Research reports: Domestic violence in primary care.

Abstract

In no other area of our discipline is the impact of family relationships on physical health as direct and obvious as partner or domestic violence (DV). Domestic violence is a leading cause of injury and death in women. Victims of DV present to the medical setting either with acute injuries from physical abuse or chronic physical symptoms resulting from acute or chronic abuse. Yet only in the last decade has the extent of the problem been recognized. The last three Surgeon Generals have identified DV as a national public health problem. There are few well-controlled studies, especially in primary care, that have examined this problem. The studies reviewed here examine the prevalence of DV in primary care, methods for screening and identifying DV, and the dynamics of couples involved in DV. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)