No abstract

In a pilot study, the authors distributed a brief questionnaire dealing with psychosocial concerns to 200 students awaiting treatment in the student health service at a large urban university. They hypothesized that a questionnaire administered immediately before students visited the physician or family nurse practitioner would encourage the students to discuss problems such as anxiety and depression during the medical session. Using the questionnaire, they found, led to the practitioner's discovery of a condition requiring treatment or explaining a problem the student had not discussed in previous visits. Such a questionnaire, the authors suggest, could be a valuable means for identifying psychosocial concerns significant enough to require treatment or further evaluation.

No abstract

a timely and comprehensive review of issues regarding the abuse of women during pregnancy. It is based on an extensive literature review as well as findings from the Stalking and Violence Project, a study conducted in the United States that draws on police records. A chapter on the psychosocial effects of violence was contributed by Mark Goldstein, who provides illustrative case studies from his practice in clinical psychology.In the first several chapters, Morewitz addresses the prevalence of abuse of women before, during, and after pregnancy and the causes and risk factors for such violence. Studies conducted in the United States have estimated that between 1 and 20 percent of pregnant women experience physical violence; the majority of estimates fall between 4 and 8 percent. International studies have produced estimates as high as 30 percent (Heise et al. 1999;Campbell et al. 2004) In the majority of studies, younger, less-educated, and poorer women are at a greater risk than other women of experiencing abuse during pregnancy. Women who report experiencing violence during pregnancy are more likely than others to report having witnessed domestic violence during their childhood, using alcohol and tobacco, and having an unintended pregnancy.Chapter 4 addresses parental child abductions, an issue that is often overlooked in discussions of domestic violence. The research cited by the author indicates, however, that an important link exists between these two issues: A large number of parental child-abduction cases are preceded by incidents of domestic violence.Chapters 5 through 7 discuss the physical and psychosocial effects of violence on the pregnant woman, neonatal outcomes, and effects on child development. Violence during pregnancy has been associated with a broad range of adverse pregnancy outcomes, including bleeding, miscarriages, infections, high-risk behaviors such as smoking and substance abuse, as well as low birth weight and child mortality. Moreover, many of the negative health consequences of violence for nonpregnant women, such as depression and physical injury, are often more severe when the abused woman is pregnant.The last third of the book deals with interventions undertaken to address domestic violence, primarily in the United States. Chapter 8 assesses police and court responses to domestic violence, particularly the effectiveness of restraining orders, and policies such as mandatory arrest for offenders. It describes differences in how services are used and in their outcomes.Chapters 9, 10, and 11 describe the social services that are available for abused women and, in particular, the challenges faced by health-care providers for screening and offering care to abused pregnant women. These three chapters present guidelines for screening victims of violence and for psychosocial treatment of women who have been abused. The last chapter discusses the challenges involved in identifying and treating offenders and different approaches to these efforts that have been used.This book is an ambitious ef...

No abstract