Nurse Faculty Scholars - Intimate Partner Violence

Friends Helping Friends: A Community Based program on Dating Violence

kdeming — Mon, 10 Oct 2016 18:13:38 +0000

Published Date:

Sat, 2015-01-10 (All day)

Dating violence is a significant problem for older adolescents with implications for the survivor's health. Survivors disclose the violence to friends who are often ill equipped to help them manage the consequences. The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the effectiveness and feasibility of Friends Helping Friends, a community-level education program to teach older adolescents to recognize and intervene in dating violence. A convenience sample of 101 students aged 18 to 22 years were nonrandomly allocated to a treatment or control group and completed pre- and post-test measures. Compared with the control group, treatment group participants reported increased perceived responsibility to help, skills to act as a bystander, and intention to help and decreased rape myth acceptance. Friends Helping Friends shows promise as an effective strategy for older adolescent females in the prevention and response to dating violence.

Intimate Partner Violence Among Hispanics: A Review of the Literature

kdeming — Mon, 06 May 2013 20:04:16 +0000

Published Date:

Mon, 2013-05-06 (All day)

This paper analyzed the existing literature on risk and protective factors for intimate partner violence among Hispanics using the four-level social-ecological model of prevention.

This paper analyzed the existing literature on risk and protective factors for intimate partner violence among Hispanics using the four-level social-ecological model of prevention. Three popular search engines, PsycINFO, PubMed, and Google Scholar, were reviewed for original research articles published since the year 2000 that specifically examined factors associated with intimate partner violence (IPV) among Hispanics. Factors related to perpetration and victimization for both males and females were reviewed.

Prevalence of intimate partner abuse in women treated at community hospital emergency departments.

nfs — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 13:36:40 +0000

Published Date:

Sat, 1998-08-01 (All day)

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of intimate partner abuse among female patients presenting for treatment in community hospital EDs and describe their characteristics.

DESIGN: An anonymous survey conducted from 1995 through 1997 inquiring about physical, sexual, and emotional abuse.

SETTING: Eleven community EDs in Pennsylvania and California.

PARTICIPANTS: All women aged 18 years or older who came to the ED during selected shifts.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Reported acute trauma from abuse, past-year physical or sexual abuse, and lifetime physical or emotional abuse.

RESULTS: Surveys were completed by 3455 (74%) of 4641 women seen. The prevalence of reported abuse by an intimate partner was 2.2% (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.7%-2.7%) for acute trauma from abuse, 14.4% (95% CI, 13.2%-15.6%) for past-year physical or sexual abuse, and 36.9% (95% CI, 35.3%-38.6%) for lifetime emotional or physical abuse. California had significantly higher reported rates of past-year physical or sexual abuse (17% vs 12%, P<.001) and lifetime abuse (44% vs 31%, P<.001) than Pennsylvania. Logistic regression modeling identified 4 risk factors for reported physical, sexual, or acute trauma from abuse within the past year: age, 18 to 39 years (odds ratio [OR], 2.2; 95% CI, 1.7-3.0); monthly income less than $1000 (OR, 1.7; 95% CI, 1.3-2.1); children younger than 18 years living in the home (OR, 2.0; 95% CI, 1.5-2.6); and ending a relationship within the past year (OR, 7.0; 95% CI, 5.5-8.9).

CONCLUSION: If the prevalence of abuse in community hospitals throughout the United States is similar to the range of prevalence estimates found in this study, then heightened awareness of intimate partner abuse is warranted for patients presenting to the ED

CONTEXT: The majority of prior studies examining intimate partner abuse in the emergency department (ED) setting have been conducted in large, urban tertiary care settings and may not reflect the experiences of women seen at community hospital EDs, which treat the majority of ED patients in the United States.
OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of intimate partner abuse among female patients presenting for treatment in community hospital EDs and describe their characteristics.

Breast Cancer in the Context of Intimate Partner Violence: A Qualitative Study

nfs — Wed, 19 May 2010 14:16:31 +0000

Published Date:

Wed, 2010-05-19 (All day)

Purpose/Objectives: To describe the experiences of women who were diagnosed with breast cancer while also encountering intimate partner violence (IPV). IPV was determined by scores on the Women's Experience With Battering Scale and the Abuse Assessment Screen.

Research Approach: Qualitative interviews were conducted with a convenience sample of seven women. Data were analyzed with a hermeneutic phenomenologic approach.

Setting: Community settings in central Virginia and Maryland.

Participants: 7 participants ranging in age from 37-63 years (X = 50 years); age at diagnosis ranged from 36-58 years (X = 46 years). All were in relationships with men, and relationship length ranged from 2-29 years (X = 12 years).

Methodologic Approach: Each participant had one semistructured qualitative interview.

Main Research Variables: Experiences of women simultaneously experiencing breast cancer and IPV.

Findings: A number of themes emerged, including: (a) reassessing life, (b) believing that stress from the relationship caused the cancer, (c) valuing support from others, and (d) the significance of the breast.

Conclusions: For all of the participants, the breast cancer diagnosis changed their intimate relationships in some way. The cancer was an opportunity for the women to engage in life review, focus inward, and, in some cases, change the relationship status.

Interpretation: Increased awareness and screening for IPV are needed in oncology clinical settings. Women with cancer are members of a vulnerable population and use the diagnosis to reassess their intimate relationships.

Applying the theory of planned behavior to reporting of forced sex by African-American college women

nfs — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 18:36:20 +0000

Published Date:

Fri, 2009-12-11 (All day)

Forced sex is a public health issue affecting many college women. Despite physical and mental health consequences, and multiple prevention programs on college campuses, most sexual violence goes unreported (Fisher, Daigle, Cullen, & Turner, 2003). The purpose of this research was to determine the significant attitudes and beliefs that are associated with reporting of forced sexual experiences. Guided by the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), the study used a predictive exploratory design to explore the association of intention to report forced sex with attitudes and beliefs (Ajzen, 1991). A convenience sample of 144 African-American women who were attending a private college in the south completed a survey. Women who expressed more favorable attitudes towards reporting, perceived reporting as being supported by important referents, and perceived more control over reporting, reported stronger intentions to report forced sex. The analysis supported the utility of TPB in predicting the intention to report forced sex by African-American college women. Theoretically significant and clinically relevant prevention strategies should incorporate important referents, address salient beliefs, and determine ways to increase perceived behavioral control.

Non-fatal Strangulation is an Important Risk Factor for Homicide of Women

nfs — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 16:41:18 +0000

Published Date:

Tue, 2008-09-30 (All day)

The purpose of this study was to examine non-fatal strangulation by an intimate partner as a risk factor for major assault, or attempted or completed homicide of women. A case control design was used to describe non-fatal strangulation among complete homicides and attempted homicides (n = 506) and abused controls (n = 427). Interviews of proxy respondents and survivors of attempted homicides were compared with data from abused controls. Data were derived using the Danger Assessment. Non-fatal strangulation was reported in 10% of abused controls, 45% of attempted homicides, and 43% of homicides. Prior non-fatal strangulation was associated with greater than six-fold odds (odds ratio [OR] 6.70, 95% confidence interval [CI] 3.91–11.49) of becoming an attempted homicide, and over seven-fold odds (OR 7.48, 95% CI 4.53–12.35) of becoming a completed homicide. These results show non-fatal strangulation as an important risk factor for homicide of women, underscoring the need to screen for non-fatal strangulation when assessing abused women in emergency department settings.