Neighborhood Effects of Intimate Partner Abuse in Low-Income Women

This study examined the impact of neighborhood risk factors and social support networks for reports of intimate partner abuse (IPA) among low-income women. It employed experimental quantitative data from the "Moving to Opportunity for Fair Housing Demonstration Program" (MTO) conducted by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development.;This dissertation examined the following questions: 1. Do social support networks explain reports of intimate partner abuse in low-income women? 2. Does neighborhood disadvantage explain reports of intimate partner abuse among low-income women? Logistic regressions were used to examine the relationship between neighborhood poverty, intimate partner abuse and social support networks.;The study found that women's residential instability, not neighborhood poverty, was predictive of reports of intimate partner abuse. Women who moved more during the MTO study were more likely to report intimate partner abuse. Although social support networks alone did not have an effect, poor mental and physical health were strong predictors in women's reports of abuse. The study's findings suggest that housing policies that focus on moving families into low-poverty neighborhoods will have little effect on reports of intimate partner abuse. As high poverty neighborhoods are characterized by residential instability, targeting interventions for victims of IPA in their neighborhood of origin, instead of investing resources into relocating women, would be a better allocation of finite funds. Agencies that deliver victim services can feel confident that targeting interventions in high-poverty neighborhoods will be the most effective way to reach women with the most need.