Theses and Dissertations

Date of Award

2020

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education

Advisor

Ross Baer

Committee Member

Marcelo Castro

Committee Member

Frank Colaprete

Keywords

civil legal services (CLS), civil protective orders (CPO), domestic violence (DV), intimate partner violence (IPV), legal aid

Abstract

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a growing, complex, and silent social problem across the United States. Victims of IPV are known to be at a greater risk for revictimization. However, the relationship between revictimization and IPV has not been extensively studied. There have been few attempts to synthesize, compare, and contrast findings regarding the factors involved in IPV victimization and revictimization. This study utilized data from existing research involving 250 females seeking civil legal services from Iowa Legal Aid. The archival data explored the long-term influence of civil legal services on female victims of IPV. This study identified the relationships between civil protective orders (CPO) and IPV revictimization by measuring severity and occurrence of threats made by the perpetrator, financial instability and IPV victimization, and demographic characteristics and the severity of victimization. The results further defined variables that contribute to the severity and occurrence of IPV victimization and revictimization.

The findings indicated that victims of IPV are at a moderate risk for revictimization at least once within six months of filing for a civil protective order. The study also found a significant relationship between the victim’s financial instability and IPV victimization, indicating that victims are at a greater risk if they are financially unstable or if they are financially dependent on their abusive partner. The study produced no significant findings that predict the severity of victimization as it relates to the victim’s demographic characteristics. The findings support the continued need for further research to explore the longitudinal factors that contribute to IPV victimization and revictimization.

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