Katherine Maurer, LMSW, is a Ph.D. candidate at NYU’s Silver
School of Social Work. Kate’s research focuses on the
intergenerational transmission of family violence, particularly
the study of the physiological impact of persistent family
violence. She was a research fellow for three years with NYU’s
McSilver Institute for Poverty Policy and Research conducting
research on the social reproduction of structural disadvantage in
the context of economic and ethnic/racial segregation and the
application of social capital in social work policy and practice.
Kate has worked as a clinical social worker in supportive
housing, outpatient mental health, and as a trauma-oriented
psychotherapist.
After decades of reductions in official measures of family
violence, annual incidence rates have plateaued over the past ten
years. Poverty and the increased stress it causes can increase
the risk for family violence, which suggests that economic
downturns like the Great Recession may contribute to this
stagnation.[8] Income support in new and existing interventions
may help reduce family violence, especially among high-risk, poor
families.
