Clinical Implications in Healing from Domestic Violence: A Case Study.

Violence against women by their intimate partners continues to be widespread today. Practicing psychologists who treat female clients will see the consequences of immediate and long-term emotional effects of abuse. The author uses a psychologist's personal story of domestic violence and healing from abuse to illustrate the psychological issues and concerns battered women face in their healing. The author then gives eight recommendations for treating battered women. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Screening for Domestic Violence: Recommendations Based on a Practice Survey.

How do practicing psychologists identify female victims of domestic violence? When asking about harm to self and others, do they also ask if the client is in danger of being harmed by another in an intimate relationship? A national survey of practicing psychologists revealed that 95% agreed that it is their responsibility to assist victimized clients, but fewer than 19% routinely screen for domestic violence. Psychologists report several barriers to screening at intake, which coupled with low screening rates, suggest that psychologists are missing important opportunities to assist clients who are at risk for assault. Several recommendations designed to improve psychologists' screening rates for domestic violence are provided. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Persist. persist.": A qualitative study of women's decisions to disclose and their perceptions of the impact of routine screening for intimate partner violence.

Objective: To understand the conditions under which a group of women recruited from antenatal, mental health, and substance abuse services disclose abuse in response to routine screening for intimate partner violence and their constructions of the impact of routine screening. Method: In-depth interviews with 20 women followed up 6 months after disclosing abuse in response to screening. Results: Women were in diverse situations relating to trajectories of abuse that included continued abuse despite interventions and abuse cessation within relationship. Women disclosed their abuse after making active judgments about safety on three dimensions: from the abuser, from shame and from relinquishing control. Most women described valued impacts from screening, though this was less common for those who had previous contact with statutory agencies. The process of asking shaped constructions of abuse, giving name to it. Health workers' responses to disclosures often helped to create a sense of connection. Conclusions: These effects align with Herman's work identifying naming and reconnection as important steps in recovery from trauma. The diversity of women's situations may explain difficulties in achieving significant findings by RCTs on screening impacts. Screening can bring about important changes for some women and is not simply a strategy for identification and referral. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Predicting the Intentions of Women in Domestic Violence Shelters to Return to Partners: Does Forgiveness Play a Role?

Recent findings indicate that college women's forgiveness of hypothetical dating violence was predictive of their hypothetical decisions to stay in the relationship. This study was designed to evaluate the role of forgiveness in women's intentions to return to their partners from a domestic violence shelter. A sample of 121 women residing in both urban and rural domestic violence shelters filled out a series of questionnaires evaluating demographic information, severity of violence, attributions for violence, psychological constraints (or investment), and forgiveness of the partner. Forgiveness was found to predict intention to return to partner over and above the other variables studied. These findings suggest that the degree to which women are willing to "move on" from the abuse and to let go of their anger toward their partners may play a significant role in their intention to remain in a relationship with their partners. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A note on job performance: Differences between respondent and nonrespondent salesmen to an attitude survey.

Salesmen respondents (N = 72) and nonrespondents (N = 19) to a mail attitude questionnaire were compared in terms of 2 objective measures of performance: net sales points and net total points. Mean scores on both measures were significantly higher for respondents than for nonrespondents. These results tended to follow results of other studies in nonindustrial settings that suggested volunteers or respondents are, in general, "better" persons in terms of such variables as motivation, personality and, in this case, job performance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The moderating effects of employee tenure on the relation between organizational commitment and job performance: A meta-analysis.

This meta-analysis investigated the correlation between attitudinal commitment and job performance for 3,630 employees obtained from 27 independent studies across various levels of employee tenure. Controlling for employee age and other nuisance variables, the authors found that tenure had a very strong nonlinear moderating effect on the commitment-performance correlation, with correlations tending to decrease exponentially with increasing tenure. These findings do not appear to be the result of differences across studies in terms of the type of performance measure (supervisory vs. self), type of tenure (job vs. organizational), or commitment measure (Organizational Commitment Questionnaire [L. W. Porter, R. M. Steers, R. T. Mowday, & P. V. Boulian, 1974] vs. other). The implications and future research directions of these results are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A Counterintuitive Hypothesis About Employment Interview Validity and Some Supporting Evidence.

This study found mixed support for the hypothesis that the difference in criterion-related validity between unstructured and structured employment interviews is due solely to the greater reliability of structured interviews. Using data from prior meta-analyses, this hypothesis was tested in 4 data sets by using standard psychometric procedures to remove the effects of measurement error in interview scores from correlations with rated job performance and training performance. In the 1st data set. support was found for this hypothesis. However, in a 2nd data set structured interviews had higher true score correlations with performance ratings, and in 2 other data sets unstructured interviews had higher true score correlations. We also found that averaging across 3 to 4 independent unstructured interviews provides the same level of validity for predicting job performance as a structured interview administered by a single interviewer. Practical and theoretical implications are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mental Illness and Employment.

