NCJ Number
192013
Journal
Violence Against Women Volume: 7 Issue: 10 Dated: October 2001 Pages: 1122-1143
Date Published
October 2001
Length
22 pages
Annotation
This study examined whether a sample of women's physical health symptoms were due to abuse, poverty, or both.
Abstract
A community sample of 397 women, about half of whom had been assaulted by an intimate partner, were interviewed about their income, experience of physical abuse, and physical health. The women were recruited through advertisements in three newspapers between August 1996 and June 1997. To increase the likelihood of recruiting equivalent numbers of women who had experienced intimate partner violence and women who had not experienced intimate partner violence and to maximize the range of income levels in the sample, each of the four advertisements was specifically designed to attract women who fit a particular profile. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using a structured questionnaire. In addition to demographic information, information was solicited for physical abuse, income level, and physical health symptoms. Hierarchical multiple regression revealed that both income level and physical abuse contributed to women's rates of physical health symptoms. Abuse contributed to the variance in physical health beyond that predicted by income level alone. The findings thus suggest that abuse by an intimate partner or ex-partner negatively affects women's health and is especially detrimental to the health of low-income women. 5 tables, 1 figure, and 50 references