IN THE NEWS

Echoes of Trauma

Childhood traumas are prevalent and can cause harm that lasts well into adulthood. There is a strong correlation between childhood trauma and serious adult health problems including tobacco use, substance abuse, obesity, cancer, heart disease, depression and a higher risk for unintended pregnancy.

Those are key findings from the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) study, according to principal investigators Robert Block, MD, FAAP, Vincent Felitti, MD and Robert Anda, MD. They briefed Congressional aides about their study and its implications for public policy at an April 18 event sponsored by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Family Violence Prevention Fund (FVPF). The study makes a strong case for a greater focus on prevention and early intervention to protect children from harm caused by violence.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Kaiser Permanente’s Department of Preventive Medicine conducted the ACE study, which included interviews with more than 18,000 adults about their childhood health status. Participants were asked whether they had experienced various childhood traumas, including: being a victim of child abuse or neglect; and living in a home with domestic violence, mental illness or substance abuse. Investigators found that adverse childhood experiences rarely occur in isolation and often come in groups.

They found high incidence to exposure to violence during childhood among the middle- and upper-middle class San Diego population that they surveyed in the late 1990s. Twenty-one percent of respondents (25 percent of women and 16 percent of men) were exposed to sexual abuse as children, and 13 percent said their mothers were sometimes, often or very often pushed, grabbed, slapped or had something thrown at them and/or sometimes, often or very often kicked, bitten, hit with a fist, or hit with something hard, and/or ever repeatedly hit over at least a few minutes and/or ever threatened or hurt by a knife or a gun.

The chronic stress associated with these traumas can have major implications for brain development, the investigators said. During periods of childhood trauma, the brain releases specific hormones in response to stresses, and over time a child’s developing brain can suffer. Block asked, “For a child, can there be a more stressful experience than living in an abusive household? Last year almost one million children were victims of child abuse and neglect.” Anda added, “Adverse childhood experiences are a leading, if not the leading, determinant of health and social well-being from adolescence to late adulthood.” The ACE study supports the possibility that a biopsychosocial and trauma-oriented approach to medical care is feasible, affordable and acceptable. Rescuing primary care from its current symptom-reactive mode of practice and changing it to a concept of preventative medicine will start to deal with the basic causes of long term health illnesses and reduce medical care costs, the investigators said. “The ACE data recommits advocates to sharpen their focus on prevention and helps them understand the long lasting effects of abuse,” said FVPF Public Policy Director Kiersten Stewart at the briefing. “We must continue to reach out to health care providers because this research continues to affirm that women will confide in their doctor long before they will call law enforcement or seek outside shelter.” Stewart stressed the importance of fully funding the Violence Against Women Act, to ensure that much-needed prevention programs can be started or continued.

In order to continue the work of the ACE study and learn more about the effects of childhood trauma, 30 organizations including the American Dental Association, Child Welfare League of America and Emergency Nurses Association wrote to Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA), Chairman of a key Appropriations Subcommittee, to urge him to support a $10 million increase in the budget for the CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. The increase would establish a network to discuss and share innovations about medical aspects of child abuse and neglect.

Representative Diana DeGette (D-CO) also wrote to Representative Ralph Regula (R-OH), Chairman of the House Labor, Health, and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee, and other colleagues to support the call for a funding increase for this infrastructure. “Time does not heal,” Felitti warned in urging speedy action to protect children exposed to violence. “Time helps conceal incidences of childhood trauma.”

More information on the ACE study is available at www.acestudy.org or www.cdc.gov/NCCDPHP/ACE

Adolescents Who Witness Domestic Violence Between Their Parents Are Significantly More Likely To Suffer From Depression, Study Shows

Adolescents who witness domestic violence between their parents are significantly more likely to suffer from symptoms of depression. In a study of adolescents in the Philippines conducted by Michelle Hindin, PhD, a researcher at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Socorro Gultiano, PhD, of the University of San Carlos in the Philippines, nearly half of all young people reported witnessing parental domestic violence. One in ten of the male adolescents and one in five of the female adolescents reported wishing they were dead occasionally or most of the time in the four weeks preceding the survey.
Depression News

For full article, go to http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=38713

Depressed Girls More Likely to Suffer Abuse

A March 7, 2006 study released by Reuters reports that depressed teenage girls are more likely to be involved in an abusive relationship as adults than teenagers who did not suffer from depression. Depression has shown through studies to lead to problems such as substance abuse and self-injury and now the connection between depression and intimate partner violence is being made.
Medline Plus, Reuters News

