Abstract
This study applied Andersen’s model of health service use to help-seeking among collegiate dating violence (DV) victims, and examined factors for help-seeking. A total of 338 students from a Midwest public university were included in the sample. The study results showed many college students experience psychological, physical, sexual and technological violence; substance use is associated with DV; the type of violence experienced is associated with the type of help sources that victims will use; and victims seek help from informal sources more than formal sources. Implications for social work research, practice and policy are discussed.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alegria, M., Vila, D., Woo, M., Canino, G., Takeuchi, D., & Vera, M. (2004). Cultural relevance and equivalence in the NLAAS instrument: Integrating etic and emic in the development of cross-cultural measures for a psychiatric epidemiology and services study of Latinos. International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research, 13(4), 270–288.
Alegria, M., Lin, J., Chen, C., Duan, N., Cook, B., & Meng, X. (2012). The impact of insurance coverage in diminishing racial and ethnic disparities in behavioral health services. Health Services Research, 47(3), 1322–1344. doi:10.1111/j.1475-6773.2012.01403.x.
Alleyne, B., Coleman-Cowger, V. H., Crown, L., Gibbons, M. A., & Vines, L. N. (2011). The effects of dating violence, substance use and risky sexual behavior among a diverse sample of Illinois youth. Journal of Adolescence, 34, 11–18.
Amar, A. F., & Alexy, E. M. (2005). "Dissed" by dating violence. Perspectives in Psychiatric Care, 41(4), 162–171.
Amstadter, A. B., Zinzow, H. M., McCauley, J. L., Strachan, M., Ruggiero, K. J., Resnick, H. S., et al. (2010). Prevalence and correlates of service utilization and help seeking in a national college sample of female rape victims. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 24, 900–902. doi:10.1016/j.janxdis.2010.06.014.
Andersen, R. M. (1995). Revisiting the behavioral model and access to medical care: Does it matter? Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 36(1), 1–10.
Andersen, R. M. (2008). National health surveys and the behavioral model of health services use. Medical Care, 46(7), 647–653. doi:10.1097/MLR.0b013e31817a835d.
Anderson, K. M., & Danis, F. S. (2007). Collegiate sororities and dating violence: An exploratory study of informal and formal helping strategies. Violence Against Women, 13(1), 87–100.
Ansara, D. L., & Hindin, M. J. (2010). Formal and informal help-seeking associated with women’s and men’s experiences of intimate partner violence in Canada. Social Science & Medicine, 70(7), 1011–1018.
Archer, J. (2000). Sex differences in aggression between heterosexual partners: A meta-analytic review. Psychological Bulletin, 126, 651–680.
Ashley, O. S., & Foshee, V. A. (2005). Adolescent help-seeking for dating violence: Prevalence, sociodemographic correlates, and sources of help. Journal of Adolescent Health, 36, 25–31.
Balsam, K. F. (2001). Nowhere to hide: Lesbian battering, homophobia, and minority stress. Women & Therapy, 23, 25–37.
Bonomi, A. E., Holt, V. L., Martin, D. P., & Thompson, R. S. (2006). Severity of intimate partner violence and occurrence and frequency of police calls. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 21, 1354–1364.
Burgess, D. J., Ding, Y., Hargreaves, M., van Ryn, M., & Phelan, S. (2008). The association between perceived discrimination and underutilization of needed medical and mental health care in a multi-ethnic community sample. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 19(3), 894–911.
Callahan, M. R., Tolman, R. M., & Saunders, D. G. (2003). Adolescent dating violence victimization and psychological well-being. Journal of Adolescent Research, 18(6), 664–681.
Catalano, S. (2008). Intimate partner violence in the united states (Vol. Vol. 2008). Washington, DC: US Department of Justice.
Cho, H., & Kim, W. (2012). Racial differences in satisfaction with mental health services among victims of intimate partner violence. Community Mental Health Journal, 48(1), 84–90.
