Screening of domestic violence against women in the perinatal setting: A systematic review

Abstract

Aim: To review published studies focusing on the screening of domestic violence (DV) against women, in particular, the instruments, the screening methods and the interventions used to help abused women after screening. Based on the results of the review, the suitability of introducing routine screening for DV in the perinatal setting in Japan would be assessed. Methods: National Guideline Clearinghouse database, HSTAT, PubMed, CINAHL, the Cochrane Library and the Ichushi‐Web were all used to searched from when records were first held until February 2003 for eligible primary studies and systematic reviews for this literature review. Each selected article was independently read and appraised by two reviewers who finally selected 12 primary studies and three systematic reviews that fulfilled the criteria for inclusion. Results: Three studies evaluated screening instruments for DV (i.e. Abuse Assessment Screen, Partner Violence Screen and Violence Against Women Screen) and of these, the Violence Against Women Screen was the most valid, reliable and suitable for use in the clinical setting in Japan. The three studies that examined the screening method had differing results, but the one conducted in Japan showed a significantly higher rate of identification in the self‐administered questionnaire group compared with the interview group. The six studies that tested the effectiveness of interventions for abused women showed that counseling sessions after screening and the advocacy program for postsheltered women were effective in reducing DV. Conclusion: Routine screening of all pregnant women in Japan for DV should be introduced, considering the high burden of suffering that women expose to DV experience, and the existence of both acceptable screening instruments and effective interventions.

Opportunities and obstacles to screening pregnant women for intimate partner violence during antenatal care in Zimbabwe

“…Hindin (2006) found that there was need to enter into a trusting relationship with the women before screening. The need for appropriate and culturally relevant ways of asking the screening questions has been reported in Japan (Kataoka et al 2004) and in the USA (Hindin 2006). The midwives in our study raised difficulties asking questions in their vernacular, which may suggest that any screening tool designed should be culturally relevant.…”

A Scoping Review of Intimate Partner Violence Screening Programs for Health Care Professionals

“…Consequently, multiple programs within health care settings have been developed to identify women experiencing IPV; however, substantial variation in program content and effectiveness has created challenges in drawing conclusions [7–9]. Additionally, controversy exists regarding the clinical merits of universal screening [7–13].…”

“…Additionally, controversy exists regarding the clinical merits of universal screening [7–13]. Those who support universal screening in health care settings argue that effective screening tools are available [9], screening increases IPV detection rates [14, 15], and the majority of women view screening as acceptable provided that it is conducted in private, sensitive, and non-judgmental manner [16, 17]. Those who do not support universal screening argue that there is insufficient evidence to support implementation [7, 11] and that potential adverse outcomes from such programs are unknown [8].…”

A five year follow-up study of the Bristol pregnancy domestic violence programme to promote routine enquiry

“…Although there have been a number of international reviews establishing the effectiveness of training in identifying victims of domestic abuse (Wathen and MacMillan, 2003;Ramsay et al, 2002;Kataoka, et al, 2004;U.S. Preventive Service Task Force, 2004;Feder et al, 2009).…”