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Domestic Violence
Knowledge Path

October 2008

Table of Contents

Introduction

Resources for Professionals

Resources for Victims and Families

Children Exposed to Domestic Violence

Dating Violence Among Adolescents

Violence Between Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Partners

Please provide feedback on this knowledge path.

Introduction

This knowledge path has been compiled by the Maternal and Child Health Library at Georgetown University. It presents a selection of current, high-quality resources about identifying and responding to domestic violence within the home and the community. A separate section lists resources for families. Other sections present resources about children exposed to domestic violence; dating violence among adolescents; and violence between gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender partners. This knowledge path is aimed at health professionals, program administrators, policymakers, advocates, researchers, employers, and victims of abuse and their families. This path will be updated periodically.

Please note: Current literature about domestic violence uses a variety of terms including "domestic violence," "intimate partner violence," "spouse abuse," "battering," and "dating violence." The terminology used in this knowledge path follows the usage of the source being described.

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Resources for Professionals

Overview

See Understanding intimate partner violence (2006) by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This fact sheet documents the occurrence of intimate partner violence; briefly describes its physical, psychological, social, and economic consequences; and outlines prevention strategies.

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Web Sites

Additional Electronic Publications

Databases

The databases listed below are excellent tools for identifying data, additional literature and research, and programs about domestic violence. Many of the entries below contain tips on how to use the databases efficiently. Please note that databases vary in how terms should be entered; for example, some require quotation marks and others don't. Enter search phrases as shown in bold below.

Data
Literature and Research
  • CAVNET (Communities Against Violence Network). Contains information about books, reports, articles, court opinions, Web sites, and other resources in the areas of domestic violence, stalking, sexual assault, and rape. For a general search, click on Search CAVNET and enter "domestic violence" in the search box. See the Issue Directory for automatic searches of the database on specific topics. Part of CAVNET's Web site is available by paid subscription only. CAVNET is an international network of professionals and advocates working in the areas of domestic violence, stalking, sexual assault, and rape.

  • Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence (CSPV) Databases. Presents four databases with information about violence-related research and literature; curricula and videotapes; prevention, intervention, and treatment programs; and survey instruments for program evaluation. Domestic violence is a keyword used in each of the four databases. Each database also offers a keyword list for more refined searching. Click on a keyword on the list for an automatic search of the database. CSPV is a research center within the Institute of Behavioral Science at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

  • Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Presents systematic reviews of the effects of health care interventions internationally. Search for abstracts of the reviews by entering "domestic violence" OR "intimate partner violence" in the search box. Click on Search Reviews to get your results. Access to the full-text article requires a subscription. The database is published by the Cochrane Collaboration, an international not-for-profit organization based in the United Kingdom.

  • Computer Retrieval of Information on Scientific Projects (CRISP). Contains information about federally funded biomedical research projects conducted at universities, hospitals, and other research institutions. Search CRISP to identify scientific concepts, emerging trends and techniques, or specific projects and investigators. Type domestic violence in the search term box of the Query Form and click on Phrase. Click on Submit Query to get your results. Narrow your search by selecting a grant activity, fiscal year, or state, or use the CRISP Thesaurus to identify additional search terms. The database is maintained by the Office of Extramural Research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

  • Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects (DARE). Contains summaries of systematic reviews that have met strict quality criteria. Included reviews must be about the effects of interventions. Each summary also provides a critical commentary on the quality of the review. The database covers a broad range of health topics. To identify summaries, type "domestic violence" OR "intimate partner violence" in the search box. Click on Search to get your results. DARE is produced and maintained by the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination at the University of York.

  • Education Resources Information Center (ERIC) Database. Presents information about journal articles, research reports, teaching guides, curricula, conference papers, and books covering all aspects of education-related issues. To identify resources on the topic, click on Advanced Search. Next to Search for, select Descriptors (from Thesaurus) and type "family violence" in the field next to it. Select a publication date range and click on Search to get your results. Use the ERIC Thesaurus to identify search terms for related searches. ERIC is sponsored by the Department of Education.

