 |
|
Case Study
1. Roseanne
|
Roseanne is rushing to get ready for work. She finishes
helping 3 year old Matthew get dressed and gives him some
breakfast. She grabs the baby from her crib and a shooting
pain stabs her in the right shoulder. With the pain comes
the memory of last night. Roseanne's husband Jack got
home late last night-he had been drinking and he was in
a foul mood. He finally went to bed-but not before berating
Roseanne, as usual, and slapping and punching her multiple
times. She has bruises on her face that her makeup can
barely hide. She touches up her makeup one last time before
dropping off both Matthew and the baby with her mother.
Her mother knows that it's been difficult for Roseanne,
but she doesn't know how bad it's gotten. Since Roseanne
was pregnant with 5 month old Tara, she has been punched,
kicked and sexually victimized repeatedly by her husband.
It has become a routine part of her life. While driving
to work, Roseanne starts crying. She tries to reapply
some more makeup to cover the bruises as she rushes
onto the unit. Roseanne is a neonatal nurse.
|
Roseanne is like so many American women;
she is the victim of intimate partner violence/domestic violence
(IPV/DV). IPV/DV is actual or threatened physical or sexual
violence or psychological and emotional abuse directed toward
a spouse, ex-spouse, current or significant other, or current
or former dating partner. Intimate partners may be heterosexual
or of the same sex; sexual intimacy is not a requirement in
this definition (CDC, 2006).
IPV/DV is widespread in the US-indeed it
is rampant worldwide. According to the National Coalition
Against Domestic Violence (NCADV), one in four women report
that they have been physically assaulted or raped by an intimate
partner (NCADV, 2007).
Estimates, generally considered very conservative,
are that 1.3 million women are victims of IPV/DV (NCADV, 2007a).
If one compares this estimate of women victims to the total
number of females in the US (149.1 million in 2004), it is
clear that the estimated number of 1.2 million women is quite
low.
It's important for victims of IPV/DV to
know they are not alone (USDHHS, 2008):
- Nearly 25 percent of U.S. women have been raped or physically
assaulted by an intimate partner at some point in their
lives;
- More than 1 million women are stalked by partners each
year;
- Physical and psychological abuse is connected to chronic
health problems such as gastrointestinal disorders, chronic
pain syndrome, depression and suicidal behavior;
- Abused women are six to eight times more likely to use
healthcare services than non-abused women.
Unfortunately, when victims seek medical care, healthcare
providers often do not screen for and identify IPV/DV. Some
studies have shown that approximately 70 to 81 percent of
survivors of abuse want their healthcare professionals to
ask them about domestic abuse during their appointments (USDHHS,
2008). The purpose of this course is to assist healthcare
providers to intervene more effectively in identifying and
treating victims of IPV/DV.
Conceptualizing IPV/DV as a public health issue helps one
to recognize that this issue impacts multiple domains (relational,
financial, education, employment, law enforcement/legal) in
the life of the individual, family, community and social in
general. Healthcare providers have long supported the conceptualization
of IPV/DV as a public health issue through:
- Identifying the problem (definitions, frequency, prevalence,
injuries, death),
- Identifying risk factors and protective factors,
- Developing and testing strategies (such as the use of
best practice and evidence-based guidelines), and
- Assuring widespread adoption of the strategies.
The purpose of this course is to provide healthcare providers
with current information about IPV/DV, in order to support
greater identification and intervention of IPV/DV in the healthcare
setting.
For the purposes of this course the term intimate partner
violence/domestic violence (IPV/DV) will be used. The course
will also use the pronouns "she" and "her" in relation to
victims of IPV/DV and "he" or "him" for perpetrators. The
learner is reminded that although statistically more women
are abused by men, this violence can also occur at the hands
of women towards their male partners, and among same-gender
partners.
Continue on to
|
|
