NCJ Number
216555
Journal
Journal of Family Violence Volume: 21 Issue: 4 Dated: May 2006 Pages: 245-257
Date Published
May 2006
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This survey of a sample of medical social workers, family practitioners, and obstetrician-gynecologists in Florida focused on their practice in and barriers to screening women patients for domestic violence (DV).
Abstract
Of the 388 respondents who completed questionnaires, only 20.8 percent always or nearly always routinely screened for DV. Twenty-four percent reported that routine screening for DV was not part of their role. Forty percent of the respondents stated they had not received any instruction in DV in their professional education. Only 28.5 percent of respondents reported that their institution had screening guidelines for DV, and 14.4 percent indicated they were unsure about whether such guidelines existed. DV education was associated with fewer barriers to DV screening among respondents; and fewer barriers to DV screening was associated with more screening behavior; screening behavior was associated with the identification of more DV victims. Feeling confident about one's ability to screen for DV and manage services for DV victims was the strongest predictor of screening behavior. Other factors related to screening behavior were the fear of offending patients, concerns about safety measures, continuing education units in DV, and number of in-service hours. The author draws implications of the findings for medical practitioners' education in DV and the use of effective and efficient screening instruments. The instrument used in the survey was the Providers' Knowledge, Attitudes, and Beliefs About Domestic Violence Scale, which measures screening barriers and screening behavior regarding DV. It was the only multidimensional, psychometrically tested scale specific to health care providers. This instrument questioned respondents on their domestic violence education, screening barriers, and screening behavior. 6 tables and 68 references