The domestic violence fatality review clearinghouse: introduction to a new National Data System with a focus on firearms

The digital MySteps intervention for abused women at risk for firearm-related injuries and homicides: Findings from the feasibility, acceptability and preliminary efficacy trial

Background

Firearms are the leading cause of victimization of abused women by intimate partner homicide and intimate partner homicide-suicides in the US. This calls for evidence-based intervention strategies to prevent firearm-related injuries or mortality and address the firearms-related safety needs of women in abusive relationships. My Safety Steps (MySteps) was designed to comprehensively assess women's firearm-related risks, and current safety needs and to prevent women's harm from their abuser's access or ownership of a firearm through a digitally delivered firearm-focused safety planning intervention. This paper describes the development, feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary evaluation of the digital BSHAPE intervention among women survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV).

Methods

Using a pretest post-test control group design, the study was conducted with 103 participants with 55 women randomly assigned to the MySteps arm and 48 women to the standard of care control arm. The feasibility and acceptability outcomes assessed were enrollment, adherence, and perceptions of the intervention. Preliminary evaluation outcomes included the partner's access to a firearm, women's self-efficacy beliefs, and empowerment. Further, qualitative follow-up interviews were conducted with 30 survivors of IPV in the MySteps arm to follow up on the use and helpfulness of safety strategies provided in MySteps.

Results and conclusion

The intervention was found to be feasible, and acceptable and demonstrated improved outcomes for survivors of IPV at risk from their partner's firearm. Women provided feedback for further refinement. The findings of this study will be useful in further refining MySteps and testing it in a full-scale randomized controlled trial.

Deaths Related to Domestic Violence in Washington State

Importance

Domestic violence (DV; including intimate partner and family violence) is associated with heightened lethality risks, yet limited research has comprehensively assessed the connection between DV and fatal violence considering both homicides and suicides. Understanding the fatal consequences of DV can point to missed opportunities to support individuals and their families.

Objective

To assess the proportion of violent deaths that were connected to DV and describe contacts with the legal system or social services prior to each DV-related fatality.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This cross-sectional study used quantitative and qualitative data from the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) for all individuals who died by homicide or suicide in Washington from January 1, 2015, to December 31, 2020. Analyses were conducted from August 1, 2022, to September 30, 2023.

Main Outcomes and Measures

A multipronged approach was used to assess DV history using existing NVDRS variables, leveraging data from prior review of NVDRS death narratives, applying a validated natural language processing tool, and linking related deaths. Domestic violence was recorded as yes or no, but the decedent's role in the abusive relationship (ie, experiencing or enacting DV) could not be differentiated. To describe system involvement prior to each death, keyword searching and hand review of NVDRS death narratives were used.

Results

A total of 7352 intentional violent deaths (1192 homicides [16.2%]; 6160 suicides [83.8%]) with known circumstances were recorded in Washington during the study period. Of these, 948 deaths (12.9%) were connected to DV (624 [65.8%] among males; mean [SD] age at death, 45.3 [19.2] years), including 588 suicides (62.0%) and 360 homicides (38.0%). For 420 DV-related deaths (44.3%), there was evidence to suggest that the person who died or their intimate partner(s), family, or cohabitants had prior contacts with the legal system or social services. Specifically, 318 records (33.5%) mentioned prior contacts with law enforcement or the criminal legal system (eg, prior 9-1-1 calls, criminal convictions), and 225 (23.7%) described engagement with social services or the civil legal system (eg, civil protection order, divorce, or child custody problems).

Conclusions and Relevance

In this cross-sectional study, 12.9% of violent deaths in Washington were connected to DV. The findings suggest that more resources are needed to support law enforcement, court professionals, and social services specialists to proactively identify and refer families to wraparound supports before the situation can escalate to a fatality.

Building a Transdisciplinary Team to Prevent Intimate Partner Homicide: A Research Note

Intimate partner violence (IPV) and intimate partner homicide (IPH) are complex global problems. Transdisciplinary research approaches offer the potential to increase the understanding of these events and inform best practices for prevention. To encourage scholars to adopt transdisciplinary practices when investigating multifaceted problems, this note employs a case study approach to detail one such effort-The Preventing and Assessing Intimate Partner Homicide Risk (PAIR) Studies. The goal of the PAIR Studies is to improve the understanding of IPH to inform the development of best practices for prevention. The note concludes with a discussion of the benefits of transdisciplinary approaches.

Policy Recommendations to Address the Nexus of Domestic Violence and Gun Violence

The United States sees far more firearm deaths than peer nations. A considerable proportion of firearm injuries and deaths, as well as mass shootings, are related to domestic violence (DV). This article discusses the relationship between guns and DV and shares policy recommendations for creating a safer North Carolina.

