NCJ Number
179865
Journal
Pediatrics Volume: 104 Issue: 2 Dated: August 1999 Pages: 249-257
Date Published
1999
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This study examines the self-reported use of past restraining orders as a method for addressing a mother's risk for being a victim of current interpersonal violence.
Abstract
The identification of women in violent relationships remains difficult because of barriers to self-disclosure. This study gathered information from 160 mothers of children ages 3 to 6.1 years in a pediatric care practice in Boston. The participants lived in five residential zip codes with high rates of local crime. The maternal interviews collected information from mothers regarding whether they ever filed a restraining order, the victim-defendant relationship, the number of times, and the year of the filing. The four types of violence examined included verbal harassment, verbal threats or intimidation, physical assault, and destruction of property. Forty percent of the participants reported a history of filing a restraining order against a current boyfriend or husband (39 percent), former boyfriend or husband (44 percent), someone known (8 percent), or another person (9 percent). An average of 3.5 years had elapsed since the filing of the restraining order. Analyses of covariance indicated that mothers in the restraining order group experienced higher current partner verbal aggression and physical violence, poorer health, and higher levels of symptoms related to posttraumatic stress, compared with mothers who had not filed restraining orders. In addition, more mothers in the restraining order group met a partial lifetime posttraumatic stress disorder diagnosis. Findings indicated that an inquiry about the history of a restraining order may provide a new and efficient marker for the quality of the current partner relationship, maternal health, and maternal stress-related symptoms. Tables, figure, and 42 references (Author abstract modified)