Comments on an article by Sturm and Lipton, and the article they are commenting on, by Rothaus, Cleveland and Johnson (see record 1964-02889-001). Sturm and Lipton criticize the study by Rothaus, Hanson, Cleveland and Johnson (the current authors) on the grounds that employment of psychiatrically discharged patients is controlled by personnel directors and not by employment interviewers. In our study we had found it advantageous for the psychiatric patient seeking employment to describe his recent hospitalization as a learning experience designed to aid him in coping with the problems of living rather than alluding to his hospitalization as treatment or a cure for illness. Using the former approach, ex-psychiatric-patients were judged by employment interviewers of the Texas Employment Commission as being more readily employable than patients using the mental-illness approach. But Sturm and Lipton complain that we were working with the wrong people since only personnel directors and employers do the direct hiring. In Texas at least, this is not necessarily so. The authors also comment on other criticisms of Sturm and Lipton. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The Employment Interview: A Social Judgment Process.

Reviews the book, The Employment Interview: A Social Judgment Process by Edward C. Webster (1982). Webster himself clearly states that it is not a manual for training new interviewers. Neither would it structure a training programme to improve current levels of interviewer performance, although it contains many useful suggestions for such a program. It is for students of the interview. The term students is used broadly here. Structurally, following the introduction, Chapter 2 reviews the key McGill findings on decision-making in the employment interview. Chapter 3 introduces three models of interview research. Chapter 4 reviews findings on interviewer expectancy effects. Chapter 5 reviews related research on implicit personality and impression formation. Chapter 6 reviews external influences, including the physical environment, contrast effects, the pressure to employ, situational role constraints, and knowledge of job requirements. Chapter 7 is a review of documented failures to train interviewers to make more accurate interview decisions. Chapter 8 reviews the findings on structure in the interview. The final chapter, the interviewer-applicant relationship, shines some well-directed light on the applicant side of the picture. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychological Effects of Domestic Violence on Children and Their Mothers.

While domestic violence and child abuse are known to be highly correlated, several related areas of functioning of victim mothers and children are not well researched and have implications for the provision of services. Fifty mothers and children were referred by service agencies for independent structured interviews and psychological assessment. Assessment focused on evidence of posttraumatic reexperiencing, avoidance, physiological arousal, associated symptoms, and parenting skills. A complex pattern of results documented high levels of abuse and associated trauma disorders in both the children and their mothers. However, the presence of disorders was generally not correlated between children and mothers, and affected mothers were less likely to seek mental health services for their children (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Work-Home Interference, Job Stressors, and Employee Health in a Longitudinal Perspective.

The purpose of the present longitudinal study was to examine the role of negative work-home interference (WHI) in the classical stressor-strain sequence. First, the predominant time-lagged path between WHI and job stressors was investigated. Furthermore, the direct and indirect (mediating) process of WHI, job stressors, and employee health was examined. The sample consisted of 383 health care employees. Results showed evidence for predominant time-lagged paths from Time 1 job stressors to Time 2 WHI and not the other way around. In addition, it appeared that WHI played a partial mediating role between all 3 types of job stressors on the one hand and exhaustion on the other. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perceived organizational support: A review of the literature.

The authors reviewed more than 70 studies concerning employees' general belief that their work organization values their contribution and cares about their well-being (perceived organizational support; POS). A meta-analysis indicated that 3 major categories of beneficial treatment received by employees (i.e., fairness, supervisor support, and organizational rewards and favorable job conditions) were associated with POS. POS, in turn, was related to outcomes favorable to employees (e.g., job satisfaction, positive mood) and the organization (e.g., affective commitment, performance, and lessened withdrawal behavior). These relationships depended on processes assumed by organizational support theory: employees' belief that the organization's actions were discretionary, feeling of obligation to aid the organization, fulfillment of socioemotional needs, and performance-reward expectancies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perceived supervisor support: Contributions to perceived organizational support and employee retention.

Three studies investigated the relationships among employees' perception of supervisor support (PSS), perceived organizational support (POS), and employee turnover. Study 1 found, with 314 employees drawn from a variety of organizations, that PSS was positively related to temporal change in POS, suggesting that PSS leads to POS. Study 2 established, with 300 retail sales employees, that the PSS-POS relationship increased with perceived supervisor status in the organization. Study 3 found, with 493 retail sales employees, evidence consistent with the view that POS completely mediated a negative relationship between PSS and employee turnover. These studies suggest that supervisors, to the extent that they are identified with the organization, contribute to POS and, ultimately, to job retention. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Protecting Children from Domestic Violence: Strategies for Community Intervention.