Cho, H., & Wilke, D. J. (2010). Gender differences in the nature of the intimate partner violence and effects of perpetrator arrest on revictimization. Journal of Family Violence, 25(4), 393–400.
Coker, A. L., Derrick, C., Lumpkin, J. L., Aldrich, T. E., & Oldendick, R. (2000a). Help-seeking for intimate partner violence and forced sex in South Carolina. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 19, 316–320.
Coker, A. L., McKeown, R. E., Sanderson, M., Davis, K. E., Valois, R. F., & Huebner, E. S. (2000b). Severe dating violence and quality of life among South Carolina high school students. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 19(4), 220–227.
Cornelius, T. L., Sullivan, K. T., Wyngarden, N., & Milliken, J. C. (2009). Participation in prevention programs for dating violence: Beliefs about relationship violence and intention to participate. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 24, 1057–1078.
Cover, A. R., Kaukinen, C., & Fox, K. A. (2008). The relationship between violence in the family of origin and dating violence among college students. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 23(12), 1667–1693.
Crowne, D. P., & Marlowe, D. (1960). A new scale of social desirability independent of psychopathology. Journal of Consulting Psychology, 24(4), 349–354.
D’Ovidio, R., & Doyle, J. (2003). A study on cyberstalking: Understanding investigative hurdles. FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, 72(3), 10–17.
Duterte, E. E., Bonomi, A. E., Kernic, M. A., Schiff, M. A., Thompson, R. S., & Rivara, F. P. (2008). Correlates of medical and legal help seeking among women reporting intimate partner violence. Journal of Women’s Health, 17(1), 85–95.
Few, A. L., & Rosen, K. H. (2005). Victims of chronic dating violence: How women’s vulnerabilities link to their decisions to stay. Family Relations, 54, 265–279.
Finn, J. (2004). A survey of online harassment at a university campus. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 19, 468–483.
Fisher, B. S., Cullen, F. T., & Turner, M. G. (2000). The sexual victimization of college women. Washington, DC: National Institute of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics.
Fox, J. C., Blank, M., Rovnyak, V. G., & Barnett, R. Y. (2001). Barriers to help-seeking for mental disorders in a rural impoverished population. Community Mental Health Journal, 37, 421–436.
Fremouw, W. J., Westrup, D., & Pennypacker, J. (1997). Stalking on campus: The prevalence and strategies for coping with stalking. Journal of Forensic Sciences, 42(4), 666–669.
Fugate, M., Landis, L., & Riordan, K. (2005). Barriers to domestic violence help seeking: Implications for intervention. Violence Against Women, 11(3), 290–310.
Garcia, C. M., Lechner, K. E., Frerich, E. A., Lust, K. A., & Eisenberg, M. E. (2012). Preventing sexual violence instead of just responding to it: Students’ perceptions of sexual violence resources on campus. Journal of Forensic Nursing, 8, 61–71. doi:10.1111/j.1939-3938.2011.01130.x.
Goodman, L. A., Dutton, M. A., Vankos, N., & Weinfurt, W. (2005). Women’s resources and use of strategies as risk and protective factors for re-abuse over time. Violence Against Women, 11(3), 311–336.
Gover, A. R., Kaukinen, C., & Fox, K. A. (2008). The relationship between violence in the family of origin and dating violence among college students. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 23(12), 1667–1693.
Halpern, T. C., Oslak, S. G., Young, M. L., Martin, S. L., & Kupper, L. L. (2001). Partner violence among adolescents in opposite-sex romantic relationships: Findings from the national longitudinal study of adolescent health. American Journal of Public Health, 91(10), 1679–1686.
Helfrich, C. A., & Simpson, E. K. (2006). Improving services for lesbian clients: What do domestic violence agencies need to do? Heath Care for Women International, 27, 344–361.
Hendy, H. M., Weiner, K., Bakerofskie, J., Eggen, D., Gustitus, C., & McLeod, K. C. (2003). Comparison of six models for violent romantic relationships in college men and women. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 18(6), 645–665.
