Perils and Possibilities: Sexual Violence Preventionists' Perspectives on Gathering Community Input on Prevention Practice.

There is relatively little research unpacking provider processes or tensions (e.g., leadership decision-making) when attempting to gather and incorporate community feedback into gender-based violence work. Across focus groups with 18 sexual violence preventionists, we explored experiences collecting information and perspectives from or with community members; barriers, and facilitators; and how they navigate possibilities of community-informed sexual violence prevention. We learned that preventionists want to gather input, and they gather it in nonsystematic ways; they face barriers familiar to many community-informed processes; and the topic of sexual violence complicates community-informed processes. Determining boundaries of possibility is central to navigating practice. Further, organizational settings are influential in determining boundaries.

Associations between different forms of intimate partner violence and posttraumatic stress among women who use drugs and alcohol in Kyrgyzstan.

Survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) have an increased risk of experiencing posttraumatic stress, and the subsequently associated symptoms can vary by form of IPV exposure (i.e., physical, sexual, or psychological IPV). Related research among socially marginalized populations, however, is limited, including among women who use and misuse substances. Drawing on baseline data from a pilot study conducted among 213 women in Kyrgyzstan who reported using drugs or engaging in hazardous alcohol use, we examined the associations between different forms of IPV and severe posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). The vast majority of participants reported lifetime (93.9%, n = 200) and past 3-month (65.3%, n = 139) IPV, and two thirds of participants (65.3%, n = 139) reported experiencing PTSS in the prior month. Multivariable logistic regression analyses indicated statistically significant associations between only some forms of IPV and PTSS, including physical IPV, adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 3.24, 95% confidence interval (CI) [1.15, 9.14], and injurious IPV, aOR = 2.71, 95% CI [1.10, 6.65]. Additionally, experiencing any form of IPV was associated with 4.95 higher odds of reporting PTSS, 95% CI [1.16, 21.15]; no other results were significant. These results not only underscore the need for future research on the mechanisms that might explain the unique associations between different forms of IPV and posttraumatic stress, but also highlight an urgent need for trauma-informed mental health and psychosocial support interventions for women who use drugs and alcohol.