Keywords

Program evaluation, intimate partner abuse, primary prevention

Abstract

While the old adage of “it takes a village…” is often stated in reference to raising children, this statement is also extremely applicable in combating social problems such as intimate partner abuse (IPA). All too often society members turn a “blind eye” to abuse occurring within our homes between intimate partners. Although recent research has shown improvement in attitudes condemning IPA, other research has identified that many individuals continue to perceive IPA as largely a private problem (Bethke & DeJoy, 1993; Straus, Kaufman Kantor, & Moore, 1997). This commonplace belief stands in stark contrast to the vast amount of research that shows IPA is anything but a private problem. In order to halt these occurrences, various intervention programs have been implemented (i.e. batterer intervention programs, mandatory arrest policies, etc.). However, less effort has gone into creating programs to prevent abuse in the first place (Harvey, Garcia-Moreno, & Butchart, 2007). In order to fulfill this need, Harbor House of Central Florida (Orlando, FL) created one notable primary prevention initiative referred to as Project Courage. Launched in 2010, Project Courage staff flooded an Orlando neighborhood (Pine Castle, FL) with IPA services. The following evaluation details Project Courage’s successes, challenges, and provides recommendations for the future. The data used in this evaluation were made available by Harbor House of Central Florida, and have been used with permission from the agency and from the University of Central Florida’s Institutional Review Board. Data from Project Courage were originally collected by the agency’s Prevention Department. First-year funding for the project was provided by the 100 Women Strong giving circle located in Orlando, Florida. The collector(s) of the original data, the funder(s), and their agents or employees bear no responsibility for the analyses or interpretations presented here

Notes

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Graduation Date

2013

Semester

Summer

Advisor

Jasinski, Jana

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

College

College of Sciences

Department

Sociology

Degree Program

Sociology

Format

application/pdf

Identifier

CFE0004898

URL

http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/CFE0004898

Language

English

Release Date

August 2013

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Access Status

Doctoral Dissertation (Open Access)

Subjects

Dissertations, Academic -- Sciences, Sciences -- Dissertations, Academic

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Included in

Sociology Commons

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