Intimate partner violence (IPV) impacts millions of adults and children every year and can result in homicide, legal proceedings, the involvement of child welfare, and the need for emergency shelter for survivors and their families. Survivors of IPV may develop psychological and somatic symptoms to the trauma, including anxiety, depression, and other mental health related disorders in addition to facing numerous safety, financial, and social challenges. To reestablish stability, effective short-term interventions are needed in order to address these issues survivors face. This systematic review and meta-analysis summarizes the extant literature on short-term interventions for survivors of IPV. Twenty-one studies are included in the analysis and overall effect sizes calculations and moderator analysis were conducted. On average, effects sizes were large (g = 1.02) suggesting that most sort-term interventions are effective, however CBT-based interventions that were tailored to IPV survivors achieved the largest effect sizes. Results of this study are presented in a question and answer format with the intent to guide practitioners, researchers and policy makers. IPV survivors access services in a variety of shelter and outpatient settings and present diverse needs. Although this study contributes a systematic review of the existing literature on IPV, there are relatively few rigorous outcome studies and even fewer that reflect the diversity in this population and the complexity of responding to IPV in real-world settings.

Case processing times throughout the United States exceed national standards created by multiple agencies. To combat this, multiple expedited case processing courts have been developed across the nation; however, research regarding these courts has failed to consider recidivism outcomes among participants. We examined the outcomes of a specialized court in the Salt Lake City Third District Court called the Early Case Resolution (ECR) Court, a program aimed at reducing both case processing times and recidivism. Using a propensity score-matched sample, we utilized survival analysis to look at participants’ time to recidivism. While case processing times were lower for the ECR Court participants than non-ECR participants, recidivism among ECR Court participants was significantly higher. Results from this study show that using recidivism as an outcome measure for expedited case processing courts is necessary in evaluations of these programs.

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Letter from the Editors

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