Introduction
Karakurt, Smith, and Whiting (2014) studied the effects of intimate partner violence (IPV) on the mental health needs of women staying in a domestic violence shelter. The data was collected from self-reports of 35 such women. The women were classified into three groups according to their experiences. The prevalence of symptoms was explored across the groups (or, more precisely, the classification was created according to the prevalence of symptoms) (Karakurt et al., 2014).
Type of Article
Karakurt et al. (2014) employed both quantitative (hierarchical cluster analysis, and then one-way ANOVAs to better comprehend the difference between the clusters) and qualitative (content-analysis) scrutiny of the gathered data (p. 696). The statistics employed in the study are mainly descriptive, not inferential. Therefore, it might be possible to classify the gathered evidence as Level VI (evidence from a single descriptive or qualitative study).
Target Audience
The study was conducted in a Midwestern domestic violence shelter (Karakurt et al., 2014, p. 693), so it is USA-based. It might be hypothesized that the target audience of the article includes the mental health care professionals who address the needs of victims of domestic violence and the researchers of these needs; the audience is not limited to the USA.
Easiness of Understanding
To fully understand the article, it is necessary to have at least basic knowledge of statistics; otherwise, the methods used by Karakurt et al. (2014) may remain unclear. However, it is possible to comprehend the results of the article without such knowledge, for it is simple to understand that, by using some statistical procedures, the authors classified the sample into three main groups and found the prevalence of symptoms among the participants of these groups. Thus, at least the gist of the article is rather easy to grasp.
New Information Learned
Some new information was learned from the article by the author of this paper. First, the author had not previously known what the rates of substance and alcohol abuse among female victims of domestic violence are; it is indicated that the rates of drug and alcohol dependence may reach 55% and 60%, respectively (Karakurt et al., 2014, p. 694). Second, such high rates of suicidal intentions and attempted suicide among the sample of the study as 42% and 31%, respectively (Karakurt et al., 2014, p. 696), were also a surprise for the author of this paper. Finally, as the article reads, the most interesting finding of their research is perhaps the classification of IPV female victims into three subgroups: “women who are ready to change (mild mental health consequences), women focused on negative symptoms (moderate mental health consequences), and women-focused on feelings of guilt and self-blame (severe mental health consequences)” (Karakurt et al., 2014, p. 699). In addition, an essential, although not new to the author of this paper, the fact is that victims of IPV are not lifelong victims, and it is possible to return their lives to normal (Karakurt et al., 2014, p. 700).
Utilizing the Information in Clinical Practice
The findings of the research in question might be used in clinical practice. For instance, Karakurt et al. (2014) stress that female victims of IPV may be asked about their feelings and experiences related to the abusive practices of their partners to classify these victims into one of the three above-mentioned subgroups. Each of these groups may have different patterns of needs; for example, those who engage in self-blame will usually place the guilt on themselves, so it is important to prepare them for understanding that being a victim is not their fault. Therefore, such categorization may allow for the creation of more standardized procedures to better comprehend and address the needs of these patients (Karakurt et al., 2014, p. 700).
Recommending the Article to Other Students
It is possible to recommend this article to students, especially to those who are interested in the topic of home violence. Such students may find the mentioned classification useful in their future practice. In addition, the article provides a background of the problem, as well as some basic statistical data related to it, which may also prove useful for certain learners.
The article may also be recommended to any person who is not familiar with the topic to make them aware of the problem and be prepared to identify and address it should they encounter it in their lives.
Improving the Article
It might be difficult to recommend any substantial ways of improving the article. The text is well-structured, provides information in a clear and well-classified way, and contains tables, charts, and hierarchical clusters to present the results conveniently. The authors name several limitations, for instance, that the interviews were conducted by only one clinician, that the size of the sample is small, or that findings “cannot be generalized beyond shelter populations” (Karakurt et al., 2014, p. 700), but addressing these issues would require adopting a different methodology and conducting new research.
Does the Article Make Readers Wish to Investigate the Topic Further?
It may be possible to state that the article encourages the readers to investigate the topic further. For instance, it is highlighted that the findings are limited to shelter populations (Karakurt et al., 2014, p. 700); the readers may wish to learn what happens outside shelters to achieve a broader picture of the problem.
Conclusion
All in all, the article by Karakurt et al. (2014) provides a background on the topic of IPV against women and offers a classification that may prove valuable in clinical practice. The article may prove useful to any professional interested in the problem, but further investigation might be needed to more fully understand the issue.
Reference
Karakurt, G., Smith, D., & Whiting, J. (2014). Impact of intimate partner violence on women’s mental health. Journal of Family Violence, 29(7), 693-702. Web.