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A study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of intimate partner violence (IPV) screening in reducing the incidence of violence and improving the health of women. Results indicated that such screening does not really impact or improve health outcomes among women.

A cluster randomized trial was conducted to determine the optimal method for screening for intimate partner violence (IPV) in health care settings. It was observed that in screening for IPV, women preferred self-completed approaches over face-to-face questioning, computer-based screening did not increase prevalence and written screens had fewest missing data.

Very little research has been done on effective ways to prevent domestic abuse, according to researchers who analyzed 22 studies on this topic. There is some evidence that women who spend at least one night in a shelter and receive advocacy and counseling services have an improved quality of life and a decreased rate of abuse. More research is needed to identify effective interventions for domestic violence.

Child abuse appears to be relatively common in Ontario. Researchers surveyed 9,953 Ontario residents 15 years old or older. Thirty-one percent of the men reported experiencing physical abuse as a child compared to 21% of women. However, 13% of women reported a childhood history of sexual abuse compared to 4% of the men. These women were less likely to be sexually and physically abused the older they got. About 10% of both men and women reported a childhood history of severe physical abuse., Context.--Although child maltreatment is considered common, few community surveys have examined the prevalence of more than 1 type of maltreatment among both males and females. Objective.--To determine the prevalence of a history of physical and sexual abuse during childhood among the general population. Design.--General population survey. Setting.--Household dwellings in the province of Ontario, Canada. Participants.--A random sample (N = 9953) of residents aged 15 years and older participated in the Ontario Health Supplement. Main Outcome Measure.--Self-administered questionnaire about a history of physical and sexual abuse in childhood. Results.--A history of child physical abuse was reported more often by males (31.2%) than females (21.1%), while sexual abuse during childhood was more commonly reported by females (12.8%) than males (4.3%). Severe physical abuse was reported by similar proportions of males (10.7%) and females (9.2%). A greater percentage of females reported a history of severe sexual abuse (11.1%) compared with males (3.9%). Age of the respondent was not significantly associated with childhood abuse within any category for males. However, for females, the reported prevalence in childhood of sexual abuse, co-occurrence of physical and sexual abuse, and both categories of severe abuse decreased with increasing age of the respondent. Conclusions.--A history of childhood maltreatment among Ontario residents is common. Child abuse may be more prevalent in younger women compared with older women, or there may be a greater willingness among younger women to report abuse.

Research programs such as Child Maltreatment and Intimate Partner Violence programs face challenges in building research capacity. An examination of the existing state of areas of family violence research including a comparison of some could allow researchers to collaborate across subfields with the goal of moving forward to a more comprehensive understanding of the risks, experiences, and consequences of these forms of violence.

Importance: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a public health problem with significant adverse consequences for women and children. Past evaluations of a nurse home visitation program for pregnant women and first-time mothers experiencing social and economic disadvantage have not consistently shown reductions in IPV.Objective: To determine the effect on maternal quality of life of a nurse home visitation program augmented by an IPV intervention, compared with the nurse home visitation program alone.Design, Setting, and Participants: Cluster-based, single-blind, randomized clinical trial at 15 sites in 8 US states (May 2011-May 2015) enrolling 492 socially disadvantaged pregnant women (≥16 years) participating in a 2.5-year nurse home visitation program.Interventions: In augmented program sites (n = 229 participants across 7 sites), nurses received intensive IPV education and delivered an IPV intervention that included a clinical pathway to guide assessment and tailor care focused on safety planning, violence awareness, self-efficacy, and referral to social supports. The standard program (n = 263 participants across 8 sites) included limited questions about violence exposure and information for abused women but no standardized IPV training for nurses.Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was quality of life (WHOQOL-BREF; range, 0-400; higher score indicates better quality of life) obtained through interviews at baseline and every 6 months until 24 months after delivery. From 17 prespecified secondary outcomes, 7 secondary end points are reported, including scores on the Composite Abuse Scale, SPAN (Startle, Physiological Arousal, Anger, and Numbness), Prime-MD Patient Health Questionnaire, TWEAK (Tolerance/Worry About Drinking/Eye-Opener/Amnesia/C[K]ut Down on Drinking), Drug Abuse Severity Test, and the 12-Item Short-Form Health Survey (physical and mental health), version 2.Results: Among 492 participants enrolled (mean age, 20.4 years), 421 (86%) completed the trial. Quality of life improved from baseline to 24 months in both groups (change in WHOQOL-BREF scores from 299.5 [SD, 54.4] to 308.2 [SD, 52.6] in the augmented program group vs from 293.6 [SD, 56.4] to 316.4 [SD, 57.5] in the standard program group). Based on multilevel growth curve analysis, there was no statistically significant difference between groups (modeled score difference, -4.9 [95% CI, -16.5 to 6.7]). There were no statistically significant differences between study groups in any of the secondary participant end points. There were no adverse events recorded in either group.Conclusions and Relevance: Among pregnant women experiencing social and economic disadvantage and preparing to parent for the first time, augmentation of a nurse home visitation program with a comprehensive IPV intervention, compared with the home visitation program alone, did not significantly improve quality of life at 24 months after delivery. These findings do not support the use of this intervention.Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01372098. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This JAMA Insights Clinical Update reviews clinical indicators of intimate partner violence (IPV) and ways that clinicians can ask about and begin to assist individuals who experienced IPV in phased, sensitive approaches that do not encourage patients to act before they are ready or compromise their autonomy or safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors response on comments on their clinical trial designed to improve the quality of life of abused pregnant and postpartum women by integrating an intimate partner violence (IPV) intervention in nurse home visiting program. Topics discussed include patient adherence to the IPV intervention, differences between nurses resulting to the lack of intervention effectiveness and need for extensive training on how to recognize IPV by nurse home visitors.

several letters to the editor one in response to the article "Effect of screening for partner violence on women's quality of life: a randomized controlled trial, by J. Klevens, R. Kee, W. Trick, the other related to influence of electronic medical records and one in response to the letter to the editor by authors about their article are presented.

In this article, the authors focus on the Responding to Intimate Partner Violence and Sexual Violence Against Women guideline published by the World Health Organization (WHO). They inform that the guidance systematically reviews issues related to intimate partner violence (IPV) and provides recommendations for care of women and their children exposed to IPV. They also mention that the guidance recommend cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for IPV victims.

The authors reflect on the evidence to inform recommendations for the clinical management of abused women provided in the study by J. Klevens and colleagues. The authors say that the women who are seeking clinical services at primary health care centers in Cook County, Illinois were enrolled by the researchers in a clinical trial and randomized to one to three study conditions. They add that shifting the focus away from screening to case finding is encouraged in the results of the study.

Presents a response to a reader who wrote a letter to the editor concerning a study that appeared in 'The Journal of the American Medical Association' about intervention in abusive relationships and intimate partnership violence.