A positive domestic violence screen predicts future domestic violence.
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.
Emory University, Georgia, USA.
Debra
D
Houry
Kim
K
Feldhaus
Benjamin
B
Peery
Jean
J
Abbott
Steven R
SR
Lowenstein
Sameerah
S
al-Bataa-de-Montero
Saul
S
Levine
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018585:Battered Women / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012307:Risk Factors; D013179:Spouse Abuse / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014481:United States; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016387:Women's Health