Stages of Change as a Correlate of Mental Health Symptoms in Abused, Low-Income African American Women

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Tiffany A. Edwards, Emory University; Debra E Houry, Emory University; Robin S. Kemball, Emory University; Sharon E. Harp, Emory University; Louise-Anne McNutt, State University of New York; Helen Straus, Rush Medical College; Karin V. Rhodes, University of Pennsylvania; Catherine Cerulli, University of Rochester; Nadine Kaslow, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2006-12
• Publisher: Wiley
• Publication Version: Author Accepted Manuscript (After Peer Review)
• Copyright Statement: © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., A Wiley Company
• Final Published Version (URL): http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jclp.20310/abstract
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Journal of Clinical Psychology
• ISSN: 0021-9762
• Volume: 62
• Issue: 12
• Start Page: 1531
• End Page: 1543
• Grant/Funding Information: This research was funded by two grants from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control: R49 CCR423113–01 entitled, “Safety and Efficacy of IPV Screening for Victimization and Perpetration” awarded to the second author (Houry) and R49 CCR421767–02 entitled, “Group Interventions with Abused, Suicidal African American Women” awarded to the last author (Kaslow).
• Keywords: transtheoretical model; intimate partner violence; African American women
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Public Health; Health Sciences, Mental Health

Abstract

The current study aims to further our understanding of the applicability of the transtheoretical model (TM) to intimate partner violence (IPV), with particular focus on mental health symptoms (depression, posttraumatic stress disorder symptomatology, suicidal ideation) in a sample of low-income African American women seeking medical services at an inner city emergency department. Results revealed that of the 121 abused African American women, the majority (95%) were in the precontempla-tion and contemplation stages of the change process. Further, contrary to predictions, bivariate analyses revealed those at further stages of change endorsed more severe mental health symptoms. However, a multivariate analysis of variance examining differences in level of mental health symptoms between women high and low on stages of change was inconclusive due to the small number of women at the higher stages of the TM model. These findings contribute to the growing body of literature supporting the TM as applied to IPV. Results are discussed in terms of applicability to intervention design.