In a clinical context, nurses should be aware of the symptoms of violence, and they should have skills in dealing with intimate moral and spiritual issues.

Violence against women has been extensively studied in various disciplines, whereas less attention has been paid to the experiences of men. Even the violent behavior of men in their intimate relationships has been mostly studied as experienced by women. This study follows Husserlian descriptive phenomenology. Twenty open-ended interviews were conducted with 10 Finnish men with a history of intimate partner violence (IPV). The data were analyzed by the method developed by Colaizzi. Findings suggested that men considered communication and dynamics of the relationship important. Fundamentally, these abusive men had a need to be respected as men, and they sought to experience human dignity. It is necessary to readjust the framework on interpersonal violence, listen to the voice of men, and develop prevention, early identification, and supportive intervention strategies for men, couples, and families. Research on IPV should be expanded to include the experiences of both genders.

The purpose of this article is to present the clinical nursing guideline we developed to help nurses to identify and intervene in child maltreatment, defined as physical and psychological abuse and neglect. The guideline is based on a review of 77 research articles and review and discussion papers searched systematically from databases. According to this review, child maltreatment is associated with risk factors which may manifest themselves in the child, the parents or in the whole family. Knowledge and assessment of these risk factors are of the utmost importance. Particular attention needs to be paid to the accumulation of risks in the family. Physical and other signs caused by maltreatment are central to the identification of maltreatment. Important opportunities for identification and intervention are home visits to families with children, and during clinic visits, with questions and discussion about child‐rearing practices, the parents' or carers' relationship and violence which might be present in family life. The guideline summarises the most compelling multidisciplinary research evidence in order to make recommendations which guide nurses and other professionals on providing care to families with children and in developing identification and intervention practices. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Key Practitioner Messages The guideline is based on a systematic review which presents research evidence for developing identification and intervention practices concerning child maltreatment.Important issues are the occurrence of risk factors, signs of maltreatment in a child and methods of identification and intervention.Next steps are implementing the knowledge into multiprofessional practice and evaluating its usefulness by further research.

This study aimed to examine possible changes from 2008 to 2012 in the skills of health care staff in identifying and intervening in domestic violence (DV). A longitudinal descriptive study design with volunteer samples (baseline; n = 68, follow-up; n = 100) was used to acquire information regarding the present state and needs of the staff in practices related to DV. The results of the baseline survey were used as a basis for planning two interventions: staff training and drafting practical guidelines. Information was collected by questionnaires from nurses, physicians, and social workers and supplemented by responses from the interviews. The data were analysed using both quantitative and qualitative methods. A chi-square test was used to test the statistical significance of the data sets. In addition, participants' quotes are used to describe specific phenomena or issues. The comparison showed that overall a small positive change had taken place between the study periods. However, the participants were aware of their own shortcomings in identifying and intervening in DV. Changes happen slowly, and administrative support is needed to sustain such changes. Therefore, this paper offers recommendations to improve health care providers' response to DV. Moreover, there is a great need for evaluating the training programme used.

The purpose of this study was to describe women's perceptions of their violent behavior in a heterosexual partnership. The study followed the traditions of Husserlian descriptive phenomenology and the philosophy of existential phenomenology. Twenty-four volunteer Finnish women, aged 19 to 58 years, with a history of different manifestations of intimate partner violence (IPV) participated in open-ended interviews. The data were analyzed by the method developed by Colaizzi. The findings revealed that some of the women who opposed all violence on ethical grounds did not label their behavior as violent; some others minimized or justified their violent behavior. The findings offer professional insight into women's violent behavior and call for a readjustment in approaches to work in the area. Prevention and early identification of IPV require knowledge of the various manifestations and individual meanings of violence. Helping methods should provide women with the opportunity to talk about their abusive behavior and to confront and address their feelings of guilt, disappointment, and shame.