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Monash Bioethics Review Jun 2022Lockdowns in Australia have been strict and lengthy. Policy-makers appear to have given the preservation of quantity of lives strong priority over the preservation of...
Lockdowns in Australia have been strict and lengthy. Policy-makers appear to have given the preservation of quantity of lives strong priority over the preservation of quality of lives. But thought-experiments in population ethics suggest that this is not always the right priority. In this paper, I'll discuss both negative impacts on quantity of lives caused by the lockdowns themselves, including an increase in domestic violence, and negative impacts on quality of lives caused by lockdowns, in order to raise the question of whether we each had reason to choose quantity over quality in our own lives in a way that would justify the lockdowns we had.
Topics: Australia; Domestic Violence; Humans
PubMed: 35306628
DOI: 10.1007/s40592-022-00155-7 -
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 -
Journal of Interpersonal Violence Jan 2017This community-based observational study of 1,325 women seen for antenatal care examined how women in Pakistan define violence against women (VAW), with an emphasis on... (Observational Study)
Observational Study
This community-based observational study of 1,325 women seen for antenatal care examined how women in Pakistan define violence against women (VAW), with an emphasis on domestic violence, what an acceptable response to violence is, reasons for remaining silent, and whether participants are willing to disclose incidents of domestic violence to others. Nearly half of the study participants believed that physical violence was VAW. Verbal abuse, controlling behavior by the husband, conflict with in-laws, overburdening domestic work, and threatening to leave or remarry were also considered VAW. However, only five respondents (0.4%) considered sexual abuse to be VAW. Most women who screened positive for domestic violence responded by remaining silent or verbal fighting back. None sought professional help. Women who decided to remain silent feared that the abuse would escalate or that responding would not help them. Women cited social stigma and concerns about the impact of the violence on children as reasons for not disclosing violent incidents to others or seeking professional help. Women's lack of autonomy further reduced their ability to take steps against violence. Although societal norms, particularly patriarchal beliefs and women's subordination to men, likely explain women's tolerance of abuse, their recognition of physical abuse as violence indicates that they do not necessarily believe it is always justified. Educational interventions to drive changes in the social norms around gender violence along with effective and enforceable legal measures are likely required to ensure women's safety.
Topics: Adult; Domestic Violence; Female; Humans; Pakistan; Social Norms; Truth Disclosure; Young Adult
PubMed: 25979535
DOI: 10.1177/0886260515585533 -
Revista Latino-americana de Enfermagem Aug 2016to develop and validate an instrument to evaluate the knowledge of health professionals about domestic violence on children. (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVE
to develop and validate an instrument to evaluate the knowledge of health professionals about domestic violence on children.
METHOD
this was a study conducted with 194 physicians, nurses and dentists. A literature review was performed for preparation of the items and identification of the dimensions. Apparent and content validation was performed using analysis of three experts and 27 professors of the pediatric health discipline. For construct validation, Cronbach's alpha was used, and the Kappa test was applied to verify reproducibility. The criterion validation was conducted using the Student's t-test.
RESULTS
the final instrument included 56 items; the Cronbach alpha was 0.734, the Kappa test showed a correlation greater than 0.6 for most items, and the Student t-test showed a statistically significant value to the level of 5% for the two selected variables: years of education and using the Family Health Strategy.
CONCLUSION
the instrument is valid and can be used as a promising tool to develop or direct actions in public health and evaluate knowledge about domestic violence on children.
Topics: Child; Child Abuse; Domestic Violence; Female; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Health Personnel; Humans; Male; Self Report
PubMed: 27556878
DOI: 10.1590/1518-8345.0805.2772 -
Revista Medica de Chile Aug 2014According to recent surveys, there is a high prevalence of domestic violence (DV) in Chile. A systematic review was conducted in PubMed, Scielo, and Lilacs with the MesH... (Review)
Review
According to recent surveys, there is a high prevalence of domestic violence (DV) in Chile. A systematic review was conducted in PubMed, Scielo, and Lilacs with the MesH terms "Chile", "Mental Health", "Health", "Domestic Violence", to explore the impact of DV on health in Chile. Eleven studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Two studies were prospective, exploring the influence of DV on maternal-infant health. Nine studies explored the influence of DV on mental health in adults. DV was associated with deranged mental health indicators specially anxiety and depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation. Similar results were observed among mothers who were victims of violence and their children. It is concluded that DV is a complex phenomenon with serious effects on health. However the number of studies on the subject is low and new follow up studies are required. Predictive models for DV and effective preventive measures are urgently needed.
Topics: Chile; Domestic Violence; Female; Humans; Male; Mental Disorders; Mental Health; Prevalence
PubMed: 25424674
DOI: 10.4067/S0034-98872014000800009 -
Annals of Saudi Medicine 2019Women in Myanmar are not considered decision makers in the community and the physical and psychological effect of violence makes them more vulnerable. There is a strong...
BACKGROUND
Women in Myanmar are not considered decision makers in the community and the physical and psychological effect of violence makes them more vulnerable. There is a strong negative reaction, usually violent, to any economic activity generated by women among poorer and middle-class families in Myanmar because a woman's income is not considered necessary for basic survival.
OBJECTIVE
Explore the relationship between domestic violence on the decision-making power of married women in Myanmar.
DESIGN
Cross-sectional.
SETTING
National, both urban and rural areas of Myanmar.