For full article, go to
http://dare-to-dream.us/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1230&sid=943cb85c66e0beb55329e5404c8fe580

With Treatment Maternal and Childhood Depression Improves

JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association, released a study in their March 2006 issue reporting that effective treatment of maternal depression benefits their children's mental health. JAMA found that after three months of effective treatment and remission of maternal depression, significant reductions occurred in symptoms of children.
JAMA

For full article, go to http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/short/295/12/1389

A Role For Dental Professionals In Detecting, Reporting Domestic Violence

The impact of domestic violence has been recognized as a health care crisis by organizations all over the world. Twenty-five percent of American women have reported abuse at the hands of their spouses or domestic partners. With proper training, dental professionals have the opportunity to play a pivotal role in detecting and reporting violence against women, since dentists and dental hygienists may be the first or only health care professional to treat a domestic violence victim. Dentistry News

For full article, go to http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=39355&nfid=rssfeeds

“Working Women Making it Work: Intimate Partner Violence, Employment, Disclosure and Workplace Supports”

“Working Women Making it Work: Intimate Partner Violence, Employment, Disclosure and Workplace Supports” is one of the first studies to look at the role of workplace policies in helping victims of domestic violence maintain employment. The study was presented in March at the International Work, Stress, and Health 2006 conference in Miami, and will be published in 2007 in a special issue of the Journal of Interpersonal Violence. “Maintaining employment is very important to the employed victim, and to the employer, since turnover is very costly on both sides,” said Jennifer Swanberg, Ph.D., who led the study with her colleagues TK Logan, Ph.D. and Caroline Macke, MSW. “In our study, among women who told someone at work about the partner victimization, the use of workplace support initiatives that include flexible working hours, supervisor-approved workload modifications, and implementation of safeguards such as the screening telephone calls, may have helped then to remain employed.”

This research is part of National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism funded study on women’s health and partner victimization that has been awarded to Dr. Logan. The International Work, Stress and Health Conference was sponsored by the American Psychological Association, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the National Institute of Justice, the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, and the U.S. Department of Labor. For more information on the study, contact Jennifer Swanberg, Ph.D., College of Social Work, University of Kentucky, at jswanberg@uky.edu.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

National Resource Center on Domestic Violence and National Sexual Violence Resource Center

The National Resource Center on Domestic Violence (NRCDV) and the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) have collaborated to provide a redesigned FUNDING ALERT. Issued twice monthly, or whenever warranted, this new FUNDING ALERT will provide asynopsis of the available funding that can be used by individuals and/or agencies working to end domestic violence and sexual assault.

More information is available online at: http://www.vawnet.org/Funding/FundingAlert-V1N10.pdf

Soliciting Papers on Health Disparities and Violence Prevention

The Family Violence Prevention and Health Practice ejournal invites you to submit brief reports and articles on programs addressing family violence in the health care and public health setting. Our next issue looks at Decreasing Disparities and Violence Prevention. We are soliciting brief reports and feature articles that explore the intersection between efforts to reduce health disparities in health outcomes for poor, minority and other underserved people and violence prevention initiatives. We would like to highlight model programs that are integrating violence prevention into health disparities initiatives and research that explores the differential burden of violence and chronic health problems among adults and children, what contributes to these disparities and what strategies can be used to identify, manage and prevent violence and co-occurring chronic health issues in culturally accessible ways.

To submit a program brief report, please provide an electronic copy of a description of the program including the goals and objectives, services provided, target population(s), funding sources and a synopsis of any data, evaluation, and/or research from the program. If evaluation findings are available for your program, include a description of the evaluation design, outcome measures, and recommendations. Contact information should include name, title, phone number, and e-mail address. Full length articles submitting original data should be organized by standard scientific sections and subheadings as follows: Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion. Reviews and other types of articles where these headings may not be appropriate should use descriptive subheadings.

For further information about submitting manuscripts, contact Julie Varghese at Julie@endabuse.org.

The Institute on Violence, Abuse and Trauma: Now Including The Family Violence & Sexual Assault Institute

The Family Violence & Sexual Assault Institute has now merged with Alliant International University to form The Institute on Violence, Abuse and Trauma (IVAT). The IVAT is an important International resource, research and training center that includes all areas of violence, abuse and trauma. The Institute encompasses multiple centers, which focus on Family Violence in the broad sense, Sexual Assault, Youth and School Violence, Workplace Violence, Violence Prevention, and Traumatic Stress. The IVAT specializes in training and programs, publications, professional services, an annual international conference, regional mini-conferences, as well as community relations and outreach for each of its broad topic areas. The IVAT works closely with the Center for Forensic Studies and the other academic units of Alliant International University to reach the training, education, and outreach missions of the university. The emphasis and approach promotes collaboration across disciplines. Based upon years of professional and organizational research and practical experience, the IVAT is a leader in the development and dissemination of strategies to eliminate violence, abuse and trauma.

