Disability, psychosocial, and demographic characteristics of abused women with physical disabilities

Violence Against Women. 2006 Sep;12(9):838-50. doi: 10.1177/1077801206292671.

Abstract

In a sample of 415 predominantly minority women with physical disabilities recruited from private and public specialty outpatient clinics, we examined experiences of physical, sexual, and disability-related abuse within the past year and its associations with demographic, disability, and psychosocial characteristics. Logistic regression analyses identified 27% of the variance and indicated that women with disabilities who were younger, more educated, less mobile, more socially isolated, and who had higher levels of depression may have a higher likelihood of having experienced abuse in the past year. This model correctly identified 84% of the abused women with disabilities. Questions of directionality, the role of disability, and validity testing are discussed.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Age Distribution
  • Aged
  • Battered Women / psychology
  • Battered Women / statistics & numerical data*
  • Comorbidity
  • Confidence Intervals
  • Disabled Persons / psychology
  • Disabled Persons / statistics & numerical data*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Logistic Models
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Odds Ratio
  • Prevalence
  • Risk Factors
  • Sexual Partners
  • Spouse Abuse / psychology
  • Spouse Abuse / statistics & numerical data*
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Texas / epidemiology
  • Women's Health*