When is the personal professional in public child welfare practice? The influence of intimate partner and child abuse histories on workers in domestic violence cases

"I Look Across From Me and I See Me": Survivors as Advocates in Intimate Partner Violence Agencies

Direct services, or advocacy, for intimate partner violence (IPV) have historically been offered by survivors, for survivors. Surprisingly little is known about the experience of advocates working in IPV-focused agencies who are survivors themselves. This qualitative study uses the grounded theory method to analyze interviews with 22 women working in IPV-focused agencies. The sample, more than 80% survivors, discussed how their work affected their experience through calling them to organizations, helping them to name the experience of violence, offering points of connection, and leading to an integration of professional and private experience. Implications for agencies and further research are discussed.

Childhood Maltreatment and Perception of Child Maltreatment among Respondents in Nigeria

This study examined childhood maltreatment and perception of maltreatment among respondents in Nigeria. A sample of 304 respondents completed online questionnaire on childhood experience and perception of abusive behaviours. Descriptive analysis was used to examine the responses. Of the 71 abusive behaviours examined, a high level of consensus (95–100 per cent agreement) was reached on five sexually abusive behaviours: having sexual intercourse with a child, asking a child to perform oral sex on adults, having sex in the presence of a child, fondling the breasts of a child for sexual pleasure and forcing a child to masturbate adults or other children. Abusive behaviour least perceived as abusive was experienced by most respondents during childhood: using corporal punishment as the only form of discipline. Finally, those who experienced the following abusive behaviours during childhood were significantly less likely to perceive of them as abusive: witnessing a parent/guardian being drunk all the time and forcing a child younger than 11 years old to take care of parents/guardians or siblings almost daily. Findings highlight the potential risks of childhood experience of abusive behaviours on perception of abusive behaviours and indicate the relevance of abusive behaviours to child protection policy and practice in the region.

Beliefs and Recommendations Regarding Child Custody and Visitation in Cases Involving Domestic Violence: A Comparison of Professionals in Different Roles

Research is lacking on differing perspectives regarding custody cases involving domestic violence (DV). In a survey of judges, legal aid attorneys, private attorneys, DV program workers, and child custody evaluators (n = 1,187), judges, private attorneys, and evaluators were more likely to believe that mothers make false DV allegations and alienate their children. In response to a vignette, evaluators and private attorneys were most likely to recommend joint custody and least likely to recommend sole custody to the survivor. Legal aid attorneys and DV workers were similar on many variables. Gender, DV knowledge, and knowing victims explained many group differences.

Nursing students and intimate partner violence education: improving and integrating knowledge into health care curricula

This study measured intimate partner violence (IPV) curriculum content exposure; knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and self-reported behaviors; and IPV prevalence within doctor of nursing practice and doctor of philosophy nursing programs at a university in the southern United States. The survey instrument was an adaptation of the Physician Readiness to Manage Intimate Partner Violence Survey modified with language that focused on students in the health care arena. Three summary scales-Perceived Preparedness, Perceived Knowledge, and Actual Knowledge-were also created. Mann-Whitney U tests and exploratory multivariable and logistic regression analyses were employed to analyze the data. Results indicated that nursing students who received IPV training prior to graduate school had significantly higher perceived preparation and perceived knowledge ratings than those reporting no IPV training prior to graduate school. Results also showed that 40% of nursing students surveyed had personally experienced some type of domestic violence including IPV. Identifying and responding to curricular shortcomings and ascertaining student IPV prevalence are critical steps in strategizing and implementing comprehensive curriculum revision, enabling students to enter the nursing profession with the capacity to directly impact the care and treatment of IPV victims.

Psychologists' and social workers' self-descriptions using DSM-IV psychopathology

There is limited information on mental health of psychologists and social workers despite their rendering mental health services, so their subjective perception of mental disorder was explored via a self-evaluation survey in which they self-diagnosed the presence of DSM-IV disorders within themselves. The sample of 128 professionals included 63 psychologists and 65 social workers. The presence of Axis I traits was reported by 81.2%, the three most frequent traits being mood, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and eating disorder. Axis II traits were reported by 73.4% of subjects, the three most frequent conditions being narcissistic, avoidant, and obsessive-compulsive personality traits. While a high percentage of subjects reported the presence of either an Axis I or Axis II disorder, the average severity reported was low. More psychologists reported on mood, social phobia, and eating problems than social workers, while the latter reported more on psychotic problems. Psychologists reported more Axis II traits, especially paranoid, narcissistic, and avoidant subtypes. More women than men reported eating problems, while more men reported schizoid and avoidant personality traits. In conclusion, manifestations of subthreshold psychiatric conditions were prominently reported. These findings suggest encouraging mental health care professionals to explore treatment for problems if present.

Facilitators and barriers for implementing home visit interventions to address intimate partner violence: town and gown partnerships

Pregnant women involved in violent relationships represent a population that is vulnerable for poor pregnancy and infant outcomes on several levels. This article describes the development of a "town and gown" partnership to assist pregnant women in violent relationships. Barriers and facilitating factors for research and home visitor (HV) nurse partnerships working with this vulnerable population were identified by HV participants in a qualitative focus group session. Methods used to develop and maintain the reciprocal relationship between the community (town) and academic researchers (gown) are described.

How nurses' experiences of domestic violence influence service provision: study conducted in North-west province, South Africa

This study was undertaken to determine whether nurses' experiences of domestic violence (DV) influence their management of DV and rape cases. In total, 212 nurses were interviewed in two South African health districts using a standardized questionnaire. We measured sociodemographic characteristics, quality of care in the areas of rape and DV management, and experiences of DV in their own lives and amongst family and friends. A total of 39% nurses reported having experienced either physical or emotional abuse themselves and 40.6% amongst family and friends. Having personally experienced DV had no influence on DV identification and management. Those with experience from friends and family were more likely to have provided better care for patients who presented after DV (mean quality of care score = 23.1), while nurses who reported no personal experience of DV, either in their own lives or among family and friends, had a lower quality of care score of 19.8 (P = 0.02). Having ever intervened in a domestic dispute was associated with higher quality of care (P < 0.001). This suggests that the greater degree to which nurses identify with DV and intervene, the more likely they are to provide higher quality of care. Training of nurses in DV must try to build such empathy.