NCJ Number
223523
Journal
Violence Against Women Volume: 14 Issue: 7 Dated: July 2008 Pages: 844-855
Date Published
July 2008
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This study examined whether health-care providers screened minority patients for domestic violence (DV) at a greater rate than nonminority patients, under the assumption that they were screening patients at highest risk for DV.
Abstract
The study found that there was little difference in health-care providers' screening of female patients for DV by race and income, after accounting for the clustering of patients within practices. Health-care providers working in practices that serve low-income or largely minority populations may be more aware of social issues such as DV and be more prepared to discuss them. They may also be more aware of the services available in the community. Future research should focus on identifying the factors that make practices serving low-income families and minorities more likely to screen for DV. Data were obtained from Project PAAVE (Providers Asking About Violence). This is a 3-year project intended to increase the rate of screening for DV by primary-care providers. The main study outcome was assessed by a telephone survey of a random sample of 100 female patients at each practice. Participants were asked if they favored their health-care providers screening for certain health risk behaviors, as well as whether they had been screened for DV in the past 12 months. Additional information was obtained on medical-use patterns (number of doctor visits); patient characteristics (age, marital status, race, income, children in the home, and insurance); and provider demographic characteristics (gender and specialty). 3 tables and 25 references