Intimate Partner Violence Abuse Research Articles

Measures for screening for intimate partner violence: a systematic review.

Objective Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a public health priority due to the physical and mental impacts it has on health. No existing reviews have focused on the psychometric properties of IPV screening tools used to screen men and women within a mental health context. This review aimed to identify the best psychometrically tested screening tools available to assess all areas of IPV in men and women in mental health setting. Method Databases psycArticles, PsycINFO, Social Science, CINAHL, PubMed and Cochrane were searched from their starting date through toJuly 2015. Eligible studies were published in peer-reviewed publications in English. Results Thirty-six studies met the inclusion criteria. Ten IPV screening tools were identified. Three tools assessed all areas of IPV and were validated against an appropriate reference standard. One study tested IPV screening tool in a mental health setting. Conclusion Mental health nurses need to incorporate a psychometrically tested IPV tool as part of risk assessment and safety planning for clients. This review identified three tools that are suitable for identifying IPV in a mental health context. However, further research is necessary to validate IPV screening tools that are culturally sensitive and have been validated with men and women.

When Is It Abuse? How Assailant Gender, Sexual Orientation, and Protection Orders Influence Perceptions of Intimate Partner Abuse

Incidents of intimate partner violence (IPV) are considered more serious when perpetrated by a male than when perpetrated by a female, and IPV among gay men and lesbians are perceived as less serious than IPV among heterosexual couples. This study examines how assailant and victim sexual orientation and protection orders (POs) influence individuals’ evaluations of abuse in a case of simple assault. Respondents (N = 640 college students) were provided with scenarios of IPV among opposite- and same-sex couples with or without a PO. IPV was more likely to be perceived as abuse when a PO was in effect but less likely to be considered abuse when the couple was gay/lesbian. The IPV incident was most likely to be considered abuse when perpetrated by a heterosexual male and least likely to be considered abuse when perpetrated by a gay male. Female respondents were more likely to consider IPV more abusive when perpetrated by heterosexuals with POs than gay/lesbians with or without a PO. Although male respondents rated IPV between opposite- and same-sex couples with a PO similarly, they were less likely to identify IPV abuse in same-sex conditions when no PO was issued. Current findings emphasize some of the disparities in perceptions of what constitutes abuse among same- and opposite-sex couples.

A descriptive study of substance abuse and mental health disorders in intimate partner violence abusers in prison

To obtain data on substance abuse and mental disorders amongst a population of inmates imprisoned for gender violence. 106 intimate partner violence offenders were recruited in our study, all of whom were prison inmates. The study is descriptive and statistical comparison of percentages was used. the percentage of substance abuse was 61.3%; most of which consisted of alcohol and cocaine. According to DSM-IV R, 25.5% of the inmates had at least one psychiatric diagnosis at the time when entering prison: 11.3% adjustment disorder with depressed mood, 6.6% personality disorders, 2.8% psychosis, 1.9% major depressive disorder, 1.9% bipolar disorder and 1.9% psycho-organic disorder were encountered. The average age of the men of the sample was forty years old. The most common nationality was Spanish. The percentage of immigrants was significant greater than the global percentage of the general population. The percentage of global substance consumption and psychopathologic problems is greater than data obtained in IPV from other populations, like samples of men charged by their partners with gender violence. depressive symptoms, personality disorders, alcohol and cocaine consumption need to be investigated as gender violence risk markers in Spain. Attention should be paid to the role of consumption prevention when entering prison.

