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International Journal of Environmental... Jan 2023While domestic and family violence against people with disabilities is an ongoing and crucial public health concern, and awareness of the extent of violence against... (Review)
Review
PURPOSE
While domestic and family violence against people with disabilities is an ongoing and crucial public health concern, and awareness of the extent of violence against people with disabilities is growing, research on the field is still limited. Thus, the present review aims to systematically identify and synthesize evidence and effectiveness from intervention strategies to increase the awareness and skills of those with disabilities to reduce and prevent domestic and family violence against them.
METHOD
PRISMA guidelines were followed to perform a systematic search of seven scientific databases to identify the peer-reviewed literature.
RESULTS
A total of 17 eligible studies were identified (14 evaluations and 3 descriptive studies), with most taking place in developed countries. Children and women are the most frequent victims, and they were therefore the most common target audience of the included studies. Sexual, physical, and verbal abuse were the most reported types of abuse, while financial abuse and neglect were studied less often. Interventions also focused on a diversity of disabilities, including learning, intellectual, mental, and physical impairments. Overall, the intervention strategies reflected a substantial homogeneity: focus on training and education as well as setting up channels and facilities for victims to seek help. Nine studies yielded significant positive outcomes using various strategies and techniques, while five studies had mixed results, and three studies only reported on the intervention strategies but did not evaluate the results.
CONCLUSIONS
This review confirms a significant gap in the literature on domestic and family violence against people with disabilities and how to prevent and address the violence through evidence-based interventions. Several recommendations to improve future research and practice are proposed.
Topics: Humans; Female; Child; Domestic Violence; Disabled Persons; Aggression; Learning; Sexual Behavior
PubMed: 36767512
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20032145 -
BMC Family Practice Jun 2020Domestic violence and abuse (DVA) is common and damaging to health. UK national guidance advocates a multi-agency response to DVA, and domestic homicide reviews...
BACKGROUND
Domestic violence and abuse (DVA) is common and damaging to health. UK national guidance advocates a multi-agency response to DVA, and domestic homicide reviews consistently recommend improved information-sharing between agencies. Identification of patients experiencing DVA in general practice may come from external information shared with the practice, such as police incident reports and multi-agency risk assessment conference (MARAC) reports. The aim of this study was to explore the views of general practitioners (GPs) and the police about sharing reports about DVA with GPs.
METHODS
Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with GPs, police staff and a partnership manager. Participants were located across England and Wales. Thematic analysis was undertaken.
RESULTS
Interviews were conducted with 23 GPs, six police staff and one former partnership manager. Experiences of information-sharing with GPs about DVA varied. Participants described the relevance and value of external reports to GPs to help address the health consequences of DVA and safeguard patients. They balanced competing priorities when managing this information in the electronic medical record, namely visibility to GPs versus the risk of unintended disclosure to patients. GPs also spoke of the judgements they made about exploring DVA with patients based on external reports, which varied between abusive and non-abusive adults and children. Some felt constrained by short general practice consultations. Some police and GPs reflected on a loss of control when information about DVA was shared between agencies, and the risk of unintended consequences. Both police and GPs highlighted the importance of clear information and a shared understanding about responsibility for action.
CONCLUSION
GPs regarded external reports about DVA as relevant to their role, but safely recording this information in the electronic medical record and using it to support patients required complex judgements. Both GPs and police staff emphasised the importance of clarity of information and responsibility for action when information was shared between agencies about patients affected by DVA.
Topics: Adult; Child; Domestic Violence; Electronic Health Records; Female; General Practitioners; Humans; Information Dissemination; Interdisciplinary Communication; Interprofessional Relations; Law Enforcement; Male; Physical Abuse; Physician's Role; Police; Primary Health Care; Psychosocial Support Systems; Risk Assessment; United Kingdom
PubMed: 32576145
DOI: 10.1186/s12875-020-01171-4 -
JAMA Network Open Jul 2023Current risk assessment tools for domestic violence against family members were developed with small and selected samples, have low accuracy with few external...
IMPORTANCE
Current risk assessment tools for domestic violence against family members were developed with small and selected samples, have low accuracy with few external validations, and do not report key performance measures.
OBJECTIVE
To develop new tools to assess risk of reoffending among individuals who have perpetrated domestic violence.
DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS
This prognostic study investigated a national cohort of all individuals arrested for domestic violence between 1998 and 2013 in Sweden using information from multiple national registers, including National Crime Register, National Patient Register, Longitudinal Integrated Database for Health Insurance and Labour Market Studies Register, and Multi-Generation Register. Data were analyzed from August 2022 to June 2023.
EXPOSURE
Arrest for domestic violence.
MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES
Prediction models were developed for 3 reoffending outcomes after arrest for domestic violence: conviction of a new violent crime (including domestic violence), conviction of any new crime, and rearrest for domestic violence at 1 year, 3 years, and 5 years. The prediction models were created using sociodemographic factors, criminological factors, and mental health status-related factors, linking data from multiple population-based longitudinal registers. Cox proportional hazard multivariable regression was used to develop prediction models and validate them in external samples. Key performance measures, including discrimination at prespecified cutoffs and calibration statistics, were investigated.
RESULTS
The cohort included 27 456 individuals (mean [SD] age, 39.4 [11.6] years; 24 804 men [90.3%]) arrested for domestic violence, of whom 4222 (15.4%) reoffended and were convicted for a new violent crime during a mean (SD) follow-up of 26.5 (27.0) months, 9010 (32.8%) reoffended and were convicted for a new crime (mean [SD] follow-up, 22.4 [25.1] months), and 2080 (7.6%) were rearrested for domestic violence (mean [SD] follow-up, 25.7 [30.6] months). Prediction models were developed with sociodemographic, criminological, and mental health factors and showed good measures of discrimination and calibration for violent reoffending and any reoffending. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) for risk of violent reoffending was 0.75 (95% CI, 0.74-0.76) at 1 year, 0.76 (95% CI, 0.75-0.77) at 3 years, and 0.76 (95% CI, 0.75-0.77) 5 years. The AUC for risk of any reoffending was 0.76 (95% CI, 0.75-0.77) at 1 year and at 3 years and 0.76 (95% CI, 0.75-0.76) at 5 years. The model for domestic violence reoffending showed modest discrimination (C index, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.61-0.65) and good calibration. The validation models showed discrimination and calibration performance similar to those of derivation models for all 3 reoffending outcomes. The prediction models have been translated into 3 simple online risk calculators that are freely available to use.
CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE
This prognostic study developed scalable, evidence-based prediction tools that could support decision-making in criminal justice systems, particularly at the arrest stage when identifying those at higher risk of reoffending and screening out individuals at low risk of reoffending. Furthermore, these tools can enhance treatment allocation by enabling criminal justice services to focus on modifiable risk factors identified in the tools for individuals at high risk of reoffending.
Topics: Male; Humans; Adult; Cohort Studies; Domestic Violence; Crime; Aggression; Risk Factors
PubMed: 37494041
DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.25494 -
Reproductive Health Dec 2019Domestic violence is common public health problem. Domestic violence related disclosure is an important first step in the process of prevention, control and treatments... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND
Domestic violence is common public health problem. Domestic violence related disclosure is an important first step in the process of prevention, control and treatments of domestic violence related adverse effect. Thus, this systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to determine the pooled prevalence of domestic violence related disclosure and synthesize its associated factors.
METHODS
We followed the PRISMA Guidelines to report the results of the finding. Databases including PubMed, Cochrane Library and Web of Sciences were searched. The heterogeneity between studies was measured by the index of heterogeneity (I statistics) test. Funnel plots and Egger's test were used to determine publication bias. Moreover, sensitivity analysis was carried out. To calculate the pooled prevalence, a random effects model was utilized.
RESULTS
Twenty one eligible studies were included in this systematic review and meta-analysis. The pooled prevalence of domestic violence related non-disclosure was found to be 36.2% (95% CI, 31.8-40.5%). Considering violence as normal or not serious, shame, embarrassment and fear of disclosure related consequences were the common barriers for non-disclosure.
CONCLUSION
More than one third of women and girls were not disclosed their experience of domestic violence. The finding of this study suggests the need of evaluation and strengthening of the collaborative work among different sectors such as: policy-makers, service providers, administrative personnel and community leaders including the engagement of men partner. This study also suggests the needs of women empowerments against the traditional belief, attitude, and practice.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Disclosure; Domestic Violence; Ethiopia; Female; Humans; Prevalence; Sexual Partners
PubMed: 31870388
DOI: 10.1186/s12978-019-0845-z -
BMC Public Health Sep 2021Domestic violence (social, legal, and health violence) is the most common type of violence against women. Due to factors such as the current quarantine, this type of...
INTRODUCTION
Domestic violence (social, legal, and health violence) is the most common type of violence against women. Due to factors such as the current quarantine, this type of violence has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. The present study aimed to assess the frequency of domestic violence against women and identify the risk factor among Iranian women during the COVID-19 pandemic.
METHODS
This online cross-sectional study was conducted on 203 Iranian women during May-June 2020. Data were collected using a domestic violence questionnaire, which measured three forms of violence, including physical, emotional, and sexual violence. A link of the questionnaire was distributed among anonymous subjects through social networking apps, such as WhatsApp and Telegram. The subjects were asked to complete the questionnaire based on their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics and a regression model.
