Included here are links to some recent (and not so recent) articles, presentations, and trainings.

• Peters, J., Nason, C., & Turner W. M. (2007).  Development and testing of a new version of the Hypermasculinity Index.  Social Work Research, 31(3), 171-182. (Adobe Acrobat .pdf version, 213K)

  This research compares the psychometric properties of the original (forced-choice format of the Hypermasculinity Index to a revision we made using the new phrase completion format. The phrase completion format performed better in every possible way and appears to be a valuable alternative to forced-choice and perhpas even Likert-type scales.
  

• Peters, J (2007, April 11). Treating childhood abuse survivors: Who is the author and who is the authority? [Review of the book Treating Survivors of Childhood Abuse: Psychotherapy for the Interrupted Life]. PsycCRITIQUES-Contemporary Psychology: APA Review of Books, 52 (15), Article 4.  (Adobe Acrobat .pdf version)

An invited review of a new, manualized, 16 session approach to treatment of childhood sexual abuse survivors. Given my background and training I was initially skeptical of Cloitre, Cohen, and Koenen's approach but the more I read and the more I thought about my clients, the more I became convinced of the value of this book and the approach they advocate. Let me know what you think.

• Peters, J. (in press). Measuring myths about domestic violence: Development and initial validation of the Domestic Violence Myth Acceptance Scale. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment, & Trauma. (Adobe Acrobat.pdf version, of in press version).

  Presents the development and validation of a new measure of domestic violence myths. This research indicates that women tend to use myths to avoid the threat of dometic violence, while males tend to endorese myths to avoid blame. For society as a whole domestic violence myths reduce social support for victims and victim advocacy programs by implying that the victim is not truly a victim because she unconsciously wanted the abuse and caused it to happen.

• Peters, J. (2005). True ambivalence: Child welfare workers' thoughts, feeling, and beliefs about kinship foster care. Children and Youth Services Review, 27(6), 595-614. doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2004.11.012 (Adobe Acrobat.pdf version 168k)

This analysis of qualitative data gathered during trainings on kinship care with child welfare workers reveals that workers are passionately committed to kinship foster care but equally passionately aware of the greater complexity and difficulty which often attends kinship foste care. Workers were also articulated a number of ways in which the "ad hoc" policy which has developed nationally and locally around kinship care makes their work more diffuclt.

• Peters, J. (2003). The domestic violence myth acceptance scale: Development and psychometric testing of a new instrument. Dissertation DAI-A 64/04, p. 1409. (Executive Summary MS Word) (Executive Summary Adobe Acrobat, pdf) (Link to dissertation itself at UMaine Library)

Developed an instrument to measure Domestic Violence myths based on a feminist orientation to domestic violence. The instrument had good reliability and good preliminary indications of numerous types of validity. It can be freely used in research, program evaluation, or assessment.

• Peters, J., & Kaye, L. W. (2003). Childhood sexual abuse: A review of its impact on older women entering institutional settings. Clinical Gerontologist, 26(3/4), 29-53. (Abstract, MS Word) (Abstract, Adobe Acrobat) (Complete Article, Adobe Acrobat).

Explores the ways in organizational practices of agencies may trigger thoughts, feelings, memories, or symptoms related to childhood sexual abuse among elderly women entering institutional care.

• Peters, J., Shackelford, T. K. & Buss, D. M. (2001). Understanding domestic violence against women: Using Evolutionary psychology to extend the feminist functional analysis. Violence and Victims, 17(2), 255-264. (Abstract, MS Word) (Abstract, Adobe Acrobat, pdf)

Using a large dataset of arrests, confirmed the hypothesis that risk of domestic violence is related to reproductive status. Findings indicate that domestic violence may be particularly related to control over women's reproductive choices/sexuality.

• Shackelford, T. K., Buss, D. M., & Peters, J. (2000). Reproductive age women are over-represented among victims of wife-killing. In P. H. Blackman, V.L. Leggett, B.L. Olson, & J. P. Jarvis (Eds.), The varieties of homicide and its research (pp. 73-84). Washington, DC: Federal Bureau of Investigation. (Click here to download an Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) copy of the entire monograph (632 K).

Tests an evolutionary psychological explanation of the elevated risk of uxoricide of younger, compared to older women, even when controlling for the age of the perpetrator.

• Goodman, L. & Peters, J. (1995). Persecutory alters and ego states: Protectors, friends and allies. Dissociation, 8, 91-99. (Adobe Acrobat.pdf ).

Traditionally persecutory alters in individuals with multiple personality disorder had been viewed as internalizations of the abuser. In this article we argue that desipte their use of scary, often abusive tactics, these alters serve important and entirely positive functions usually as protectors.

• Short-term treatment of a depressed dissociating client: A response. The Jewish Social Work Forum, 32, 69-78.(Web page only).

Examines the ways in which therapists selectively ignore information which would put them in ethical and moral dilemmas, especially dilemmas which are imposed by managed care.  Short term treatment of a survivor of chronic trauma is also shown to cost more than seven years of weekly individual therapy. 

• Child Sexual Abuse and HIV: Circular Linkages (web page only)

Examines numerous circular linkages between childhood sexual abuse of girls and their later risk for HIV infection, linkages which expand like Yeat's "widening gyre."

• Going crazy: Evidence of ego fragmentation on the Internet (web page only)

Analyzed letters sent to various Internet newsgroups to confirm the hypothesis that people with dissociative disorders experience (and refer to) themselves as "crazy" far more often than do other people. 

• Putting it all together: Understanding the inevitability of conflict between intervenors in child abuse and partner violence. Respondent, 4th Annual Child Welfare Conference, Bangor, Maine. (MS Word) (Web Page)

  Paper presented in which I look at the ways in which agencies enact major themes in the lives of survivors such as basic mistrust, the necessity of being heard, and the conviction that no one will hear.  Understanding enactments by agencies and staff will help reduce conflict between agencies serving trauma survivors.