In the inner cities, many women of lower socioeconomic status, primarily minority women, are the victims of domestic violence and crime, and/or are the perpetrators of violence upon their own children. Depression, cocaine abuse and their comorbidity are diagnostic factors highly associated with involvements in both domains of interpersonal violence.In order to develop prevention strategies and target treatment approaches for women at highest risk for violence, empirical investigations must clarify the relationships between the diagnoses of depression and cocaine abuse, and the other critical factors associated with violent behaviors. Such associated factors include childhood histories of physical and sexual abuse, and current psychosocial functioning (e.g., individual coping strategies, gender-role identity, family communication, and social support). The proposed study will compare and contrast four groups of low income, inner- city women: dually diagnosed depressed cocaine abusers, cocaine- abusing women with no history of depression, depressed women with no history of any substance abuse, and women with no history of either depressive or substance abuse disorders. Two main research strategies will be applied to all subject groups; first, a retrospective, multidimensional descriptive approach, and then a prospective, intensive and longitudinal approach.
| Hien, Denise A; Miele, Gloria M (2003) Emotion-focused coping as a mediator of maternal cocaine abuse and antisocial behavior. Psychol Addict Behav 17:49-55 |
| Feerick, Margaret M; Haugaard, Jeffrey J; Hien, Denise A (2002) Child maltreatment and adulthood violence: the contribution of attachment and drug abuse. Child Maltreat 7:226-40 |
| Hien, D; Bukszpan, C (1999) Interpersonal violence in a ""normal"" low-income control group. Women Health 29:1-16 |
