Screening practices for adolescent dating violence.
This study sought to determine the screening practices of child and adolescent psychiatrists regarding adolescent dating violence (DV). A questionnaire regarding screening practices for DV and other risk behaviors was administered to 817 child and adolescent psychiatrists via the Internet and mail. Twenty-one percent of clinicians screened for DV "more than 90% of the time," and 65% had identified it in the past year. Multiple logistic regression analyses found that screening for DV was associated with consistent screening for either substance use or interparental violence (OR=3.0 and 6.3, respectively). Despite the prevalence of DV, only a minority of psychiatrists screen their adolescent patients for this type of risk. These data suggest that screening for DV is associated with consistent screening practices for other risk behaviors. Screening rates may be improved with training and adherence to specific protocols.
Brown
Larry K
LK
Bradley/Hasbro Children's Research Center and Brown University Medical School, Providence, RI 02903, USA. LKBrown@lifespan.org
Puster
Kristie L
KL
Vazquez
Elizabeth A
EA
Hunter
Heather L
HL
Lescano
Celia M
CM
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D016497:Adolescent Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration; D000296:Adolescent Psychiatry / Q000458:organization & administration*; D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D013179:Spouse Abuse / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States