to intimate partner violence (IPV) can experience negative social, emotional, behavioral, and academic outcomes. A growing body of research has examined the relationship between intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and IPV exposure. We systematically reviewed the literature for research exploring this relationship and found a limited number of studies meeting inclusion criteria ( N = 11). Over half (64%) identified a significant relationship between IPV and IDD, although the cross-sectional methodologies of the majority of studies (82%) prevented the ability to ascertain directionality. Further, the studies defined and measured IPV and IDD in various ways. Some studies were limited by poor external validity and small sample sizes. More research is needed to understand the intersection between IPV exposure and IDD.

A novel intervention for system-involved female intimate partner violence survivors: Changes in mental health.

Female intimate partner violence (IPV) survivors who are their children's primary caregivers are often mandated to services by child protection services (CPS) and/or the courts. Unfortunately, scant evidence exists regarding mandated programs for CPS- and/or court-involved IPV survivors, particularly the mental health outcomes of such programs. Two human service agencies in the southeastern United States collaborated to develop and implement a novel 13-week intervention to address the needs of these mothers' as related to safety, parenting, and mental health. The intervention uses a psychoeducation approach and participants are provided dinner, childcare, transportation, and on-site security. This community-based, quasi-experimental study gathered preliminary evidence regarding whether the intervention enhanced participants' (N = 70) mental health (i.e., depression and posttraumatic stress symptoms). Growth curve analyses using hierarchical linear modeling examined whether participants experienced improvements in mental health at completion (3 months) and follow-up (6 months). Participants reported significant improvements on depression and posttraumatic stress symptoms at both postintervention time points. This exploratory study provides preliminary support for engaging court- and CPS-involved female IPV survivors in specialized, group-based interventions designed to address their mental health needs. Future research should investigate this and other similar programming using (a) larger samples, (b) comparison groups, and (c) randomized designs. It will also be important to replicate this program in other settings to establish evidence for the intervention's underlying approach. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking Among Child Welfare-Involved Youth: An Exploratory Study of Correlates.

Our research team used the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being II to explore relationships between demographic factors, domestic minor sex trafficking (DMST) status, and several psychosocial dependent variables for children and youth in the child welfare system who affirm that they have been paid for sex within the past 6 months. The sample included a total of 814 children and youth, 38 of whom reported DMST victimization. Results revealed that youth with a history of DMST victimization were more likely than their nonexploited peers to report runaway behavior, demonstrate externalizing behaviors, and test in the clinical range for a substance abuse problem. Research and practice implications are discussed.