Abstract
This study examines the impact of two factors, intergenerational substance abuse & exposure to domestic violence, on the lifetime attempted suicide histories of adult, minority, battered women residing in a domestic violence shelter. A total of 122 women, mostly African American & Latina, were interviewed to obtain their retrospective reports of the frequency & use of substances & on the incidences of domestic violence among their immediate (first-degree) & extended (second-degree) family members. Results revealed that battered women with a history of suicide attempts (n = 45) were more likely to report substance abuse among both first-degree (specifically fathers) & second-degree relatives than were women without such suicide attempt histories (n = 77). Attempters were also more likely to report witnessing the physical abuse of their mothers. The multiple impacts of the extended family are discussed in light of these findings. 3 Tables, 36 References. [Copyright 2002 Sage Publications, Inc.]