This Article  • Full text  • PDF  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citation map  • Citing articles on HighWire  • Citing articles on Web of Science (121)  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Related letter  • Related article  • Similar articles in JAMA  Topic Collections  • Primary Care/ Family Medicine  • Violence and Human Rights  • Violence and Human Rights, Other  • Women's Health  • Women's Health, Other  • Alert me on articles by topic  Social Bookmarking   What's this?

Scientific Review

C. Nadine Wathen, MA; Harriet L. MacMillan, MD, MSc

JAMA. 2003;289:589-600.

Context  Intimate partner violence is prevalent and is associated with significant impairment, yet it remains unclear which interventions, if any, reduce rates of abuse and reabuse.

Objective  To systematically review, from the perspective of primary health care, the available evidence on interventions aimed at preventing abuse or reabuse of women.

Data Sources  MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, HealthStar, and Sociological Abstracts were searched from the database start dates to March 2001 using database-specific key words such as domestic violence, spouse abuse, partner abuse, shelters, and battered women. References of key articles were hand searched. The search was updated in December 2002.

Study Selection  Both authors reviewed all titles and abstracts using established inclusion/exclusion criteria. Twenty-two articles met the inclusion criteria for critical appraisal.

Data Extraction  Following the evidence-based methods of the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care, both authors independently reviewed the 22 included studies using an established hierarchy of study designs and criteria for rating internal validity. Quality ratings of individual studies—good, fair, or poor—were determined based on a set of operational parameters specific to each design category developed with the US Preventive Services Task Force.

Data Synthesis  Screening instruments exist that can identify women who are experiencing intimate partner violence. No study has examined, in a comparative design, the effectiveness of screening when the end point is improved outcomes for women (as opposed to identification of abuse). No high-quality evidence exists to evaluate the effectiveness of shelter stays to reduce violence. Among women who have spent at least 1 night in a shelter, there is fair evidence that those who received a specific program of advocacy and counseling services reported a decreased rate of reabuse and an improved quality of life. The benefits of several other intervention strategies in treating both women and men are unclear, primarily because of a lack of suitably designed research measuring appropriate outcomes. In most cases, the potential harms of interventions are not assessed within the studies reviewed.

Conclusions  Much has been learned in recent years about the epidemiology of violence against women, yet information about evidence-based approaches in the primary care setting for preventing intimate partner violence is seriously lacking. The evaluation of interventions to improve the health and well-being of abused women remains a key research priority.

Author Affiliations: The Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care and Faculty of Information and Media Studies, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario (Ms Wathen); and McMaster University, Canadian Centre for Studies of Children at Risk, Chedoke Site, McMaster Children's Hospital, Hamilton Health Sciences, Hamilton, Ontario (Dr MacMillan).

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter     What's this?

RELATED LETTER

Intervening in Abusive Relationships
Thomas E. Finucane
JAMA. 2003;289(17):2211.
EXTRACT | FULL TEXT  

RELATED ARTICLE

Interventions for Intimate Partner Violence Against Women: Clinical Applications
Karin V. Rhodes and Wendy Levinson
JAMA. 2003;289(5):601-605.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

Medical and Psychosocial Diagnoses in Women With a History of Intimate Partner Violence
Bonomi et al.
Arch Intern Med 2009;169:1692-1697.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Screening for Intimate Partner Violence in Health Care Settings: A Randomized Trial
MacMillan et al.
JAMA 2009;302:493-501.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Preventing Intimate Partner Violence: Screening Is Not Enough
Moracco and Cole
JAMA 2009;302:568-570.
FULL TEXT  

Computer-Assisted Screening for Intimate Partner Violence and Control: A Randomized Trial
Ahmad et al.
ANN INTERN MED 2009;151:93-102.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Abortion and domestic violence
Aston and Bewley
The Obstetrician and Gynaecologist 2009;11:163-168.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Verbal Marital Conflict and Male Domination in the Family as Risk Factors of Intimate Partner Violence
Vives-Cases et al.
Trauma Violence Abuse 2009;10:171-180.
ABSTRACT  

Impact of Emergency Department Intimate Partner Violence Intervention
Kendall et al.
J Interpers Violence 2009;24:280-306.
ABSTRACT  

The Elusive Search for Definitive Evidence on Routine Screening for Intimate Partner Violence
Spangaro et al.
Trauma Violence Abuse 2009;10:55-68.
ABSTRACT  

Cumulative Experiences of Violence Among High-Risk Urban Youth
Taylor et al.
J Interpers Violence 2008;23:1618-1635.
ABSTRACT  

A Comparison of Intimate Partner Homicide to Intimate Partner Homicide-Suicide: One Hundred and Twenty-Four New Mexico Cases
Banks et al.
Violence Against Women 2008;14:1065-1078.
ABSTRACT  

Violent Behavior of Men in Their Intimate Relationships, as They Experience It
Flinck and Paavilainen
Am J Mens Health 2008;2:244-253.
ABSTRACT  

Violence between intimate partners: working with the whole family
Hegarty et al.
BMJ 2008;337:a839-a839.
FULL TEXT  