Firearm-Related Risks and Consequences for Immigrant Women in Abusive Relationships: Barriers to Reporting Threats to Safety and Recommendations for Safety Planning

Firearms are the leading cause of intimate partner violence-related murders of women in the US. This study aimed to understand differing consequences of partners' firearm possession on abused women and barriers women face in reporting threats to safety due to the partners' possession of a firearm.. Additionally, the study explored participants' perceptions of effective approaches to risk assessments and safety planning with women who are at-risk for being harmed by their partners' possession of a firearm. Qualitative semi-structured interviews with seventeen service providers and 45 immigrant women survivors of intimate partner violence were conducted. Data were analyzed using content analysis procedure. Participants shared that the partners' possession of a firearm can increase risk for firearm-related injury or fatality in situations of escalation of violence. Abused women living with a partner with firearm possession live in constant fear or threat. The presence of a firearm can also be a trigger of unwanted memories of the past and can have legal and other consequences for survivors. Impediments to reporting threats to safety were barriers such as lack of knowledge of firearm-related risks and gender and social norms. The findings can be informative for safety planning with survivors of IPV whose partners own or have access to a firearm. Comprehensive assessment of risks and barriers can be used to develop individualized and tailored safety plans for survivors with a partner who possesses a firearm.

[Increase in physical violence against women perpetrated by the intimate partner: a trend analysis]

The scope of this article is to analyze the temporal trend by conducting a time series study of physical violence against women by an intimate partner in the State of Paraná between 2009 and 2016. Records of violence were obtained from the Notifiable Diseases and Violent Events Information System-SINAN. Levels of physical violence against women were calculated according to sociodemographic characteristics and means of aggression. For the trend analysis, polynomial regression was used. The notifications increased from 11.1 cases/100,000 women in 2009 to 91.2 in 2016, with an average annual increase of 14.84. There was an increase in rates of physical violence against women in all the Health Macroregional units, especially in the West with the highest average rate and in the North with the highest average annual increase. The spouse was the main aggressor. However, there was an increase in aggression by ex-spouses and boyfriends. There was also an increase in notifications among women aged 20-29 and 50-59 years, with eight years or more of study, and black/brown, yellow and indigenous race/color. The results reveal an increase in notifications of physical violence against women by an intimate partner, with changes in the sociodemographic profile of the victims.

Can Justice System Interventions Prevent Intimate Partner Homicide? An Analysis of Rates of Help Seeking Prior to Fatality

When women are killed, they are more likely to be killed by an intimate partner than anyone else, and a substantial number of women who are killed by an intimate were abused by that intimate partner before their death. The proportion of men killed by an intimate partner is much lower and prior research indicates that male intimate partner homicide victims are likely to abuse their partners prior to their deaths. However, limited research has examined the criminal and civil justice help seeking of intimate partner homicide victims. This study examines administrative data from one large urban police jurisdiction to understand rates of help seeking by homicide victims in the 1 to 3 years prior to the homicide. Over 4 years (2010-2014), 197 women and 776 men were killed. The proportion of women killed by an intimate or ex-intimate partner was 39.6%, and the proportion of men killed by an intimate or ex-intimate partner was 3.9%. Police had been in contact with the victim of intimate partner femicides for a domestic violence complaint in 91% of cases in the 3 years prior to the femicide (44.9% resulted in arrest), with an average of 6.2 visits per contacted victim. Among male intimate partner homicide victims, 73.3% had been the complainant on a domestic violence case (38.1% resulted in arrest). Few (<10%) victims sought protection orders before the homicide. Over the 3 years prior to their deaths, 36.7% of male homicide victims and 9.0% of femicide victims had been the suspect in a domestic violence case. Results indicate high rates of engagement of police officers with intimate partner homicide victims before their deaths, and highlight the opportunity for homicide prevention through integration of risk assessment (to identify high-risk cases) and enhanced criminal justice and social service interventions in high-risk cases.

Enhancing and evaluating the capacity of elder abuse fatality review teams to assist victim services

Fatality review teams (FRTs) have been historically helpful in identifying systemic issues that may lead to child and domestic violence deaths to improve responses, guide prevention efforts, and better serve victims. More recently, these teams have formed to address similar concerns in elder abuse matters. The American Bar Association Commission on Law and Aging received an early grant to study elder abuse fatality review teams (EAFRTs) and in 2005 created its first Replication Guide. The current study reports on a subsequent national survey of EAFRTs, conducted 14 years later to identify important similarities and differences in team operations, impact and sustainability. EAFRTs are growing nationally in numbers, have positive impacts on member elder abuse and victim services knowledge, skills and confidence, but experience challenges to impact evaluability and sustainability due to low funding and membership time, turnover and commitment. Recommendations for supporting newly developing and currently functioning EAFRTs are provided.