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Domestic Violence
Knowledge Path

Introduction

This knowledge path has been compiled by the MCH 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.

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.

Websites

• American Bar Association (ABA): Commission on Domestic Violence. Contains resources for attorneys, health professionals, and others concerned about domestic violence and safety planning. Resources include policy statements, training information, consumer-education materials, and charts that summarize statutes from all 50 states regarding domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, dating violence, and human trafficking. ABA's initiatives include the National Teen Dating Violence Prevention Initiative and the Legal Assistance for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Victims of Domestic Violence.
  
  
• American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG): Violence Against Women. Contains resources for health professionals about domestic violence and sexual assault that include patient-education materials, screening tools, and contact information for state coalitions.
  
  
• Asian and Pacific Islander Institute on Domestic Violence. Offers reports, directories, translated materials, statistics, and other resources about domestic violence in Asian and Pacific Islander communities. The institute comprises a national network that works to raise awareness, expand leadership and expertise, and promote culturally relevant resources in Asian and Pacific Islander communities about domestic violence.
  
  
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Offers programs and initiatives about domestic violence that include

  CDC's Division of Reproductive Health: Violence and Reproductive Health. Provides background information and links to research related to violence that is associated with pregnancy-related illness, injury, and death. Includes a screen show lecture presentation.

  CDC's National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC): Intimate Partner Violence Prevention. Contains scientific and program information about intimate partner violence. Presents definitions, data sources, risk and protective factors, consequences, prevention strategies, and strategies for distributing prevention information and ensuring widespread adoption of prevention principles and strategies within communities.
  
  Also see CDC's adolescent-dating-violence-prevention initiative, Choose Respect.
  
  

• Corporate Alliance to End Partner Violence (CAEPV). Offers fact sheets, statistics, and articles about partner violence and about reducing the costs and consequences of partner violence at work. Describes corporate programs and policies that set the standard for how companies can handle this sensitive issue. CAEPV is an alliance of companies dedicated to the prevention of domestic violence by leveraging the strength and resources of the corporate community.
  
  
• Family Violence Prevention Fund (FVPF). Contains a wealth of resources about domestic violence for health professionals, policymakers, employers, advocates, the legal community, and victims of abuse. FVPF educates and advocates nationally and internationally to prevent violence within the home and in the community and to help those whose lives are devastated by abuse. Programs focus on children, health, immigrant women, international trafficking of women and girls, judicial education, public education, public policy, adolescent dating violence, and workplace issues. Resources include fact sheets, reports, training materials, assessment tools, public-education materials, legislative news, and an electronic journal. Initiatives include
  
  kNOwMORE. Presents information about this initiative to create a dialogue among health professionals, policymakers, and young women about the reproductive health consequences of sexual coercion and violence. Includes fact sheets and resources to assist health professionals in identifying and helping clients in need. Also features a blog and space for women who have experienced abuse to share their stories.
  
  Working with Men and Boys to Prevent Gender-Based Violence. Offers training materials, case studies, fact sheets, and community-building tools for working with males to prevent gender-based violence.
  
  
• Greenbook Initiative. Presents program information, tools, and resources about effective intervention in domestic violence and child maltreatment cases. Includes recommendations for child welfare agencies, domestic violence service providers, and family courts for improving policies and practices and enhancing coordination to better serve families in need.
  
  
• Institute on Domestic Violence in the African American Community. Presents program information and publications about domestic violence among African Americans.
  
  
• Minnesota Center Against Violence and Abuse (MINCAVA). Contains information about and links to domestic violence resources including curricula, published research, funding sources, training tools, experts and organizations, and multimedia resources. Topics include child exposure to domestic violence, adolescent dating violence, violence against women with disabilities, domestic violence in the military, domestic violence in racial and ethnic communities, and same-sex domestic violence. MINCAVA is located at the University of Minnesota School of Social Work.
  
  
• National Center for Victims of Crime (NCVC). Includes program information and resources, such as statistics, reports, bibliographies, and outreach materials on topics that include violence against women, dating violence, stalking, and parallel justice for victims of crime. NCVC serves victims of all types of crime with resources and a toll-free hotline. NCVC also provides public policy advocacy, training, and technical assistance to victim-service organizations, counselors, attorneys, criminal justice agencies, and service providers.
  
