The Impact of Resource Development on Interpersonal Violence: Survivor Risk Factors and Experiences

The Impact of Resource Development on Interpersonal Violence: Survivor Risk Factors and Experiences

Research shows that the industrial development and rapid population increases occurring in resource-based boomtown communities sometimes lead to an increase in crimes, including interpersonal violence (IPV). Interview data from ten survivors of IPV were analyzed in order to identify how life in an oil boom community exacerbated their risks of victimization. This study found that the context of the oil boom created conditions that heightened their risks and feelings of fear. It also revealed that survivor vulnerability increased as a result of the failed promise of financial security, stresses associated with work in the oil patch and a culture of drug use and abuse, social isolation, and limited mental health and social support services, as well as larger community-level changes leading to an overwhelmed criminal justice system. The implications of these findings for future research as well as policy and practice will be described.

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Jayasundara, D. S., Legerski, E. M., Danis, F. S., & Ruddell, R. (2019). The Impact of Resource Development on Interpersonal Violence: Survivor Risk Factors and Experiences. Social Development Issues, 41(1), 24–48.