NCJ Number: 203209
Title: Use of Domestic Violence Services Across Race and Ethnicity by Women Aged 55 and Older: The Illinois Experience
Journal: Violence Against Women Volume:9 Issue:12 Dated:December 2003 Pages:1442-1452
Author(s): Susan F. Grossman; Marta Lundy
Date Published: December 2003
Page Count: 11
Sponsoring Agency: Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority
Grant Number: 98-VA-CX-0017
Publisher: http://www.sagepub.com/ejournals
Type: Report (Study/Research)
Format: Article
Language: English
Country: United States of America
Annotation: This study focused on the type of abuse, the relationship to the
abuser, the referral source, and service needs of 2,702 White,
African-American, and Hispanic female victims of domestic
violence aged 55 and older who sought services from domestic
violence programs.
Abstract: Study data were collected by the Illinois Coalition Against
Domestic Violence, a not-for-profit organization whose primary
purpose is to advocate for and assist service providers with
domestic violence policy issues and education and training at
local, program, and State levels. All domestic service agencies
funded by the Coalition provided data on client demographics, the
circumstances of abuse, and service needs by using a standardized
client intake form. The analysis focused on differences among the
three largest racial/ethnic groups for female clients 55 and
older in terms of their demographic characteristics,
circumstances of abuse, and service needs. African-American
clients were less likely to be currently married compared with
the other two ethnic groups; Hispanics were most likely to be
currently married; Hispanics were also least likely to be
divorced or legally separated or widowed compared with White and
African-American clients. Information on the relationship between
clients and abusers indicates that Hispanics, perhaps because of
their marital status, had the largest proportion of clients who
reported that their abusers were husbands or former husbands.
Sixty-one percent of White clients were also abused by persons in
this category. In contrast, less than half of all female
African-American clients were abused by a current or former
spouse, but approximately 40 percent of all African-American
clients reported that their abuser was a male or female relative.
Hispanic clients were slightly more likely to report physical
abuse compared to White and African-American clients. Police were
the referral source for the largest proportion of White and
African-American clients. Hispanic clients were as likely to be
referred by police as by a social service agency. White and
African-American women were less likely than Hispanic women to be
referred by social service agencies or by friends, but they were
somewhat more likely to be referred by legal sources. Older women
in the domestic violence service system, regardless of ethnicity,
had different experiences than persons in the adult protective
service system. They were more often victims of intimate partner
violence and had corresponding service needs that varied by race
and ethnicity. Implications of these findings for older victims
of domestic violence are discussed. 1 table, 4 notes, and 19
references
Main Term(s): Female victims
Index Term(s): Black/African Americans; Caucasian/White Americans; Crimes against the elderly; Domestic assault; Elder Abuse; Elderly victim services; Elderly victims; Ethnic groups; Hispanic Americans; Illinois; Victim services
To cite this abstract, use the following link: http://www.ncjrs.gov/App/publications/abstract.aspx?ID=203209
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