  
• National Center on Domestic and Sexual Violence (NCDSV). Provides training information and a resource library of reports and articles to encourage collaboration among professionals working to end domestic and sexual violence. Topics include domestic violence involving military personnel. NCDSV is a national organization helping a myriad of professionals in the criminal justice, legal, health, education, military, and social work communities who work with victims and perpetrators.
  
  
• National Clearinghouse on Abuse in Later Life (NCALL). Contains fact sheets, articles, resource lists, and other publications about domestic violence in later life. NCALL is hosted by the Wisconsin Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
  
  
• National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV). Provides domestic-violence-related resources for advocates and victims of abuse on topics such as reproductive health and pregnancy, children and custody, and women with disabilities who experience domestic violence. Includes a state coalition list and domestic violence facts by state. NCADV is a national membership organization of individuals and grassroots organizations.
  
  
• National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS): Domestic Violence. Contains links to facts, statistics, conference information, and publications about domestic violence. Also see the NCJRS Abstracts Database. NCJRS is a federally funded resource focusing on crime- and justice-related research, policy, and practice.
  
  
• National Latino Alliance for the Elimination of Domestic Violence (Alianza). Offers reports, brochures, fact sheets, and resource lists in English and Spanish about domestic violence affecting Latino communities. Alianza represents a national network of Latina and Latino advocates, service providers, researchers, community activists, and survivors of domestic violence.
  
  
• National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV). Includes federal legal and legislative news and information, program descriptions, state domestic violence coalition contact information, and other resources. NNEDV advocates for domestic violence victims and support programs in Congress, the executive branch, and federal courts. Initiatives include
  
  National Safe & Strategic Technology Project (Safety Net). Presents tools and information to educate victims of domestic and sexual violence, their advocates, and the general public on strategic ways to use technology to help victims escape abusive relationships. Safety Net also trains police officers and prosecutors on how to identify and hold perpetrators accountable for misusing technology.
  
  
• National Online Resource Center on Violence Against Women (VAWnet). Presents an electronic library of resources to support domestic-violence prevention, education, intervention, and public policy. Topics include adolescent dating violence. VAWnet is a project of the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence (NRCDV) with funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Subscribe to the VAWnet electronic newsletter.
  
  
• Nursing Network on Violence Against Women, International (NNVAWI). Contains abuse-assessment tools and research information about violence against women. NNVAWI aims to eliminate violence by advancing nursing education, practice, research, and public policy.
  
  
• Office on Violence Against Women (OVW). Contains grant and program information, information about federal legislation, and other resources to raise awareness and support training and services that respond to incidents of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. OVW is part of the Department of Justice. Resources and initiatives include

  National Advisory Committee on Violence Against Women. Presents information and reports about this joint effort between the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to address the crimes of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking.

• Online Domestic Violence Training Program. Offers nine online training units intended to provide social workers with basic knowledge about domestic violence. Each unit is followed by a quiz. Also included are a manual, a bibliography, and guidelines for finding a counselor. This program is offered by the Simmons College School of Social Work.
  

Additional Electronic Publications

• Ablorh-Odjidja A, Clark C, Cox E. 2008. Intimate partner violence among pregnant and parenting women: Local health department strategies for assessment, intervention, and prevention. Washington, DC: National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO). [Issue brief].
  
  
• Campbell JC. 2007. Danger assessment, rev. ed. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing. [Assessment tool]. The tool is available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and French Canadian.
  
  
• Campbell JC, Furniss KK. 2003. AWHONN's universal screening for domestic violence, 2nd. ed. Washington, DC: Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN). [Training package].
  
  
• Catalano SM. 2007. Intimate partner violence in the United States. Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics. [Report].
  
  
• Government Accountability Office (GAO). 2006. Prevalence of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking. Washington, DC: Government Accountability Office (GAO). [Report].
  
  
• Government Accountability Office (GAO). 2006. Military personnel: Progress made in implementing recommendations to reduce domestic violence, but further management action needed. Washington, DC: Government Accountability Office (GAO). [Report].
  