  • Maternal and Child Health Library at the National Center for Education in Maternal and Child Health (NCEMCH), Georgetown University. Maintains several databases to collect, manage, and disseminate knowledge about maternal and child health (MCH), with special emphasis on knowledge gained from initiatives and programs supported by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB). The library's bibliographic database is

    MCHLine®. To identify library materials on the topic, type "domestic violence" in the keyword field of the database search form. To narrow your search, enter a single publication year or range of years. Click on Search to get your results.

    Maternal and Child Health Library also offers organizations and programs databases.

  • National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS) Abstracts Database. Contains summaries of more than 195,000 criminal justice, juvenile justice, and substance abuse reports, articles, audiovisual products, and other resources from the United States and internationally. These resources include statistics, research findings, program descriptions, congressional hearing transcripts, and training materials. To identify items about domestic violence, enter "domestic violence" in the subject search field. Click on Search to get your results. NCJRS is administered by the Office of Justice Programs.

  • National Guideline Clearinghouse (NGC). Contains evidence-based clinical practice guidelines and related materials for health professionals. Identify guidelines by selecting Detailed Search in the Search box. Enter "domestic violence" in the Keyword field. Click on Search to get your results.The database is an initiative of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).

  • National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) Library. This bibliographic database contains information about materials in the library collections of NSVRC and the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape (PCAR). To identify materials about domestic violence, select Power Search under Additional Search Types. Select Subject under Select search type, and enter "domestic violence" in the field next to it. Click on Go to get your results.

  • PubMed. Contains over 17 million citations for biomedical articles that date back to the 1950s. These citations are from MEDLINE and additional life science journals. PubMed includes links to many sites providing full-text articles and other related resources. To identify citations on the topic, enter the search phrase battered women OR spouse abuse OR (interpersonal relations AND violence) in PubMed. Then, click on Limits, and make the following selections on the page: select a date (e.g., Published in the last 2 years); click on Languages: English; and select Tag Terms: MeSH Major Topic. Click on Go to get your results. Add search terms (e.g., pregnancy) to further limit the search. Search MeSH, the controlled vocabulary used for indexing articles in MEDLINE/PubMed, to identify additional search terms. PubMed is a service of the National Library of Medicine (NLM).

  • SafetyLit: Injury Prevention Abstracts Online. Provides abstracts of English-language reports and journal articles about preventing unintentional injuries, violence, and self-harm. The literature is drawn from the fields of anthropology, economics, education, engineering, ergonomics, law and law enforcement, medicine, physiology, psychology, public health, public safety, nursing, social work, traffic safety, and other fields. To identify literature about domestic violence, click on Link to the SafetyLit Archive Search Page. Enter the term domestic violence in the text word field, select a date limit, and click on View Abstracts. Conduct another search using the term, intimate partner violence. There will be some overlap in the abstracts identified by the two searches. Subscribe to the SafetyLit Update and receive a weekly e-mail notice about new additions to the database. SafetyLit is presented by the San Diego State University Graduate School of Public Health in collaboration with the World Health Organization.

  • Also see the Minnesota Center Against Violence and Abuse (MINCAVA) and the National Online Resource Center on Violence Against Women (VAWnet).
Programs

Electronic Newsletters

Resources for Victims and Families

Hotlines

  • National Center for Victims of Crime (NCVC). Offers a hotline for information and referrals to local services for victims of all types of crime. Information is available in more than 180 languages. Telephone: (800) 394-2255 (FYI-CALL); (800) 211-7996 (TDD).

  • National Domestic Violence Hotline. Offers crisis intervention, safety planning, information about domestic violence, and referrals to local services to victims of domestic violence and those calling on their behalf. Telephone: (800) 799-7233 (799-SAFE); (800) 787-3224 (TDD).

  • National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline. Offers teens experiencing dating abuse support and resource referrals by a trained peer advocate 24 hours a day. Telephone: (866) 331-9474; (866) 331-8453 (TDD). Or, chat online from 4:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m., CST.

  • Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN): Get Help Now. Operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline, which provides free, confidential counseling 24 hours a day in partnership with rape crisis centers across the country. Telephone: (800) 656-4673 (HOPE). The hotline also offers an online interface. Or, search by state or zip code to find a local crisis center.

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Web Sites for Victims and Families

Children Exposed to Domestic Violence