LAUSR

University ofDenver Correspondence DepartmentofPsychology,University ofDenver, 2155SouthRaceStreet,Denver,CO80208 Email:[email protected] Wethank the studypartners, including the DenverDistrictAttorney’sOffice,City Attorney’sOffice,DenverPoliceDepartment VictimAssistanceUnite,DenverDomesticViolenceCoordinatingCouncil, SafeHouseDenver, Project Safeguard,AMEND, and theTriageSteeringCommittee. Thankyou to theTraumatic Stress StudiesGroup. Finally, thankyou to thewomen who trusteduswith their stories. This projectwas fundedbyAwardNo. 2007-WGBX-0002awardedby theNational Instituteof JusticeOfficeof JusticePrograms,U.S.Departmentof Justice. Theopinions, findings, and conclusionsor recommendations expressed in this report are thoseof theauthors anddonotnecessarily reflect thoseof theDepartmentof Justice or theNational Instituteof Justice. Abstract Following intimate partner violence (IPV), women risk losing resources needed to meet their basic needs, such as food and housing. To identify potential points of community intervention, the current study examined the role of executive function (EF) in women’s efficacy to obtain resources following a police-reported physical IPV incident. Participants were 199 women from diverse, urban, and largely lower-income backgrounds. As predicted, greater physical abuse was associated with worse EF performance and worse EF was associated with less efficacy in obtaining resources 1 year later. Greater physical abuse was indirectly related to less efficacy in obtaining resources via EF, evenwhencontrolling for income.Results provide information regarding EF as a potential link in the relationship between IPV and obtaining resources among women of lowerincome backgrounds. In the context of limited resources, preparing community service professionals to useEF-focused interventions (e.g., to structure tasks, repeat instructions) may support women’s efforts to access resources.