Domestic Violence in the Military: Women's Policy Preferences and Beliefs Concerning outine Screening and Mandatory Reporting

Abstract

This study describes active duty military (ADM) women's beliefs and preferences concerning domestic violence (DV) policy in the military. Telephone interviews were completed with 474 ADM women from all services, 119 of whom had experienced DV during their military service. A majority (57%) supported routine screening. Although 87% said the military's policy on mandatory reporting should remain the same, only 48% thought abuse should be reported to the commanding officer; abused women were significantly less likely than nonabused women to agree with this aspect of the policy. ADM women's beliefs were similar to those of women in a previously studied civilian sample, except that 73% of ADM compared to 43% of civilian women thought routine screening would increase women's risk of further abuse. ADM women recognized both advantages and disadvantages of current DV policies. More research is urgently needed about actual outcomes of screening and reporting policies.