Maxine Davis

Dr. Maxine Davis is a second-generation activist who is passionate about discovering how to end violence perpetration in romantic and intimate relationships. She studies people who act abusively and interventions that are designed to help them change. As a scholar of intimate partner violence and abuse (IPV/A), she is particularly focused on interventions to assist Black and Latino men in ending abusive behaviors in their romantic relationships. Dr. Davis completed her PhD in social work from the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis in 2018. She describes her research as having a three-pronged approach to reducing IPV/A perpetration by (1) improving the measurement of IPV/A perpetration, (2) exploring innovative/culturally relevant interventions, and (3) identifying factors that lead to violence cessation. With specific attention on Black-American and Latinx (pronounced: La-teen-X) populations, her research is guided by former work in partner abuse intervention programs mostly attended by men who were arrested and convicted of domestic violence in Chicago. Her most recent work explores how to reach people who have acted abusively and help them change their behavior outside of the criminal justice/carceral system. As an investigator who also examines the intersection of religious-faith and IPV/A, a related track of her research examines how religion (within a Christian context) is misused to perpetrate IPV/A. Most of her research uses a community-engaged approach, centering the voices of historically excluded racial groups as equal partners. She has presented her research at several prestigious national conferences throughout the United States and has been invited to share her work internationally with local non-governmental organizations. Given the racial health disparities in IPV, she also provides expert commentary on racial justice issues for Black and Latino families in documentaries and other media outlets. Her independent and collaborative work on the experiences of racially minoritized populations has been published in several noteworthy academic journals, including the Journal of Black Sexuality & Relationships; Trauma, Violence, & Abuse; the American Journal of Men's Health; and Nature (Human Behavior). Her research has been funded by several research centers including a national organization in Washington, D.C. Most recently Dr. Davis was named as a recipient of the Louisville Institute 2021 Project Grant for Researchers. The driving force behind her passion is fueled by a spirit of hope that with proper support and resources, people who have acted abusively can become committed to peaceful living.

Peer-Reviewed Articles

1. Thompson, T., Davis, M., Perez, M., Jonson-Reid, M. Jeffe, D. (2021) "We're in this together": Perceived effects of breast cancer on African American survivors' marital relationships. Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research doi:  https://doi.org/10.1086/713478
2. Davis, M., ^Johnson, M. (2020) Exploring Black Clergy Perspectives on Religious/Spiritual related Domestic Violence: First Steps in Facing those who Wield the Sword Abusively. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment, & Trauma: Special Issue on African Americans and Domestic Violence https://doi.org/10.1080/10926771.2020.1738615
3. Davis, M. & Jonson-Reid, M. (2020) The Dual Use of Religious-Faith in Intimate Partner Abuse Perpetration: Perspectives of Latino Men in a Parish-based Intervention Program. Social Work & Christianity DOI: 10.34043/SWC.V47I3.109
4. Davis, M., Jonson-Reid, M., ^Dahm, C., *Fernandez, B., Stoops, C., Sabri, B. (2020). “The Men’s Group” at St. Pius V: A Case Study of a Parish-Based Voluntary Partner Abuse Intervention Program. American Journal of Men’s Health *Two versions: English and Spanish * https://doi.org/10.1177/1557988319891287
5. Davis, M., Padilla-Medina, D. (2019). Brief Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration Screening Tools: A Scoping Review. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 1-14 https://doi.org/10.1177/1524838019888545
6. Davis,M., *Fernandez, B., Jonson-Reid, M., Kyriakakis, S. (2019). Pathways to Seeking Help from a Partner Abuse Intervention Program: A Qualitative Study of Voluntary and Non-Court Mandated Latino Men’s Experiences. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 1-25. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260519884680
7. +Cheng, S., Davis, M., Jonson-Reid, M., Yaeger, L. (2019). Compared to what? A Meta-analysis of Batterer Intervention Studies using Non-Treated Controls or Comparisons. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse https://doi.org/10.1177/1524838019865927
8. Pettus-Davis, C., Veeh, C., Davis, M., Tripodi, S. (2017) Gender Differences in Experiences of Social Support Among Men and Women Releasing from Prison. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407517705492
9. Davis, M. (2015). Theorizing Religious Abuse in the Context of Intimate Partner Violence: The African-American Community, Journal of Black Sexuality & Relationships, 1(4), 45-61. https://doi.org/10.1353/bsr.2015.0009
10. Ravindranath, D., Davis, M., Prusaczyk, B., Sewell, W. (2014) Race in Contemporary America: Protest, Police and Media in Ferguson. Economic & Political Weekly Vol.49 Issue No 47 http://www.epw.in/commentary/race-contemporary- america.html

