title: Domestic violence and abuse, health status, and social functioning.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Current and past history of domestic violence (DV), including physical, sexual, and emotional abuse is common among women patients seen in health care settings and is associated with a higher frequency of many health problems. However, the association of DV with self-assessed social functioning is less well known.
  
  
  METHODS
  We administered a telephone survey to a random sample of 391 women HMO members seen for a routine annual check-up. The survey included questions about current and past physical, sexual, and emotional violence and self-assessed social functioning and health status from the SF-36. We included questions about attitudes toward routine DV screening, likelihood of disclosure, and the health care setting as a resource.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Seven percent of the women reported recent DV and 34% reported lifetime abuse. Abuse was related to limitations in social functioning (adjusted OR = 2.26). Among women with no recent history of abuse, those with a history of past physical (adjusted OR = 1.90), sexual (adjusted OR = 2.04), or emotional (adjusted OR = 2.20) abuse reported significantly poorer social functioning. Emotional abuse, even in the absence of a history of physical or sexual abuse, was strongly associated with limitations in social functioning (adjusted OR = 4.95). Most women believed it appropriate for clinicians to inquire routinely about DV (87%) and 83% believed that the health care setting was a source of help.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Current and past DV, including emotional abuse, adversely affect social functioning. Therefore, clinicians in the health care setting have a unique and important opportunity to assist women victims of DV and abuse.
authors.affiliation: Family Violence Prevention Program, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Oakland, CA 94612, USA. Brigid.McCaw@kp.org
authors.forename: Brigid
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: McCaw
authors.forename: Jacqueline M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Golding
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Farley
authors.forename: Jerome R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Minkoff
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D018585:Battered Women / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002140:California / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019548:Crime Victims / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration; D013179:Spouse Abuse / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016387:Women's Health