CRVAW Mini Grant Program

The Advancing Research Regarding Violence Against Women mini grant program was created to stimulate innovative research with the potential to improve the lives of those affected by violence against women, or to prevent such violence. The CRVAW Executive Committee has designated funding provided from the Office of the President to seed research for other UK faculty who are working in the field of violence against women.

The call for proposals was issued from May 7th until September 1, 2020. The selected 18-month projects run from October 15, 2020 until April 15, 2022. Final reports from the project PI's are due on July 15, 2022. 

2020 Program Funding Recipients:

During the 2020 funding cycle two proposals were selected for funding because they demonstrated strong methodology, existing expertise and potential to grow into larger research projects potentially fundable at the federal level. These programs were profiled in UKnow and their abstracts are available here:

Abuse-related Workplace Disruptions among Healthcare Professionals: The Effect of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) on Mental Health Outcomes and Employment Instability

Award $10,000

Principal Investigator: Kathryn Showalter, MSW, PhD

Assistant Professor, College of Social Work

Abstract

Women who experience IPV often suffer from unemployment and poor workplace performance due to abuser-initiated workplace disruptions. These adverse work consequences are likely heightened for healthcare professionals whose jobs demand full attention, especially during the current global pandemic. However, there is reason to believe that supportive workplace environments can keep women working. Thus, the proposed project will contribute to filling knowledge gaps by surveying survivors (N=300) employed in healthcare settings on their experiences. Participants will be recruited from large healthcare providers in Northeastern Kentucky and surveyed online to best protect physical health. Using a series of linear and logistic regressions, the proposed study will explore the effect of workplace disruptions on both mental health problems and employment outcomes. Findings from the analysis will be immediately disseminated to participating healthcare partners to encourage safe working environments.

Firearm Regulations and Gun Violence against Women in the U.S.

Award: $10,000

Principal Investigator: Janet P. Stamatel, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Department of Sociology

Abstract

This secondary analysis of public data examines the use of firearms in the perpetration of violence against women across four different crime types to provide a comprehensive picture of the conditions under which firearm VAW occurs. It combines National Incident-Based Reporting data from 2016 with information from the State Firearm Law Database and the American Community Survey to conduct individual-level, county-level, and multi-level analyses of risk factors, social conditions, and gun regulations on various forms of firearm VAW. Grounded in a well-tested theory of macro-level contexts of violence, and employing underutilized datasets, this study will produce high-impact, policy-relevant results regarding gun violence in the United States. It addresses several limitations in the existing literature by expanding the types firearm violence analyzed, considering sex-specific contexts of violence, theorizing and testing multiple levels of analysis, and elaborating on the social conditions under which gun laws might best protect women from firearm violence. It introduces an innovative approach to studying a socially relevant topic. The dissemination of results in academic and non-traditional outlets will lead the conversation about firearm violence against women in new directions.