A Positive Domestic Violence Screen Predicts Future Domestic Violence

Abstract

The objective of this study was to determine if a brief screen for domestic violence (DV) predicts future violence. We conducted a cohort study of adult women who presented to an inner-city emergency department during an 8-week study period. Participants were screened for DV using the Partner Violence Screen (PVS). At 4 months, follow-up telephone interviews were conducted: rates of verbal and physical violence were measured using the modified Conflict Tactics Scale. Relative risks of violent events (physical and verbal) were calculated.Of the 215 women who enrolled,36 (16%) had an initial screen positive for DV. Ninety-six women participated in the follow-up phase; of these women, 9% had screened positive for DV. At 4 months, women with DV were 11.3 times more likely to experience physical violence and 7.3 times more likely to experience verbal aggression. The study’s screen identified women at high risk for subsequent physical violence and verbal aggression.

Keywords

domestic violence emergency department screening

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Abbott, J. , Johnson, R. , Koziol-McLain, J. , & Lowenstein, S. R. (1995). Domestic violence against women: Incidence and prevalence in an emergency department population. Journal of the American Medical Association, 273, 1763-1767.

Anglin, D. , & Sachs, C. (2003). Preventive care in the emergency department: Screening for domestic violence in the emergency department. Academic Emergency Medicine, 10, 1118-1127.

Campbell, J. C. , Smith McKenna, L. , Torres, S. , Sheridan, D. , & Landenburger, K. (1993). Nursing care of abused women. In J. C. Campbell & J. Humphry (Eds.), Nursing care of survivors of family violence (pp. 248-289). St. Louis, MO: Mosby.

Ernst, A. A. , Nick, T. G. , Weiss, S. J. , Houry, D. , & Mills, T. (1997). Domestic violence in an inner-city ED. Annals of Emergency Medicine, 30, 190-197.

Feldhaus, K. M. , Koziol-McLain, J. , Amsbury, H. L. , Norton, I. M. , Lowenstein, S. R. , & Abbott, J. T. (1997). Accuracy of 3 brief screening questions for detecting partner violence in the emergency department. Journal of the American Medical Association, 277, 1357-1361.

Flitcraft, A. H. , Hadley, S. M. , Hendricks-Mathews, M. D. , McLeer, S. , & Warshaw, C. (1992). Diagnosis and treatment guidelines for domestic violence. Chicago: American Medical Association.

Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations . (2001). Comprehensive accreditation manual for hospitals. Oakbrook Terrace, IL: Author.

Koop, C. E. (1991). Foreword. In M. L. Rosenberg & M. A. Fenley (Eds.), Violence in America: A public health approach. New York: Oxford University Press.

Koziol-McLain, J. , Coates, C. J. , & Lowenstein, S. R. (2001). Predictive validity of a screen for partner violence against women. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 21, 93-100.

10.

Larkin, G. L. , Hyman, K. B. , Mathias, S. R. , D’Amico, F. , & MacLeod, B. A. (1999). Universal screening for intimate partner violence in the ED: Importance of patient and provider factors. Annals of Emergency Medicine, 33, 669-675.

11.

Lifetime and annual incidence of intimate partner violence and resulting injuries—Georgia, 1995. (1998). Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 46, 849-853.

12.

Milner, J. S. , & Campbell, J. C. (1995). Prediction issues for practitioners. In J. C. Campbell (Ed.), Assessing dangerousness (pp. 20-40). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

13.

Roy, M. (Ed.). (1977). Violence against women: A psychosocial study of domestic violence. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold.

14.

Straus, M. A. (1979). Measuring intrafamily conflict and violence: The Conflict Tactics (CT) Scales. Journal of Family and Marriage, 41(February), 75-88.

15.

U.S. Department of Justice . (1998, March). Violence by intimates (NCJ-167237). Washington, DC: Author.