Also, please see their new and improved website, IVATcenters.org or http://ivat.alliant.edu for event registration and additional information on IVAT and its services

MEASURE DHS Updates Web Site With Women's Health Statistics

Demographic and Health Surveys on Wednesday launched its updated Web site, which includes international health and population data for more than 75 countries. Data on topics such as fertility rates, gender issues, HIV prevalence, malaria and other topics are available, and users can create maps and download tables from a DHS database (MEASURE DHS release, 3/29).

For more information go to: http://www.measuredhs.com

INTERNSHIPS and REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

The National Research Center for Women & Families: Marcy Gross Intership

The National Research Center for Women & Families is very pleased to announce that we will be able to offer a (modest) stipend for our Marcy Gross Internship this summer. The intern will focus on violence against women issues, and also work on our Center's other efforts to improve the health and safety of women across the country.

Preference will be given to applicants with experience working on VAW issues. If the successful candidate is a graduate student or has a graduate or professional degree, the position will be called a Fellowship rather than an Internship.

For more information about the center, see www.center4research.org and click "About Us." For more information about our inspiring friend Marcy Gross, who passed away last June, see http://www.center4research.org/marcy_gross.html A brochure and application materials are available at the following link: http://www.unt.edu/anthropology/nsf.htm

Diana Zuckerman, Ph.D.
President
National Research Center for Women & Families

Institute Trains Leaders To Prevent Child Maltreatment

Conducted by PREVENT, a component of the National Training Initiative for Injury and Violence Prevention, the PREVENT Child Maltreatment Institute is designed to enhance leadership for child maltreatment prevention. Intended for multi-organizational teams of 4-6 individuals with leadership experience in primary prevention of child maltreatment, the Institute consists of three parts: 3 days of coursework and team-based activities, an 8-month project back home with assistance from a coach, and 3 more days of courses and team presentations. (Classes will be held in Chapel Hill, NC.) With funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, cost for participating in the PREVENT Child Maltreatment Institute should be minimal. The application deadline is April 30, 2006. To obtain additional information and register online, visit http://prevent.unc.edu/education/CMT/cmt.htm.

American Psychological Foundation Accepting Proposals for Research-Based Programs on Violence Prevention

The American Psychological Foundation ( http://www.apa.org/apf/ ) is a nonprofit philanthropic organization that provides scholarships, grants, and awards to advance the science and practice of psychology and benefit human welfare. The foundation will award up to $20,000 for research- based programs in violence prevention and intervention. The program's goals are as follows: to encourage the transfer of psychological science with regard to violence, its prevention, and intervention strategies to programmatic applications within the community; to support the implementation of innovative community programs aimed at preventing violence within any number of social settings (e.g., young adult populations, elder abuse, domestic abuse, hate crimes, sexual assault, and others); to provide seed money to establish promising interventions proposed by community-based organizations or to provide funding for established community programs that have been deemed successful. Deadline date is June 1, 2006. The RFP Link is as follows: http://fconline.fdncenter.org/pnd/10001286/apa

Target Stores -- Reading and Family Violence Prevention Grants

Through its Store Grants, Target awards grants in the areas of Reading, Family Violence Prevention, and Arts. Reading grants are awarded to schools, libraries and non-profit organizations and supports programs such as weekend book clubs and after-school reading programs. Family violence prevention grants support groups working to make individual homes and entire communities safer, such as funding child abuse counseling programs and shelters. Grants of up to $3,000 will be awarded. Non-profit organizations in communities in which Target does business and offer programs in the areas of reading, family violence prevention, or arts are eligible to apply.

Applications are available at Target Stores and at the link below. Deadline: May 31, 2006
For more program information and application guidelines, please visit http://sites.target.com/site/en/corporate/page.jsp?contentId=PRD03-001818

Avon Foundation Offers Support for Local and Regional Domestic Violence Organizations

The Avon Foundation ( http://www.avoncompany.com/women ), an accredited 501(c)(3) public charity, was founded in 1955 to improve the lives of women. The foundation brings this mission to life through two key areas of focus: breast cancer and domestic violence. In its commitment to end domestic violence, the Avon Foundation in the United States supports awareness, education, direct services, and prevention programs. The foundation offers two grants programs in this area: Helping Children of Domestic Violence, and the Grants Program for Local and Regional Domestic Violence Organizations. The Avon Foundation is seeking proposals from nonprofit organizations and agencies that provide programs which deliver essential services to domestic violence victims, including shelter, counseling, educational and professional training, and advocacy and case management.

