Revictimized Adult Women: Perceptions of Mental Health Functioning and Associated Services

• NCJ Number: 251299
• Author(s): C. Simmel, J. L. Postmus, I. Lee
• Date Published: August 2016
• Length: 10 pages
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Award: Violence and Victimization: Exploring Women's Histories of

Annotation

This study used a sample of adult women (N = 418) from various environments to assess their mental health outcomes and perceptions about different types of support for those victimized by childhood and adulthood sexual and physical violence.

Abstract

The respondents were from three locations: general community, state prison, and sexual assault and domestic violence service providers. A cluster analysis based on victimization experiences was conducted; subsequent analyses showed that women who endured more types of abuse had more self-reported mental health difficulties. Somewhat paradoxically, women who used more therapeutic services held more negative perceptions of their mental health functioning, while use of tangible services had no significant association. Those who found therapeutic services helpful had significantly higher self-reported concurrent mental health functioning. (Publisher abstract modified)