IPV and Black Women

RESEARCH

Black women are affected by intimate partner violence at unacceptable levels across our society. Experiencing violence can lead to poorer mental and physical health, limiting women’s ability to have prosperous lives. Our work in the Threads Research Lab is focused on the lives of Black women and other people experiencing chronic marginalization because inequities affect everyone’s health and there are numerous ways we can tap into the existing strengths of Black women’s connections to their communities, families, and partners, as well as other Black women.

Black women’s experiences of IPV are unique and their effects reverberate across our society.

Select Projects

​​Pilot trial of an intervention to increase HIV engagement and reduce Intimate Partner Violence among Black women living with HIV, (R34MH124586-01A1), National Institutes of Mental Health
In this 3 year project (2021-2024), we are developing an intervention to increase women survivors’ engagement in HIV care and strategies they use to stay safe in their relationships.

Place-based Determinants of Violence Experiences among Black Queer Young Women in Baltimore, (GBMF9048), Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
In this 3 year project (2020-2023), we are using human-centered design to examine how young survivors maintain safety throughout the daily routines of their day. We are also examining how feelings of safety are affected by the people in their networks.

TANGLED Research Study for Young Women (K12HD085845), Building Interdisciplinary Research on Women's Health, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute on Child Health and Human Development
In this 2 year project (2018-2020), we examined the social network characteristics of 150 Black young women ages 16-24 years old to understand the ways people provide emotional and resource support, as well as role model health behaviors.

Abuse Status and Health Consequences for African-American and African-Caribbean Women, 5P20MD002286-04, Alexander (Co-I), National Institutes of Minority Health and Health Disparities
In this project, in partnership with the Caribbean Exploratory Research Consortium, housed at the University of the Virgin Islands, we explored the prevalence and characteristics of IPV across the territory’s 3 islands.

Integrated Risk Reduction Intervention for Abused African-Caribbean Women, University of the Virgin Islands, (P208354718), Alexander (Co-I), National Institutes of Minority Health and Health Disparities
In this project, also in partnership with the Caribbean Exploratory Research Consortium, we developed an intervention to prevent HIV and sexually transmitted infections and promote safety strategies among women survivors in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Select Publications

Spearman, K.J., Marineau, L., Owolabi, A., Alexander, K.A., Campbell, J. (2023) Firearms and post-separation abuse: Providing context behind the data on firearms and intimate partner violence. Journal of Advanced Nursing.

Sherman, A. D. F., Allgood, S., Alexander, K. A., Klepper, M., Balthazar, M., Hill, M., Cannon, C., Poteat, T. C., & Campbell, J. C. (2022). Transgender and gender diverse community connection, help-seeking, and mental health among Black transgender women who have survived violence: A mixed-methods analysis. Violence Against Women. 28(3-4), 890-921.

St. Vil, N.M., Sabri, B., Nwokolo, V., Alexander, K.A., Campbell, J.C. (2017). A qualitative study of survival strategies used by Black women who experienced IPV. Social Work., 62(1), 63-71, doi: 10.1093/sw/sww080.

Alexander, K.A. (2016) Emotions and sexual safety decision making among Black young women. Journal of Black Sexuality and Relationships, 2(4), 33-55, doi: 10.1353/bsr.2016.0014.

Alexander, K.A., Volpe, E.M., Abboud, S., Campbell, J.C. (2016). Reproductive coercion, sexual risk behaviors, and mental health symptoms among young low-income behaviorally bisexual women: Implications for nursing practice. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 25(23-24), 3533-3544, doi: 10.1111/jocn.13238.

Zemlak, J.L., Marineau, L., Willie, T.C., Addison, H., Edwards, G., Kershaw, T., Alexander, K.A. (in press) Contraceptive use among women experiencing intimate partner violence and reproductive coercion: The moderating role of PTSD and Depression. Violence Against Women.

Sabri, B., Holliday, C., Alexander, K. A., Huerta, J., Cimino, A., Callwood, G., & Campbell, J. C. (2016). Cumulative violence exposures: Black women’s responses and sources of strength. Social Work in Public Health, 31(3), 127-139. doi: 10.1080/19371918.2015.1087917.

Brawner, B. M., Alexander, K. A., Fannin, E. F., Baker, J. L., & Davis, Z. M. (2015). The role of sexual health professionals in developing a shared concept of risky sexual behavior as it relates to HIV transmission. Public Health Nursing, 33(2), 139-150. doi: 10.1111/phn.12216.

Sabri, B., Huerta, J., Alexander, K. A., St. Vil, N. M., Callwood, G., & Campbell, J. C. (2015). Multiple intimate partner violence experiences: Knowledge, access, utilization and barriers to utilization of resources by women of the African diaspora. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 26(4), 1286-1303.doi: 10.1353/hpu.2015.0135.

Collaborations

  • We partner with Black women-led organizations such as

    • STAR

    • Ballet After Dark

  • We consider intersectionality frameworks a core foundation for how we develop, implement, and talk about our research. We are trying to dismantle systems of power within the research process as well as examine the systems that most affect the lives of Black women survivors.

  • In line with promoting racial and gender justice, we believe all people deserve opportunities to create health however it fits within their lives.