Reviews the book Protecting children from domestic violence: Strategies for community intervention, edited by Peter J. Jaffe, Linda L. Baker, and Alison J. Cunningham (see record 2005-04430-000). The book emerged from the International Conference on Children Exposed to Domestic Violence that was held in London, Ontario in 2001. It begins with an excellent chapter by Jeffrey Edleson synthesizing the literature on the impact of exposure to domestic violence on children. Edleson's chapter is followed by two papers examining emerging assessments and treatment programs. The second section of the book addresses current thinking about individual and group intervention approaches. The third section of the book examines broader system level responses, including public awareness and school-based campaigns, as well as responses by the courts and police. This is a well-organized collection of papers that provides a good overview of the state of knowledge and innovative practice in an emerging field of practice. Protecting Children from Domestic Violence provides practitioners, policy makers, and researchers with an excellent overview of current knowledge and practices in working with children exposed to domestic violence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Construct of Work Commitment: Testing an Integrative Framework.

This study meta-analytically examined extensive literature associated with work commitment. The primary purposes were to (a) cumulate correlations among dimensions of work commitment to see which were intercorrelated and (b) determine impact of work commitment dimensions and subdimensions on specific outcome variables (job satisfaction, job performance, turnover intentions, and turnover). Results were cumulated across 997 articles. The positive manifold of correlations suggests the presence of a common psychological construct underlying different commitment forms, with the exception of calculative, continuance, and union commitment. Most of the 94 meta-analyzed correlations were small, suggesting that concept redundancy is not a major concern. Meta-analyses of the correlations of 24 commitment constructs with 4 outcome variables suggest that different commitment forms have similar patterns of correlations with outcome variables. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Child witnesses to domestic violence: A meta-analytic review.

This meta-analysis examined 118 studies of the psychosocial outcomes of children exposed to interparental violence. Correlational studies showed a significant association between exposure and child problems (d? = -0.29). Group comparison studies showed that witnesses had significantly worse outcomes relative to nonwitnesses (d? = -0.40) and children from verbally aggressive homes (d? = -0.28), but witnesses' outcomes were not significantly different from those of physically abused children (d? = 0.15) or physically abused witnesses (d? = 0.13). Several methodological variables moderated these results. Similar effects were found across a range of outcomes, with slight evidence for greater risk among preschoolers. Recommendations for future research are made, taking into account practical and theoretical issues in this area. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Assessing gender role of partner-violent men using the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2): Comparing abuser types.

This study investigated traditional masculine gender role differences between male partner abuser types using the Masculinity/Femininity subsection scales of Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) Structural Summary. We examined differences between four groups of partner-violent men (borderline, antisocial, psychotic features, and nonpathological partner violent) and one group of nonpartner-violent men on five MMPI-2 subscales: Masculinity-Femininity, Gender Role-Feminine, Gender Role-Masculine, Ego Inflation, and Low Self-esteem. Results indicated that the borderline group reported the most consistent traditional feminine gender role orientation of all the groups, whereas the antisocial group reported the most consistent traditional masculine gender role orientation of all the groups. The psychotic features group reported characteristics associated with both traditional masculinity and traditional feminine gender role making it distinct among all the groups. The nonpathological intimately violent group and the nonpartner-violent group reported no extreme scores when compared with the other three groups. The borderline and antisocial groups reported significantly more exposure to family of origin violence and use of more severe forms of partner abuse than the other three partner abuse groups. Treatment implications are addressed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Job satisfaction, job performance, and situational characteristics.

How are job satisfaction and performance related to the variables of the situation? S were approximately 2500 workers in 72 warehouses of 1 company. Job satisfaction was measured by questionnaire items. Factor analysis was used to relate the variables of quantity, quality, profitability, turnover, size of workforce, city size, wage rate and unionization and percentage of males. Job satisfaction was highest with the greatest productivity and profit. Small town culture had the most satisfaction and performance. From Psyc Abstracts 36:01:3LH65K. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A call for a social network-oriented approach to services for survivors of intimate partner violence.

Despite the many hard-won victories of the antidomestic violence movement, it has had less success in reaching one of its own primary goals: that of making intimate partner violence a problem of the community rather than a problem between two individuals. Most mainstream domestic violence service models have not prioritized ongoing engagement of survivors' informal social support networks as a core part of their work. Yet the perpetration of domestic violence occurs within a community context that contributes to the maintenance or alleviation of the problem. Given extensive research on the centrality of social networks to the fabric of survivors' daily lives, as well as their ongoing safety and emotional well-being, it is critical to consider how domestic violence services and systems can align with these social networks more effectively. Following a review of research on the role of informal social support in survivors' lives, this article calls for a shift in mainstream domestic violence services toward a more network-oriented approach, one that highlights potential partnerships between professionals and survivors' informal social support networks. Such a shift would require a reconceptualization of the role of the domestic violence practitioner and the scope and nature of services. It would also raise a series of emergent research questions about how informal network members can best support survivors, how domestic violence services can help survivors engage with existing and new supporters, and the extent to which specific types of network-oriented practices can indeed improve survivors' safety and well-being. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)