Evaluation of the Short-Time Empowerment Intervention Package of the Ministry of Health and Medical Education of Iran to Reduce Domestic Violence

Abstract

Background: Domestic violence is any act to gain authority and control over a spouse, intimate partner, girlfriend/boyfriend, or close family member. Domestic violence against women or intimate partner violence (IPV) is prevalent in many parts of the world, ranging from 15% to 75%, depending on the definition and perception of violence. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the short-time empowerment intervention package for women with domestic violence developed at the Ministry of Health and Medical Education in Tehran. Methods: The method of this study was a historical cohort. The researcher-made tool consisted of 30 questions based on the materials contained in the short-time empowerment intervention package. It was provided to 200 women referred to comprehensive healthcare centers who had previously been screened for domestic violence. Of these, 100 people in the experimental group received telephone intervention from a psychologist, and 100 people in the control group received telephone intervention without receiving the intervention. They were asked questions about the tool. Results: The results showed that there were no significant differences between the two groups of women with intervention and women without intervention in 5 areas of safety capabilities, recognizing high-risk situations, designing strategies to deal with high-risk situations, skills to deal with spouse anger, reduce anxiety and stress for themselves and their children (P > 0.05). Conclusions: The findings indicate that the short-time empowerment intervention package for women with domestic violence could not empower women to prevent the recurrence of violence and needs revision.