The papers are based on presentations at a December 1992 workshop sponsored by the National Institute of Mental Health. One paper uses data from the 1992 National Alcohol and Family Violence Survey to examine the incidence of spouse abuse in Hispanic families, with emphasis on sociocultural aspects of spouse abuse with Puerto Rican, Mexican, and Cuban women. Additional papers examine the relationship between childhood sexual abuse and adult sexual assault within a multiethnic sample, the role of childhood sexual abuse as a significant predictor of later adult sexual harassment, and spouse abuse in Native American Indian communities. Further papers focus on the reliability and factor structure of the Index of Spouse Abuse with African-American women, the experiences of African-American women who have used a domestic violence shelter over an extended time period, and the cultural competence of community organizations designed to provide support and assistance to battered women. Tables and chapter reference lists