What happens when health care providers ask about intimate partner violence? A description of consequences from the perspectives of female survivors.
OBJECTIVE
To describe positive and negative consequences of health care screening for intimate partner violence from the perspectives of female survivors.


METHODS
We conducted 7 semistructured focus group interviews with 41 women in battered women's shelters or intimate partner violence support groups.


RESULTS
Positive consequences of screening included: recognizing that the violence was a problem, decreased isolation, and feeling that the medical provider cared. Negative consequences included: feeling judged by the provider, increased anxiety about the unknown, feeling that the intervention protocol was cumbersome or intrusive, and disappointment in the provider's response.


CONCLUSIONS
We found that both positive and negative consequences can result from screening for intimate partner violence and that they are related to provider behavior. The positive consequences described by the participants reflect changes in their attitudes, thoughts, and feelings that may precede help seeking. A better understanding of consequences can help providers tailor screening approaches and interventions for intimate partner violence.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA. jchang@mail.magee.edu
Judy C
JC
Chang
Michele
M
Decker
Kathryn E
KE
Moracco
Sandra L
SL
Martin
Ruth
R
Petersen
Pamela Y
PY
Frasier
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D018585:Battered Women / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D013179:Spouse Abuse / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology*; D014481:United States; D016387:Women's Health