Date of Award

2019

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Criminal Justice (MACJ)

Department

Criminal Justice, Criminology, & Forensics

First Advisor

Dr. Richard Adler

Second Advisor

Dr. Peter Collins

Third Advisor

Dr. Jaime Wilson

Abstract

Deaf individuals in the United States face an increased risk of criminal victimization than their hearing counterparts. In particular, Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing are at a significantly higher risk of becoming victims of domestic violence. Unfortunately, the few scholarly studies that exist reveal that survivors within the Deaf population experience significant barriers when attempting to seek mental health treatment. Likewise, there is a significant lack of literature on extant psychometric tools available to measure trauma and PTSD within the Deaf community. This study analyzes the psychometric properties of the PTSD Checklist-5 (PCL-5) and the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) in a sample of Deaf adult female survivors of domestic violence. Demographic and qualitative information, including barriers to help-seeking and relationship to the Deaf community, are also reported. Policy implications and future research implications are discussed.

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