Research Project
6805351
[unreadable] DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): There is an absence of knowledge as to the types of integrative services that have potential benefit for women with experiences of intimate partner violence (IPV) and with substance abuse problems, especially from the standpoint of the consumer of services, the women themselves. The extent to which additional or alternative services needs, such as IPV education and support groups or individualized safety planning, can be incorporated into existing substance abuse treatment constitute further gaps in the existing knowledge base. Also there has been very little research on how shelters can address the substance abuse of women residents or reach out to substance-abusing women who need shelter services. The purpose of the proposed research is to address these gaps in knowledge. There will be two sets of specific aims, one for substance abuse treatment programs and one for shelters for battered women. In substance abuse treatment programs, the aims include to: 1) examine the extent to which substance abuse treatment programs have incorporated women's IPV experiences into treatment planning for women, and 2) generate additional and alternative ideas for IPV-related services for women in substance abuse treatment. In shelters for battered women, the aims include to: 1) examine the extent to which shelters have incorporated women's substance abuse issues into service planning for women, for example with safety planning, and 2) generate additional and alternative ideas for substance abuse related services for women in shelters for battered women. The proposed research is part of an ongoing research program designed to develop and test the effectiveness of integrative services for battered (IPV) women with substance abuse issues. Based on prior work, 60 women from three substance abuse treatment programs (N = 10 each) and three shelters for battered women (N = 10 each) will be interviewed regarding past and current service usage for these problems, barriers encountered when accessing services (e.g., IPV for substance abuse treatment, substance abuse for shelter stays), ways in which services can be improved, and additional services women need for these problems. In addition, 60 staff from the same agencies (10 from each agency) will be interviewed regarding the same questions, as well as barriers to and ways to enhance integrative service development for battered substance abusing women. [unreadable] [unreadable]
