NCJ Number
226035
Journal
Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment and Trauma Volume: 18 Issue: 1 Dated: January-February 2009 Pages: 46-63
Date Published
January 2009
Length
18 pages
Annotation
This article attempts to clarify why examining client violence toward social workers in the domestic violence field is critically important, describes the current state of the research, and discusses recommendations for future research in this area.
Abstract
Since the beginning of the battered women’s movement nearly 30 years ago, domestic violence has been recognized as one of the most significant social problems in the United States and abroad. As the problem of domestic violence increases so has the need for domestic violence services increased with many social workers and social work students choosing to work in this area. However, domestic violence work can be both demanding and stressful. Many domestic violence workers are abused by their clients or their clients’ family members. In the social work profession, the term “client violence toward social workers” refers to a situation in which a social worker is verbally abused, threatened, or attacked physically by a client in the course of their work. In an attempt to clarify why examining client violence toward workers in the domestic violence field is critically important, this article begins by examining the extent to which previous studies of domestic violence have addressed the issue of client violence toward staff. It also provides an overview of the research literature on client violence in the United States to explore the extent to which client violence has been investigated in domestic violence practice settings. It discusses the reasons why studying the problem of client violence toward staff is important for the field of domestic violence. The article concludes with a discussion on the need for future research in this area, providing recommendations for future direction in such efforts. References