Partner violence, social support, and distress among inner-city African American women

This study examined the role of social support in the partner violence-psyc hological distress relation in a sample of African American women seeking m edical care at a large, urban hospital (n = 138). Results from bivariate co rrelational analyses revealed that partner violence was related to lower pe rceived social support and greater psychological distress, and lower social support was related to more distress. Furthermore, findings based on path analysis indicated that low levels of social support helped account for bat tered women's increased distress. Findings point to the need for service pr oviders to screen for partner violence in nontraditional sites, such as hos pital emergency rooms, and to address the role of social support resources in preventive interventions with African American battered women.