  
• Government Accountability Office (GAO). 2007. Services provided to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking. Washington, DC: Government Accountability Office (GAO). [Report].
  
  
• New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. 2007. Intimate partner violence: Encouraging disclosure and referral in the primary care setting. New York, NY: New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. [Report].
  
  
• New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. 2008. Intimate partner violence against women in New York City. New York, NY: New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. [Report].
  
  
• Office of the Surgeon General. 2008. Surgeon General's workshop on women's mental health. Rockville, MD: Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). [Report]. Topics include trauma, violence, and abuse.
  
  
• Ooms, T, Boggess J, Menard A, Myrick M, Roberts P, Tweedie J, Wilson P. 2006. Building bridges between the healthy marriage, responsible fatherhood, and domestic violence programs: A preliminary guide. Washington, DC: Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). [Guide, Issue brief].
  
  
• Reuland M, Morabito MS, Preston C, Cheney J. 2006. Police-community partnerships to address domestic violence. Washington, DC: Community Oriented Policing Services. [Report].
  
  
• Women's Healthcare Education Office (WHEO). 2005. Women's health care competencies for medical students: Taking steps to include sex and gender differences in the curriculum. Crofton, MD: Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics (APGO). [Curriculum-building tool].
  

Databases

See the following set of MCH Library resource briefs to identify additional data and statistics, literature and research, and programs about domestic violence.

• Maternal and Child Health Data and Statistics
• Maternal and Child Health Literature and Research Databases
• Maternal and Child Health Programs Databases
  

Electronic Newsletters

• Family Violence Prevention Fund (FVPF): Family Violence Prevention and Health Practice e-Journal. Presents articles about the early identification, intervention, and prevention of family violence to improve the health, safety, and quality of care for survivors.
  
  
• National Online Resource Center on Violence Against Women: VAWnet e-Newsletter. Presents updates on new electronic resources about violence against women.
  
  
• SafetyLit Update Bulletin. This weekly newletter lists new additions to SafetyLit: Injury Prevention Literature Update and Archive Database, which contains abstracts of reports and journal articles about injury prevention and safety promotion.
  

Resources for Victims and Families

• See the MCH Library family resource brief, Domestic Violence.
  

Children Exposed to Domestic Violence

• Child Welfare Information Gateway: The Intersection of Domestic Violence and Child Welfare. Includes resources about children exposed to domestic violence and the co-occurrence of child maltreatment and domestic violence. The gateway is a service of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).
  
  
• Family Violence Prevention Fund: Children and Families. Presents program information and resources about preventing domestic violence and its negative impact on children and adolescents. Recent resources include

  Connect: Supporting children exposed to domestic violence. (2009). [Curriculum, PowerPoint presentation, Videos, Magazines].

  Healing the invisible wounds: Children’s exposure to violence. (2009). [Booklet]. Also available in Spanish.

• Minnesota Center Against Violence and Abuse (MINCAVA): Child Exposure to Domestic Violence. Contains information about and links to published research, training tools, experts and organizations, and websites. Initiatives include

  Child Exposure to Domestic Violence (CEDV) Scale. Presents a tool and background materials for professionals and researchers to use with children exposed to domestic violence.

  Making the Link: Promoting the Safety of Battered Women and Children Exposed to Domestic Violence. Presents information about a series of studies of families in which mothers are abused and children are either abused or exposed to their mothers' abuse.

• National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN). Provides resources for families, professionals, schools, and the media about child and adolescent traumatic stress and effective interventions. Includes information and resources about children exposed to domestic violence. Some materials are available in Spanish. NCTSN aims to raise the standard of care and improve access to services for traumatized children and adolescents, their families, and communities throughout the United States. NCTSN is funded by the Center for Mental Health Services and jointly coordinated by Duke University and the University of California, Los Angeles.
  
  
• Anda R. 2006. Health and social impact of growing up with alcohol abuse and related adverse childhood experiences: The human and economic costs of the status quo. Rockville, MD: National Association for Children of Alcoholics (NACOA). [Paper].
  