PATIENTS AND METHODS
Data from the Myanmar Demographic and Health Survey 2015-16 were used in this analysis. In that survey, married women aged between 15 to 49 years were selected for interview using a multistage cluster sampling technique. The dependent variables were domestic violence and the decision-making power of women. Independent variables were age of the respondents, educational level, place of residence, employment status, number of children younger than 5 years of age and wealth index.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Domestic violence and decision-making power of women.
SAMPLE SIZE
7870 currently married women.
RESULTS
About 50% respondents were 35 to 49 years of age and the mean (SD) age was 35 (8.4) years. Women's place of residence and employment status had a significant impact on decision-making power whereas age group and decision-making power of women had a relationship with domestic violence.
CONCLUSION
Giving women decision making power will be indispensable for the achievement of sustainable development goals. Government and other stakeholders should emphasize this to eliminate violence against women.
LIMITATIONS
Use of secondary data analysis of cross-sectional study design and cross-sectional studies are not suitable design to assess this causality. Secondly the self-reported data on violence may be subject to recall bias.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
None.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Age Factors; Decision Making; Domestic Violence; Educational Status; Female; Humans; Male; Marital Status; Middle Aged; Myanmar; Power, Psychological; Surveys and Questionnaires; Young Adult
PubMed: 31804139
DOI: 10.5144/0256-4947.2019.395 -
North Carolina Medical Journal 2016
Topics: Adult; Child; Domestic Violence; Exposure to Violence; Family Health; Family Therapy; Female; Humans; Male; Mental Health Services; North Carolina; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic; Wounds and Injuries
PubMed: 27864488
DOI: 10.18043/ncm.77.6.399 -
Health & Place Jul 2017To determine the association between neighborhood domestic violence and small-for-gestational-age (SGA) birth and to examine if there is a differential impact of...
OBJECTIVES
To determine the association between neighborhood domestic violence and small-for-gestational-age (SGA) birth and to examine if there is a differential impact of neighborhood domestic violence on SGA births by race in a high crime community.
METHODS
This analysis includes all birth records issued in New Orleans, Louisiana from 2011 to 2012 geocoded by census tract (N=177 census tracts, N=8322 women). Hierarchical modeling and ecologic spatial analysis were used to examine the area-effect of neighborhood domestic violence on SGA births, independent of individual-level predictors and accounting for the propensity to live in high domestic violence neighborhoods.
RESULTS
Tests for spatial autocorrelation reveled area-level clustering and overlap of SGA and domestic violent rates. Pregnant women living in high domestic violence areas were more likely to give birth to an SGA infant compared to women in low-domestic violence areas (OR=1.04, 95%CI: 1.01, 1.08), net of the effects of individual-level factors and propensity scores.
CONCLUSION
Neighborhood-level attributes including rates of domestic violence may increase women's risk for SGA birth, highlighting a policy-relevant and potentially amenable exposure.
Topics: Adult; Crime; Domestic Violence; Female; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Infant, Small for Gestational Age; Louisiana; Pregnancy; Residence Characteristics; Risk Factors; Socioeconomic Factors
PubMed: 28527328
DOI: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2017.05.011 -
International Journal of Environmental... Feb 2023Research has shown that rates of domestic violence generally increased during the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, likely related to mitigation efforts that...
Research has shown that rates of domestic violence generally increased during the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, likely related to mitigation efforts that promoted staying at home and lockdown protocols. However, the link between pandemic-related domestic violence victimization and mental health outcomes has been less explored. The present study examined the possible association between exposure to domestic physical and psychological violence during the COVID-19 pandemic and depressive and post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) in an online sample of American adults recruited in December 2021. Data from 604 participants were analyzed. Forty-four percent of participants ( = 266) reported experiencing physical domestic violence, psychological domestic violence, or both during the pandemic, with psychological violence more commonly reported than physical violence. Exposure to both forms of violence was associated with higher rates of depressive and post-traumatic stress symptoms. Given the high rates and negative associations between psychological domestic violence and mental health symptoms in this sample, healthcare providers should assess for domestic violence exposure even if no indications of physical abuse are present or if there were not concerns about domestic violence exposure prior to the pandemic. Potential psychological sequalae should also be assessed if a patient has a positive history of domestic violence victimization.
Topics: Adult; Humans; Mental Health; Pandemics; COVID-19; Communicable Disease Control; Domestic Violence
PubMed: 36834007
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20043312 -
Current Opinion in Psychiatry Jan 2008To review the most recent literature on the relationship between personality disorders and violent behavior. The review does not aim to address the issue of a possible... (Review)
Review
PURPOSE OF REVIEW
To review the most recent literature on the relationship between personality disorders and violent behavior. The review does not aim to address the issue of a possible etiological connection between previously being the victim of violent acts and later developing a personality disorder.
RECENT FINDINGS
Recent data suggest that personality disorders, especially antisocial and borderline, are strongly related to the manifestation of violent acts. Substance abuse is another strong factor which could act either independently or additively. Biological factors seem to constitute a risk factor for violent behavior independently of personality. Although intelligence does not seem to be related to violence, some patients may manifest specific cognitive deficits. The ethical and legal questions posed by the above correlations are difficult to answer, and research has not yet provided enough data on this issue.
SUMMARY
The most recent data support the relationship between antisocial personality and violence, especially when substance abuse is also present, although the presence of confounding factors in the diagnostic criteria suggest caution in the interpretation of the literature.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Antisocial Personality Disorder; Borderline Personality Disorder; Child; Comorbidity; Cross-Sectional Studies; Domestic Violence; Female; Homicide; Humans; Male; Personality Disorders; Risk Factors; Sex Factors; Sex Offenses; Violence
PubMed: 18281846
DOI: 10.1097/YCO.0b013e3282f31137