Hines, D. A., & Straus, M. A. (2007). Binge drinking and violence against dating partners: The mediating effect of antisocial traits and behaviors in a multinational perspective. Aggressive Behavior, 33, 1–17.
Horwitz, S. H., Santiago, L., Pearson, J., & LaRussa-Trott, M. (2009). Relational tools for working with mild-to-moderate couple violence: Patterns of unresolved conflict and pathways to resolution. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 40(3), 249–256.
Hutchinson, K. M. (2012). Predictors of college students’ dating violence perceptions and help-seeking recommendations (Order No. 3510771). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses A&I; ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (1019243540).
Junco, R., Merson, D., & Salter, D. W. (2010). The effect of gender, ethnicity, and income on college students’ use of communication technologies. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 13(6), 619–627.
Katz, J., & Moore, J. (2013). Bystander education training for campus sexual assault prevention: An initial meta-analysis. Violence and Victims, 28(6), 1054–1067.
Katz, J., Kuffel, S. W., & Coblentz, A. (2002). Are there gender differences in sustaining dating violence? An examination of frequency, severity, and relationship satisfaction. Journal of Family Violence, 17(3), 247–271.
Kim, G., Aguado Loi, C. X., Chiriboga, D. A., Jang, Y., Parmelee, P., & Allen, R. S. (2011). Limited English proficiency as a barrier to mental health service use: A study of Latino and Asian immigrants with psychiatric disorders. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 45(1), 104–110. doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2010.04.031.
Krebs, C. P., Lindquist, C. H., Warner, T. D., Fisher, B. S., & Martin, S. L. (2007). The campus sexual assault (CSA) study (Document No. 221153). Retrieved from https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/221153.pdf.
Landerman, L. R., Burns, B. J., Swartz, M. S., Wagner, H. R., & George, L. K. (1994). The relationship between insurance coverage and psychiatric disorder in predicting use of mental health services. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 151(12), 1785–1790.
Lee, R. (1998). Romantic and electronic stalking in a college context. The College of William and Mary Journal of Women and the Law, 373–409.
Lempert, L. B. (1997). The other side of help: Negative effects in the help-seeking processes of abused women. Qualitative Sociology, 20(2), 289–309.
Leone, J. M., Johnson, M. P., & Cohan, C. L. (2007). Victim help seeking: Differences between intimate terrorism and situational couple violence. Family Relations, 56, 427–439.
Liang, B., Goodman, L., Tummala-Narra, P., & Weintraub, S. (2005). A theoretical framework for understanding help-seeking processes among survivors of intimate partner violence. American Journal of Community Psychology, 36(1/2), 71–84.
Lindquist, C. H., Barrick, K., Krebs, C., Crosby, C. M., Lockard, A. J., & Sanders-Phillips, K. (2013). The context and consequences of sexual assault among undergraduate women at historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 28, 2437–2461. doi:10.1177/0886260513479032.
Luthra, R., & Gidycz, C. A. (2006). Dating violence among college men and women: Evaluation of a theoretical model. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 21, 717–731.
Macy, R. J., Nurius, P. S., Kernic, M. A., & Holt, V. L. (2005). Battered women’s profiles associated with service help-seeking efforts: Illuminating opportunities for intervention. Social Work Research, 29, 137–150.
McCart, M. R., Smith, D. W., & Sawyer, G. K. (2010). Help seeking among victims of crime: A review of the empirical literature. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 23, 198–206. doi:10.1002/jts.20509.
McMahon, S. (2015). Call for research on bystander intervention to prevent sexual violence: The role of campus environment. American Journal of Community Psychology, 55, 472–489.
Miller, L. M. (1999). Self-identification of participation in abusive dating relationships, abusive behaviors reported, and self-esteem in college students. Doctoral dissertation. (Ph.D), University of Maryland, College Park, MD.
Miller, J., & White, N. A. (2003). Gender and adolescent relationship violence: A contextual examination. Criminology, 41(4), 1207–1248.