Awareness and Beliefs Regarding Intimate Partner Violence Among First‐Year Dental Students

Intimate partner violence (IPV) may affect one to four million individuals per year in the United States, with women accounting for the majority of both reported and unreported cases. Dental professionals are in a unique position to identify many types of IPV because injuries to the head and neck may be indicators or predictors of IPV abuse. Fewer than half of dental programs surveyed have reported having IPV-specific curricula, and most dental students surveyed have reported having little experience or training to recognize IPV. Based on this information, this pilot study sought to assess the awareness and beliefs regarding IPV among first-year dental students at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Using a voluntary survey, followed by a one-hour educational seminar facilitated by an experienced IPV/domestic violence advocate, a post-seminar survey was administered to assess changes in student perceptions and beliefs and to determine the magnitude and direction of any changes. The survey had an 81.25 percent response rate (65/80). The results demonstrated that more than two-thirds of the students had no previous IPV-specific education. In addition, approximately half of these students began the educational session reporting they did not believe IPV was a health care issue, although the overwhelming majority had decided it was when surveyed after the seminar. Moreover, their perceptions and beliefs about the responsibilities of the dental professional, as well as knowledge about resources and available support services, were significantly changed. These results suggest that targeted, information-specific seminars may be sufficient to provide dental students with an understanding of the key issues regarding IPV. With this knowledge, they can better provide specific information about resources and referrals for services to their patients who have experienced IPV. Recommendations based on these findings are being used to develop and refine IPV-specific curricula at this institution, which may be of significant value to other dental schools with plans to develop and integrate this material into their programs.

Patterns of partners' abusive behaviors as reported by Latina and non‐Latina survivors

AbstractThis study builds on the existing knowledge of risk factors for lethal intimate partner violence (IPV) and typologies of IPV abusers by exploring patterns of abusive partners' behaviors among known risk factors for intimate partner femicide (i.e., murder of women) and determines if groups of survivors with similar patterns of abusive behaviors exist. The common patterns are then examined for differences among Latina and non‐Latina survivors. Face‐to‐face interviews were conducted with adult English‐ and Spanish‐speaking survivors of past‐year physical and/or sexual IPV using a validated risk assessment instrument, the Danger Assessment (DA) Questionnaire. Two‐hundred nine IPV survivors participated, 55% Latina. Unique patterns of abusive behaviors perpetrated by an intimate partner or ex‐partner across known risk factors for lethal violence were reported. The patterns clustered into five distinct groups: extreme abuser, physical and sexual violence/controlling abuser, forced sex/controlling abuser, threat/controlling abuser, and low‐level tactics abuser. Latina and non‐Latina survivors reported mean DA scores (13.0 vs. 18.5, respectively) that place them within the “increased danger” and “extreme danger” level, respectively, for lethal violence by an abusive partner. Although both groups were in extreme danger on average, the patterns of abusive behaviors differed. Latina women were more likely to characterize their partner as using forced sex to control the relationship, whereas non‐Latina women were more likely to characterize the use of all types of abusive behaviors (i.e., extreme abuser) or threats to kill them (i.e., threat/controlling abuser) to control the relationship. The findings of this study can be used to develop effective individualized safety plans that include culturally and linguistically competent strategies to reduce violence‐related morbidity and mortality. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The Role of Emotional Abuse in Intimate Partner Violence and Health Among Women in Yokohama, Japan

As part of the World Health Organization's cross-national research effort, we investigated the relationship between various health indicators and the experience of intimate partner violence (IPV), which included emotional, physical, and sexual abuse, among women in Yokohama, Japan. We used multivariate logistic and negative binomial regression to examine the relationship between health status and IPV in a stratified cluster sample of 1371 women aged 18 to 49 years. In 9 of 11 health indicators examined, the odds of experiencing health-related problems were significantly higher (P < .05) among those that reported emotional abuse plus physical or sexual violence than among those that reported no IPV, after we controlled for sociodemographic factors, childhood sexual abuse, and adulthood sexual violence perpetrated by someone other than an intimate partner. For most health indicators, there were no significant differences between those that reported emotional abuse only and those that reported emotional abuse plus physical or sexual violence. The similarity of outcomes among those that reported emotional abuse only and those that reported emotional abuse plus physical or sexual violence suggests the need for increased training of health care providers about the effects of emotional abuse.