title: Correlates of adult assault among homeless women.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to assess predictors of sexual and physical assault among homeless women. A multivariate, correlation design was utilized to identify independent correlates of adult physical and sexual assault. The sample consisted of 202 homeless women residing in shelters or living on the street in the Skid Row area of Los Angeles. Respondents reporting a history of child sexual abuse were almost four times more likely to report being sexually assaulted as adults and were almost two and one third times more likely to report being physically assaulted as adults. A range of factors increase homeless women's risk of adult physical and sexual victimization, including child sexual abuse, substance use, lifetime sex trade activity, and previous incarceration. It is important for homeless service providers to develop an individual risk profile for homeless women and to intervene in order to decrease their risk of re-victimization.
authors.affiliation: University of California, Los Angeles School of Nursing, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1702, USA.
authors.forename: Angela L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Hudson
authors.forename: Kynna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wright
authors.forename: Debika
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bhattacharya
authors.forename: Karabi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sinha
authors.forename: Adeline
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nyamathi
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Marfisee
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002650:Child Abuse, Sexual / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006703:Ill-Housed Persons / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D015141:Los Angeles / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D011330:Prisons / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012742:Sex Offenses / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011477:Sex Work / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D014754:Violence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*