title: Does Type of Child Risk Affect Whether Mothers Seek Assistance for Intimate Partner Violence From Civil or Criminal Court?
abstract: We examined whether risks to children of intimate partner violence survivors affected the type of legal assistance accessed. We hypothesized that the level and type of perceived child risk would be associated with whether women sought a protection order in civil court or filed charges against a current or former intimate partner in criminal court. Using data from a sample of predominantly African American women (N=293), we found that some forms of child risk were positively associated with seeking a civil order of protection but negatively associated with pressing criminal charges. Implications for practice, policy, and future research are presented.
authors.affiliation: American University, Washington, DC, USA jpalmer@american.edu.
authors.forename: Jane E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Palmer
authors.affiliation: University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA.
authors.forename: Lynette M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Renner
authors.affiliation: Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Lisa A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Goodman
authors.affiliation: Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA.
authors.forename: Mary Ann
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Dutton
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002648:Child; D002669:Child Welfare / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D000066505:Help-Seeking Behavior; D006801:Humans; D000066511:Intimate Partner Violence / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000517:prevention & control; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014481:United States
keywords: African American; children; criminal justice system; domestic violence; help-seeking; protective order; women