  
• Jellinek M, Patel BP, Froehle MC, eds. 2002. Bright Futures in practice: Mental health. (2 v.). Arlington, VA: National Center for Education in Maternal and Child Health. [Guide]. A chapter is devoted to the role of the primary care physician in identifying domestic violence and working with families in which domestic violence has occurred.
  
  
• Middlebrooks JS, Audage NC. 2008. Effects of childhood stress on health across the lifespan. Atlanta, GA: National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. [Report].
  
  
• Also see the Greenbook Initiative and the MCH Library resource brief, Child Maltreatment.
  

Dating Violence Among Adolescents

• American Bar Association: National Teen Dating Violence Prevention Initiative. Presents a toolkit of materials about adolescent dating violence for use in high schools and community organizations across the United States.
  
  
• CDC's Choose Respect. Presents information and materials for this initiative to promote healthy relationships and stop dating abuse before it begins.
  
  
• Child Trends DataBank. Reports on national trends and research on over 100 key indicators of child and adolescent well-being, including dating violence, and offers information about the types of programs and interventions that may influence particular outcomes. Child Trends is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization providing research and data to inform decision-making that affects children and adolescents.
  
  
• Family Violence Prevention Fund (FVPF): Teens and Partner Violence. Presents information and resources about outreach to boys and men, work in schools, and public-service campaigns to address dating violence. Resources include a fact sheet, a report about promoting prevention among adolescents, and a safety plan. Also see FVPF's kNOwMORE, an initiative about the the reproductive health consequences of sexual coercion and violence.
  
  
• loveisrespect. Offers resources for adolescents in abusive relationships, their friends, and their families. Includes fact sheets, a dating bill of rights, public service announcements, and other tools for promoting awareness of adolescent dating violence in schools and communities. loveisrespect operates the National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline.
  
  
• Minnesota Center Against Violence and Abuse (MINCAVA): Teen Dating Violence. Contains information about and links to adolescent dating violence resources, including published research, reports, curricula, websites, and multimedia tools.
  
  
• National Center for Victims of Crime (NCVC): Dating Violence Resource Center. Includes survey results, tip sheets, fact sheets, resource reviews, research summaries, and outreach materials about adolescent dating violence. Also see NCVC's Teen Victim Project.
  
  
• National Online Resource Center on Violence Against Women (VAWnet). Presents an electronic library of resources to support dating-violence prevention, education, intervention, and public policy.
  
  
• Jaycox LH, McCaffrey DF, Ocampo BW, Marshall GN, Collins RL, Hickman LJ, Quigley DD. 2006. Curbing teen dating violence: Evidence from a school prevention program. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation. [Research brief].
  
  
• Leaman S, Gee, CB. 2006. Abusive romantic relationships among adolescent and young adult mothers. Princeton, NJ: Center for Research on Child Wellbeing. [Paper].
  
  
• Varia S. 2006. Dating violence among adolescents. Washington, DC: Advocates for Youth. [Fact sheet].
  
  
• Also see the Office on Violence Against Women.
  

Violence Between Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Partners

• American Bar Association: Legal Assistance for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Victims of Domestic Violence. Presents educational resources and training materials for attorneys providing legal services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender victims of domestic violence.
  
  
• Gay Men’s Domestic Violence Project. Provides information about domestic violence for victims and survivors, friends and family, professionals, educators, and batterers. Safety planning, crisis intervention, emergency shelter and housing, and legal advocacy are among the topics addressed.
  
  
• Minnesota Center Against Violence and Abuse (MINCAVA): LGBT Domestic Violence. Contains information about and links to resources about violence among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender partners.
  
  
• National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP). Contains domestic-violence-related reports and media releases. Administered by the Anti-Violence Project, NCAVP is a coalition of over 20 lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender victim advocacy and documentation programs located throughout the United States. Contact information for these member organizations is provided.
  

Domestic Violence: Knowledge Path, 3rd ed. (October 2008). (Updated: February 2012).
Author: Susan Brune Lorenzo, M.L.S., MCH Library.
Reviewers: Anna Marjavi, Family Violence Prevention Fund; Olivia K. Pickett, M.A., M.L.S., MCH Library; LCDR Morrisa B. Rice, M.H.A., HRSA Office of Women's Health.
Editor: Ruth Barzel, M.A., MCH Library.