Book Chapters & Invited Publications

1. Taft, C.T., Davis, M. Cole, H.E., Franz, M.R., & `Johnson, G. (2021). Trauma-Informed and Oppression-Sensitive Intervention for those Who Engage in Intimate Partner Violence. In J. Devaney, C. Bradbury-Jones, S. Holt, & C. Øverlien (Eds.), The Routledge Handbook of Domestic Violence and Abuse. London, UK: Taylor & Francis.
2. Taft, C.T., Gilbar, O., Davis, M. (2020) Commentary on Augsburger and Maercker: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Aggression: What the Data Tells Us and Where We Go from Here. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice. 27, 1 https://doi.org/10.1111/cpsp.12327
3. Ravindranath, D., Davis, M., Prusaczyk, B., Sewell, W. (2014) The Ferguson Verdict: Tracing the Movement Against Racism. Economic & Political Weekly. Vol.49 Issue No 47. *Invited by the Editor*. http://www.epw.in/web-exclusives/ferguson- verdict.html

Articles Under Review

1. +Maldonado, A.I., Murphy, C.M, Davis, M., Evans, M.K., Zonderman, A.B. Racial/Ethnic Discrimination Increases Risk for Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration through Poor Mental Health in Black Adults. (Revise & Resubmit) Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 
2. Davis, M., Gilbar, O., Padilla-Medina, D. (Pre-print/Revise & Resubmit)  Intimate Partner Violence Victimization and Perpetration among U.S. Adults during COVID-19: A Brief Report. https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.06.08.20125914
3. Davis, M., Ombayo, B., Gilbar, O. (Revise & Resubmit) Examining the Effect of National Context: Do Country Conditions during Childhood Impact Perpetration of Dating Violence in Emerging Adulthood? Journal of Interpersonal Violence
4. Davis, M. Confidential Title: Auto-ethnography. Journal selection in progress
5. Gilbar, O., Padilla-Medina, D., Portnoy, G., Davis, M. The Indirect Effects of PTSD, Depression, and Anxiety Disorders on the Association between COVID-19 Cases/Symptoms and IPV Perpetration in the United States General Population Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology

Articles in Preparation

1. +Roy, S., Gilbar, O., Saha Roy, Davis, M., Nilizadeh, S. (Preparing for Submission) Gender Wars on Twitter: Quantitatively Tracing Blowback from the #MeToo Movement
2. +Cheng, S. Davis, M., Jonson-Reid, M., Edmond, T., Kearl, H. (Preparing for Resubmission) Patterns of Sexual Harassment and Assault and Survivors’ Reactions: Exploring sex differences using a national survey. Journal of Interpersonal Violence
3. Padilla-Medina, D., Davis, M., Gilbar, O. (Preparing for Submission) Race, Trauma, and Health Risks for Intimate Partner Violence Since the COVID-19 Outbreak: A Cross-Sectional Study
4. Davis, M., +Williams, J., ^Wilson, C. (In draft) How hip-ho pmusic sheds light on intimate partner violence perpetration: A Content Analysis of Song Lyrics
5. Davis, M., Gilbar, O., +Cheng, S. (In Draft) Couples Treatment for Intimate Partner Violence: A Systematic Review & Meta Analysis.