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  • Title: Evaluating domestic partner abuse in a family practice clinic.
    Author: Pan HS, Ehrensaft MK, Heyman RE, O'Leary KD, Schwartz R.
    Journal: Fam Med; 1997; 29(7):492-5. PubMed ID: 9232411.
    Abstract:
    BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Although national surveys indicate that approximately 2 million women are victims of severe physical aggression by their partners each year, these women are underidentified by physicians. The assessment by medical personnel of partner abuse is hampered by lack of a simple and reliable instrument that systematically and quickly determines the occurrence and effect of abuse among patients. METHODS: Ninety (58% of an eligible pool) consecutive, consenting, eligible female patients at a suburban family practice clinic at a tertiary university hospital completed the Partner Abuse Interview to evaluate the 1-year prevalence and effect of abuse. RESULTS: The Partner Abuse Interview required as little as 3 minutes to administer. Results obtained with the interview instrument were internally consistent. Interrater reliability was high for the diagnosis of partner relationship problems with physical abuse by males, as reported by females. Approximately 15% of the women reported having sustained injury or being fearful of their partners as a result of their partners' physical aggression in the past year. CONCLUSIONS: The Partner Abuse Interview is a simple and reliable instrument that could be adapted for use by medical personnel to assess incidents of abuse among patients. Physicians' assessment of domestic partner abuse is hindered by the lack of a simple, quick, reliable instrument that determines the occurrence and effect of abuse among female patients. The Partner Abuse Interview, a modified version of the Conflict Tactics Scale, has the potential to meet this need. This instrument was tested in 90 consecutive female patients who presented to a suburban family practice clinic at a US university hospital in 1993. The interview took 3 minutes to complete when there was no domestic violence and 10-15 minutes when violence was detected. Inter-rater reliability was above 90% for all three definitions of partner abuse: any physical aggression, severe violence, and partner abuse. 32%, 16%, and 13% of respondents, respectively, fell into these categories. Pushing, grabbing, and shoving were the most frequently reported abusive behaviors. Compared with women in nonabusive relationships, women in relationships characterized by fear/injury had a lower family income, lower marital satisfaction scores, and less education. More widespread use of this interview is recommended by physicians to identify women in need of treatment and counseling.
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