National Sexual Violence Resource Center. (2013). Engaging bystander to prevent sexual violence. Retrieved from http://www.nsvrc.org/sites/default/files/publications_nsvrc_overview_engaging-bystanders-prevent-sexual-violence.pdf.
Ocampo, B. W., Shelley, G. A., & Jaycox, L. H. (2007). Latino teens talk about help seeking and help giving in relation to dating violence. Violence Against Women, 13(2), 172–189.
Perry, A. R., & Fromuth, M. E. (2005). Courtship violence using couple data. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 20, 1078–1095.
Ristock, J. L. (2002). No more secrets: Violence in lesbian relationships. New York: Routledge.
Roberts, T. A., Klein, J. D., & Fisher, S. (2003). Longitudinal effect of intimate partner abuse on high-risk behavior among adolescent. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 157(9), 875–881.
Schumaker, J. A., & Slep, A. M. S. (2004). Attitudes toward dating aggression: A cognitive dissonance approach. Prevention Science, 5(4), 231–243.
Shepard, M. F., & Campbell, J. A. (1992). The abusive behavior inventory: A measure of psychological and physical abuse. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 7, 291–305.
Shook, N. J., Gerrity, D. A., Jurich, J., & Segrist, A. E. (2000). Courtship violence among college students: A comparison of verbally and physically abusive couples. Journal of Family Violence, 15, 1–22.
Silverman, J. G., Raj, A., Mucci, L. A., & Hathaway, J. E. (2001). Dating violence against girls and associated substance use, unhealthy weight control, sexual risk behavior, pregnancy, and suicidality. Journal of the American Medical Association, 286, 572–579.
Smith, P. H., White, J. W., & Holland, L. J. (2003). A longitudinal perspective on dating violence among adolescent and college-age women. American Journal of Public Health, 93(7), 1104–1109.
Southworth, C., Finn, J., Dawson, S., Fraser, C., & Tucker, S. (2007). Intimate partner violence, technology, and stalking. Violence Against Women, 13(8), 842–856.
Spencer, G. A., & Bryant, S. A. (2000). University student’s dating violence behaviors. Journal of the New York State Nurses Association, 31(2), 15–20.
Spencer, M. S., Chen, J., Gee, G. C., Fabian, C. G., & Takeuchi, D. T. (2010). Discrimination and mental health-related service use in a national study of Asian Americans. American Journal of Public Health, 100(12), 2410–2417.
St. Pierre, M., & Senn, C. Y. (2010). External barriers to help-seeking encountered by Canadian gay and lesbian victims of intimate partner abuse: An application of the barriers model. Violence and Victims, 25(4), 536–552.
Tamborra, T., & Narchet, F. (2011). University sexual misconduct policy: Prioritizing student-victim voices. Crime Prevention and Community Safety, 13(1), 16–33.
Tjaden, P., & Thoennes, N. (2000). Extent, nature, and consequences of intimate partner violence: Research report. Washington DC: National Institute of Justice and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Vogel, D. L., Wade, N. G., & Ascheman, P. L. (2009). Measuring perceptions of stigmatization by others for seeking psychological help: Reliability and validity of a new stigma scale with college students. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 56(2), 301–308.
Whitaker, D. J., Haileyesus, T., Swahn, M., & Saltzman, L. S. (2007). Differences in frequency of violence and reported injury between relationships with reciprocal and nonreciprocal intimate partner violence. American Journal of Public Health, 97(5), 941–947.
Yoshioka, M. R., Gilbert, L., El-Bassel, N., & Baig-Amin, M. (2003). Social support and disclosure of abuse: Comparing south Asian, African American, and Hispanic battered women. Journal of Family Violence, 18(3), 171–180.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Cho, H., Huang, L. Aspects of Help Seeking among Collegiate Victims of Dating Violence. J Fam Viol 32, 409–417 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-016-9813-3
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-016-9813-3