NCJ Number
223714
Journal
Violence Against Women Volume: 14 Issue: 6 Dated: June 2008 Pages: 715-726
Date Published
June 2008
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This research describes the potential for social support for intimate partner violence victims in health care settings.
Abstract
The study of intimate partner violence (IPV) survivors and emergency department (ED) nurses found that the survivors mentioned fear as a barrier for action, whereas nurses were more likely to say that the woman was in denial. Survivors emphasized emotional support and respect, whereas nurses emphasized informational and instrumental support. IPV victims desired appropriate, respectful responses by nurses, suitable to their stage of readiness. The article also indicated that nurses needed more insight into women's decisions to disclose and leave a relationship and skills to provide emotional support to these victims. The authors compared perspectives of intimate partner violence (IPV) survivors and emergency department (ED) nurses on the types of social support that IPV victims needed at different stages of readiness to disclose and leave a relationship. Data were derived as a result of qualitative, semistructured interviews which were conducted with 16 IPV survivors and 10 ED nurses. The interviews centered on women's responses to vignettes that illustrated different stages of readiness. The 16 victims were residents of a domestic violence shelter in North Carolina, and the 10 nurses were full-time hospital employees who were interviewed between October 2005 and March 2006. References