Partner Violence Assessment in Rural Health Care Clinic

Authors

Ann L. Coker, University of Texas Health Science Center at HoustonFollow
Vicki C. Flerx, University of South Carolina - ColumbiaFollow
Paige H. Smith, University of North Carolina at GreensboroFollow
Daniel J. Whitaker, Centers for Disease Control and PreventionFollow
Mary Kay Fadden, University of Texas at BrownsvilleFollow
Melinda Williams, Centers for Disease Control and PreventionFollow

Abstract

Objectives. We sought to determine the frequency of intimatepartner violence by type in a large, clinic-based, nurse-administeredscreening and services intervention project.

Methods. A brief intimate partner violence screen, which includeditems to measure sexual and physical assaults and psychologicalbattering (using the Women’s Experience With Batteringscale) was administered to consenting women receiving care at1 of 8 rural clinics in South Carolina.

Results. Between April 2002 and August 2005, 4945 eligible womenwere offered intimate partner violence screening, to which 3664(74.1%) consented. Prevalence of intimate partner violence ina current (ongoing) relationship was 13.3%, and 939 women (25.6%)had experienced intimate partner violence at some point in thepast 5 years. Of those ever experiencing intimate partner violence,the majority (65.6%) experienced both assaults and psychologicalbattering; 10.1% experienced assault only, and 24.3% experiencedpsychological battering only. Most women (85.5%) currently experiencingboth psychological battering and assaults stated that violencewas a problem in their current relationship.

Conclusions. The intimate partner violence screening techniquewe used was feasible to implement, acceptable to women seekinghealth care at the targeted clinics, and indicated a high proportionof women reporting intimate partner violence in the past 5 years,with a majority of those women stating that such violence wasa problem in their relationships. These findings demonstratedthe viability of the screening technique, which supports thegrowing importance of implementing intimate partner violencescreenings in clinical settings in order to reduce the prevalenceof violence in intimate relationships.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

7-2007

Notes/Citation Information

Published in American Journal of Public Health, v. 97, no. 7, p. 1319-1325.

Dr. Ann Coker had not been a faculty member of the University of Kentucky at the time of publication.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

http://dx.doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2005.085357

Repository Citation

Coker, Ann L.; Flerx, Vicki C.; Smith, Paige H.; Whitaker, Daniel J.; Fadden, Mary Kay; and Williams, Melinda, "Partner Violence Assessment in Rural Health Care Clinic" (2007). CRVAW Faculty Journal Articles. 97.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/crvaw_facpub/97