Physical and Sexual Trauma, Psychiatric Symptoms, and Sense of Community Among Women in Recovery

Abstract

Innovations are needed that extend the time of care for women and children in domestic violence shelters. This study looks at one potential model called Oxford House, a mutual-help residence that has been traditionally used for individuals recovering from substance abuse problems. This recovery home can be implemented at low cost, has no time-limited stay policies, and can provide economic independence for women and their children. To determine whether patterns of past trauma and psychiatric symptoms were comparable to those found in prior research and to examine whether female residents found Oxford House to be a therapeutic environment, adult trauma, psychiatric symptoms, and sense of community were examined. Findings indicated that adult physical trauma but not adult sexual trauma predicted lifetime depression, suicide attempts, and anxiety. These results were interpreted in relation to the learned helplessness hypothesis of why some individuals remain in abusive relationships. Participants in the study also reported high sense of community scores, and no significant differences on this measure were found between women who did and did not have a history of trauma. The potential for Oxford House as a form of aftercare to extend the length and quality of treatment for women leaving domestic violence shelters is discussed.

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