Social Support Among Women in Methadone Treatment Who Experience Partner Violence

• NCJ Number: 187664
• Journal: Violence Against Women Volume: 7 Issue: 3 Dated: March 2001 Pages: 246-274
• Author(s): Nabila El-Bassel; Louisa Gilbert; Valli Rajah; Anthony Foleno; Victoria Frye
• Editor(s): Claire M. Renzetti
• Date Published: March 2001
• Length: 29 pages
• Grant Number(s): DA11027
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute on Drug Abuse
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This descriptive study provides a contextual understanding of the access and use of informal social support among battered women in methadone treatment.

Abstract

This study attempts to explore types, availability, use, and satisfaction of familial and nonfamilial support among women in methadone treatment who reported partner abuse during the past year. The study also examined how couples’ drug involved activities impede the women’s access to social support. A total of 68 women participated in 1 of 14 two-hour focus groups. The concentration was only on informal supports even though formal social support was discussed. The study suggests that women on methadone with current histories of partner abuse are confronted with multiple barriers to accessing informal support. The findings suggest that male dominance and control function to isolate and prevent women from accessing support needed to cope with partner violence. The participants not only felt that they had few people to turn to for support but also expressed dissatisfaction with the support that they received. References