RESULTS
The descriptive results showed that the mean domestic violence against women in all the participants was 34.9 (SD: 17.28). In addition, 26.6% (n = 84), 26.1% (n = 53), and 21.2% of the subjects (n = 43) experienced high levels of physical, emotional, and sexual violence during the COVID-19 pandemic, respectively. The regression model also indicated that lower age, illiteracy/primary education, previous marriage(s), and unwanted/unwise marriage were the significant risk factors for domestic violence against women.
CONCLUSION
According to the results, domestic violence against women is common among Iranian women during the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, strategies are urgently needed to prevent and minimize such domestic violence, and such strategies could be adopted through providing educational opportunities, raising awareness, promoting wanted/wise marriage, and providing social support and rehabilitation opportunities to vulnerable social groups, especially vulnerable women.
Topics: COVID-19; Cross-Sectional Studies; Domestic Violence; Female; Humans; Iran; Pandemics; Prevalence; SARS-CoV-2
PubMed: 34551732
DOI: 10.1186/s12889-021-11791-9 -
BMJ Open Jun 2022Over two million adults experience domestic violence and abuse (DVA) in England and Wales each year. Domestic homicide reviews often show that health services have...
BACKGROUND
Over two million adults experience domestic violence and abuse (DVA) in England and Wales each year. Domestic homicide reviews often show that health services have frequent contact with victims and perpetrators, but healthcare professionals (HCPs) do not share information related to DVA across healthcare settings and with other agencies or services.
AIM
We aimed to analyse and highlight the commonalities, inconsistencies, gaps and ambiguities in English guidance for HCPs around medical confidentiality, information sharing or DVA specifically.
SETTING
The English National Health Service.
DESIGN AND METHOD
We conducted a desk-based review, adopting the READ approach to document analysis. This approach is a method of qualitative health policy research and involves four steps for gathering, and extracting information from, documents. Its four steps are: (1) Ready your materials, (2) Extract data, (3) Analyse data and (4) Distill your findings. Documents were identified by searching websites of national bodies in England that guide and regulate clinical practice and by backwards citation-searching documents we identified initially.
RESULTS
We found 13 documents that guide practice. The documents provided guidance on (1) sharing information without consent, (2) sharing with or for multiagency risk assessment conferences (MARACs), (3) sharing for formal safeguarding and (4) sharing within the health service. Key findings were that guidance documents for HCPs emphasise that sharing information without consent can happen in only exceptional circumstances; documents are inconsistent, contradictory and ambiguous; and none of the documents, except one safeguarding guide, mention how coercive control can influence patients' free decisions.
CONCLUSIONS
Guidance for HCPs on sharing information about DVA is numerous, inconsistent, ambiguous and lacking in detail, highlighting a need for coherent recommendations for cross-speciality clinical practice. Recommendations should reflect an understanding of the manifestations, dynamics and effects of DVA, particularly coercive control.
Topics: Adult; Delivery of Health Care; Domestic Violence; Health Personnel; Humans; Qualitative Research; State Medicine
PubMed: 35710255
DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-057022 -
Neuropsychopharmacology Reports Mar 2024Domestic violence is an important public health and human rights problem. In most countries of the world, including Iran, the COVID-19 pandemic made quarantine necessary...
AIM
Domestic violence is an important public health and human rights problem. In most countries of the world, including Iran, the COVID-19 pandemic made quarantine necessary to reduce the disease transmission rate. Therefore, due to the spread of the COVID-19 disease and the emergence of mandatory quarantine conditions, the present study was conducted to determine the prevalence of domestic violence against women during the COVID-19 pandemic in Iran.
METHODS
In this cross-sectional study, which was done in 2020, 240 married women were investigated. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, data collection was performed through virtual networks using standard questionnaires. Data were analyzed using SPSS. Descriptive statistics (relative frequencies, mean, and standard deviation) were used to determine the extent of violence. Independent t-test and Chi-square were used to analyze the data of the relation between the types of violence with independent variables. Also, the data were analyzed using the logistic regression model.
RESULTS
In this study, 240 married women with a mean age of 36.27 were studied. The highest frequency was related to social violence (56.3%), and the lowest was related to financial and verbal violence (11.7%). In addition, a significant relationship was observed between sexual violence and age (p-value < 0.05). A significant relationship was also observed between social violence and education [(OR = 1.99)] Jobs [(OR = 2.4, CI = 95%, 1.30-4.4), quarantine duration [(OR = 1.94, CI = 95%, 0.98-3.7)] and underlying diseases [OR = 1.90].