Interactions Between Victims of Intimate Partner Violence Against Women and the Health Care System: Policy and Practice Implications
Plichta
Trauma Violence Abuse 2007;8:226-239.
ABSTRACT  

Intimate partner violence prevalence and HIV risks among women receiving care in emergency departments: implications for IPV and HIV screening
El-Bassel et al.
Emerg. Med. J. 2007;24:255-259.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Violence involving intimate partners: Prevalence in Canadian family practice
Ahmad et al.
cfp 2007;53:460-468.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Intimate Partner Violence in Older Women
Bonomi et al.
Gerontologist 2007;47:34-41.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

The Prevalence of Violent Disagreements in US Families: Effects of Residence, Race/Ethnicity, and Parental Stress
Moore et al.
Pediatrics 2007;119:S68-S76.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Review: meta-analysis of qualitative studies generated recommendations for healthcare professionals meeting with women who had experienced intimate partner violence
Catallo
Evid. Based Nurs. 2006;9:125-125.
FULL TEXT  

Approaches to screening for intimate partner violence in health care settings: a randomized trial.
MacMillan et al.
JAMA 2006;296:530-536.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Intimate Partner Violence Resource Materials: Assessment of Information Distribution
Edwardsen and Morse
J Interpers Violence 2006;21:971-981.
ABSTRACT  

Mothers' Comfort with Screening Questions about Sensitive Issues, Including Domestic Violence.
Zink et al.
J Am Board Fam Med 2006;19:358-367.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Assessment for intimate partner violence: where do we stand?
Janssen et al.
J Am Board Fam Med 2006;19:413-415.
FULL TEXT  

Evaluation of a Police and Social Services Domestic Violence Program: Empirical Evidence Needed to Inform Public Health Policies
Hovell et al.
Violence Against Women 2006;12:137-159.
ABSTRACT  

Women Exposed to Intimate Partner Violence: Expectations and Experiences When They Encounter Health Care Professionals: A Meta-analysis of Qualitative Studies
Feder et al.
Arch Intern Med 2006;166:22-37.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Family Violence Research: Lessons Learned and Where From Here?
MacMillan and Wathen
JAMA 2005;294:618-620.
FULL TEXT  

Prevalence of victims of violence admitted to an emergency department
Hofner et al.
Emerg. Med. J. 2005;22:481-485.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

A population based study of reporting patterns and characteristics of men who abuse their female partners
Peek-Asa et al.
Inj. Prev. 2005;11:180-185.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Reflections on Partner Violence: 20 Years of Research and Beyond
Rhatigan et al.
J Interpers Violence 2005;20:82-88.
ABSTRACT  

Theme Issue on Violence and Human Rights: Call for Papers
Cole and Flanagin
JAMA 2004;292:3030-3030.
FULL TEXT  

Effects of Home Visits by Paraprofessionals and by Nurses: Age 4 Follow-Up Results of a Randomized Trial
Olds et al.
Pediatrics 2004;114:1560-1568.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Intimate Partner Violence and Physical Health Consequences: Commentary on Plichta
McFarlane
J Interpers Violence 2004;19:1335-1341.
 

Toward Developing Complex Multivariate Models for Examining the Intimate Partner Violence-Physical Health Relationship: Commentary on Plichta
Weaver and Resnick
J Interpers Violence 2004;19:1342-1349.
 

Domestic Violence: A Pediatric Concern
Berkowitz
Pediatr. Rev. 2004;25:306-311.
FULL TEXT  

Review: current therapies for men committing acts of domestic violence are of limited benefit
MacMillan and Wathen
Evid. Based Ment. Health 2004;7:79-79.
FULL TEXT  

Medical Management of Intimate Partner Violence Considering the Stages of Change: Precontemplation and Contemplation
Zink et al.
Ann Fam Med 2004;2:231-239.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

An Integrative Review of Separation in the Context of Victimization: Consequences and Implications for Women
Walker et al.
Trauma Violence Abuse 2004;5:143-193.
ABSTRACT  

Intimate partner violence
Ferris
BMJ 2004;328:595-596.
FULL TEXT  

General practitioner management of intimate partner abuse and the whole family: qualitative study
Taft et al.
BMJ 2004;328:618.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Practising sound medicine in the absence of evidence
MacMillan and Wathen
CMAJ 2004;170:767-768.
FULL TEXT  

Screening Women and Elderly Adults for Family and Intimate Partner Violence: A Review of the Evidence for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force
Nelson et al.
ANN INTERN MED 2004;140:387-396.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Family Violence in Primary Care; Violence Against Women: A Physician's Guide to Identification and Management
Clark
BMJ 2003;327:686-686.
FULL TEXT  

Violence against women: integrating the evidence into clinical practice
MacMillan and Wathen
CMAJ 2003;169:570-571.
FULL TEXT  

Prevention of violence against women: Recommendation statement from the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care
Wathen and MacMillan
CMAJ 2003;169:582-584.
FULL TEXT  

Intervening in Abusive Relationships
Finucane
JAMA 2003;289:2211-2211.
FULL TEXT  

Interventions for Intimate Partner Violence Against Women: Clinical Applications
Rhodes and Levinson
JAMA 2003;289:601-605.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT