Survivor Preferences for Response to IPV Disclosure

Abstract

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a major cause of health conditions among women presenting for health care. Many physicians and nurses miss potential opportunities to increase battered women's safety. The purpose of this study is to increase health care providers' understanding of abused women's preferences concerning provider response when they do disclose IPV in order to increase effectiveness of interventions. A total of 26 abused women from a larger study participated in five focus groups at three agencies on "how a hospital or doctor's office can be most helpful to a woman who is experiencing domestic violence." Women identified seven preferences for responses: (a) treat me with respect and concern, (b) protect me, (c) documentation, (d) give me control, (e) immediate response, (f) give me options, and (g) be there for me later. These findings indicate that women prefer an active role by health care providers when responding to disclosure.

Battered Japanese women's perceptions and experiences of beneficial health care

“…Hathaway, Willis & Zimmer, 2002). Similar to the women in our sample, the women in the USA also value medical proof, such as photographs of injuries taken by HCPs, that helps them establish credible testimony against their perpetrators in a court of law (Dienemann, Glass & Hyman, 2005). Another study conducted in the USA indicated that battered women also value information from HCPs on community resources, such as IPV programs (Zink, Jacobson, Regan & Pabst, 2004).…”

Toward an integrated approach in research on interpersonal violence : Conceptual and methodological challenges

“…As in our study, the importance of a good physician-patient relationship for disclosure of violence is emphasized in most studies of female victims (Chang et al, 2005;Dienemann et al, 2005;Feder et al, 2006b) and is suggested to be more important than the actual wording of questions (Fogarty, Burge and McCord, 2002). Hence the relevance of only testing different wordings of questions or the mode of screening (face-to-face, written, computer based) as is sometimes done in research (Fogarty et al, 2002;MacMillan, Wathen, Jamieson et al, 2006;McCord-Duncan, Floyd, Kemp et al, 2006;Chen, Rovi, Washington et al, 2007) can be questioned .…”

“…A wish for a supportive and individually tailored meeting with health care professionals was expressed by the men in study IV, which has also been expressed by female victims of intimate partner violence (Dienemann et al, 2005;Feder, Hutson, Ramsay and Taket, 2006b). As in our study, the importance of a good physician-patient relationship for disclosure of violence is emphasized in most studies of female victims (Chang et al, 2005;Dienemann et al, 2005;Feder et al, 2006b) and is suggested to be more important than the actual wording of questions (Fogarty, Burge and McCord, 2002).…”

“…Female victims of intimate partner violence have been reported to be reluctant to offer their stories of victimization spontaneously but to be positive about being asked questions about victimization within the health care system (Rodriguez et al, 1996;Hathaway et al, 2002;Dienemann, Glass and Hyman, 2005;Feder et al, 2006a). In line with this, several of the men in study IV reported that they had been reluctant to seek help and that it had been difficult to disclose their victimization but when they did, it was a relief.…”

Facilitators and Barriers to Disclosing Abuse Among Women With Disabilities

“…However, this crucial first step is influenced by a myriad of intrapersonal, interpersonal, and sociocultural factors, such as self-doubt and denial; discounting, minimizing, and victim blaming by the perpetrator; and societal attitudes that "normalize" or, conversely, "stigmatize" IPV (Dienemann, Glass, & Hyman, 2005). It is reasonable to assume that for women with disabilities, the confluence of these factors may present barriers in taking this first step.…”