CONCLUSION
The high prevalence of domestic violence against women during quarantine indicates the poor health of women in society. Therefore, the roots of violence against women and methods to reduce this problem should be sought. Therefore, identification of subjects at risk and raising women's knowledge may be useful for the prevention of domestic violence and its physical and psychological complications.
Topics: Humans; Female; Adult; Iran; Prevalence; Cross-Sectional Studies; Pandemics; COVID-19; Domestic Violence
PubMed: 37731301
DOI: 10.1002/npr2.12375 -
Journal of Aging and Health Mar 2024The current study based on the Stress Process Model investigated the impact of experiences of domestic violence on mental health as well as resilience against negative...
OBJECTIVES
The current study based on the Stress Process Model investigated the impact of experiences of domestic violence on mental health as well as resilience against negative mental health outcomes among older adults in U.S. during COVID-19.
METHOD
Participants included 522 older adults (ages 51-80 and older) living in US at the time of the survey. Path analysis using Mplus was employed. The experience of domestic violence among older adults during the pandemic was positively associated with loneliness and anxiety directly and indirectly. However, resilience acted as a protective factor between the experiences of domestic violence and anxiety. The experience of domestic violence may increase loneliness and anxiety among older adults during challenging times; however, resilience may weaken these negative psychological outcomes both directly and indirectly. Findings and implications are discussed.
Topics: Humans; Aged; Mental Health; Resilience, Psychological; COVID-19; Domestic Violence; Anxiety
PubMed: 37282842
DOI: 10.1177/08982643231181753 -
BMC Women's Health Nov 2021Globally, one in three women experienced domestic violence. Alike the scenario observed in India, and a very few studies talk about violence and its consequences on...
BACKGROUND
Globally, one in three women experienced domestic violence. Alike the scenario observed in India, and a very few studies talk about violence and its consequences on women's health. Hence, the purpose of this study is to access the level of various types of spousal violence in India and to understand the association between physical, sexual and emotional violence against ever-married women by their husbands. The study further examines the consequences of spousal violence on women's health in terms of adverse pregnancy outcomes and reproductive health in India.
METHODS
The study uses secondary data from National Family Health Survey-4 (NFHS-4, 2015-16). The analysis was based on a sample of ever-married women aged 15-49 years. Bivariate descriptive analysis and multiple regression analyses have been carried out to understand the association between spousal violence and its consequences on women's health.
RESULTS
The study finds that the physical, sexual and emotional violence experienced by ever-married women in India are 29.8%, 13.8% and 7.0%, respectively. Further, the physical and sexual violence experienced by women have a significant association with an unwanted pregnancy, abortion, miscarriages and ever had termination of pregnancies. The regression analysis shows that violence by sexual partners among battered women increased the likelihood of unwanted pregnancy. Similarly, abortion and ever had a termination of pregnancies are also adversely affected by partner violence. Further, the risk of sexually transmitted infection increases 77% by sexual violence and 44% by emotional violence among battered women. Also, Sexual violence substantially increases the risk of prolonged labour during pregnancy.
CONCLUSION
This study revealed that one in three women experiencing violence by their husband and also it is evident that various forms of spousal violence adversely affect pregnancies outcomes and reproductive health among battered women compared to not battered.
Topics: Domestic Violence; Female; Humans; India; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Outcome; Reproductive Health; Risk Factors; Spouse Abuse
PubMed: 34719387
DOI: 10.1186/s12905-021-01515-x -
Ciencia & Saude Coletiva Nov 2023The scope of this study was to highlight what has been discussed about addressing violence against children and adolescents in the context of the Family Health Strategy... (Review)
Review
The scope of this study was to highlight what has been discussed about addressing violence against children and adolescents in the context of the Family Health Strategy in the scientific literature. It involved an integrative review of the literature, conducted in the Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (Medline), Latin American and Caribbean Literature on Health Sciences (LILACS), Web of Science and American Psychological Association (PsycINFO) databases. In the survey, the controlled descriptors in Health Sciences (DeCS) and the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) were used, including domestic violence, child abuse, educational technology and primary health care for DeCS and MeSH. A total of 2,403 results were obtained, with the application of the inclusion and exclusion criteria, and 15 articles were analyzed. Violence has been seen as a public health problem, being identified as a sensitive problem in PHC. Despite the identification of cases of violence against children and adolescents in the FHS, the lack of preparedness of professionals and the fragility in the coping network prejudice the adequate care for this public. Thus, there is a need to strengthen the network available and encourage the capacity building and training of professionals working in PHC.
Topics: Humans; Adolescent; Child; Family Health; Domestic Violence; Child Abuse; Public Health; Adaptation, Psychological
PubMed: 37971007
DOI: 10.1590/1413-812320232811.09662021