The proposal deadline date is August 1. See the Avon Foundation Web site for complete program information and s list of eligible geographic areas and local Avon office contact addresses. The RFP Link is as follows: http://fconline.fdncenter.org/pnd/10001796/avoncompany

EVENTS/CONFERENCES

2007 National Conference on Health and Domestic Violence

Pre-conference Institutes: March 22, 2007
Conference: March 23 - March 24, 2007
Now Accepting Abstracts! Deadline for Abstract Submission: July 28, 2006
Registration Opens Online: September 30, 2006 at http://www.endabuse.org/ Location: Grand Hyatt San Francisco, California, USA

The 4th Biennial National Conference on Health and Domestic Violence aims to advance the health care system's response to domestic violence. The conference attracts the nation's leading medical, public health and family violence experts from across the U.S. with increased international participation. Workshops and plenary sessions highlight the latest research and most innovative clinical responses to domestic violence, with a focus on the work being done by physicians, physician assistants, dentists, nurses, nurse midwives, mental and behavioral health providers, social workers, domestic violence experts, and others. To submit an abstract online click here. We strongly encourage all applicants submit abstracts online, however if you do not have internet access, proposals may be sent by U.S. mail once confirmed. For more information, please contact Julie Varghese at Julie@endabuse.org, phone (415) 252-8900.

2nd Annual Conference from Crisis to Courtroom - Protecting Victims of Domestic Violence

The Bridge Program of Rose Brooks Center with Saint Joseph Medical Center and Saint Luke's Hospital presents the 2nd Annual Conference from Crisis to Courtroom: Protecting Victims of Domestic Violence. The two-day conference will be held from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM, Wednesday, May 17 - Thursday, May 18 at the Alex George Auditorium - Community Education Building, Saint Joseph Medical Center. Featured conference presenters include Dan Sheridan, PhD, FAAN, Jacquelyn Campbell, PhD, FAAN and author of The Danger Assessment Tool, and Sara Buel, JD and narrator of the Academy Award Winning documentary, Defending Our Lives.

The conference is $150 per person, which includes featured presentations, breakout sessions, presenter handouts and meals. Nursing Contact Hours are also available. For more information, please contact Jill Bleything at (816) 523-5550, ext. 447 or jill@rosebrooks.org

Sixth International Conference on Interpersonal Violence and Family Justice Centers

In cooperation with STOP DV and the Chadwick Center for Children and Families, Children’s Hospital – San Diego, the San Diego Family Justice Center invites law enforcement personnel, prosecutors, victims’ advocates, judges, parole and probation officers, rape crisis workers and others to this event highlighting promising practices and emerging issues in domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking. There will be a specific track on the groundwork, planning and implementation of Family Justice Centers. The conference will be held at the Holiday Inn – On The Bay. For more information and to register, visit www.familyjusticecenter.org

Clinical Intervention with Children and Families Affected by Domestic Violence

The Child Witness to Violence Project (CWVP) will host two workshops at the Boston Medical Center. A two-day workshop will give participants expanded clinical knowledge and skills in working with young children exposed to violence on April 26-27. An advanced workshop for experienced clinicians will focus on specific therapeutic techniques on April 28. CWVP is a counseling, advocacy and outreach project that focuses on young children who are hidden victims of violence and bystanders to community and domestic violence. For information, visit www.childwitnesstoviolence.org

Changing the World – One Door at a Time

The Indiana Coalition Against Sexual Assault is sponsoring a conference on sexual violence and violence prevention at Adam’s Mark Hotel and Resort. Changing the World will provide information and knowledge on youth violence prevention, sexual violence prevention and intervention initiatives, mental health issues and current trends and research on subjects such as trafficking, bullying, housing and issues for underserved populations. Advocates are welcome. More information is available at www.incasa.org

Health e-News is a monthly electronic news digest focusing on health care and domestic violence policy, research, prevention and advocacy. Health e-News is available in both text and html formats. To subscribe Click Here.

We encourage you to use Health e-News to share news, views, and experiences concerning your projects and activities on addressing domestic violence as a health care issue. To post an announcement or ask a question, send an e-mail to HealthE-News@endabuse.org. The digest is monitored by Julie Varghese, julie@endabuse.org, with the Family Violence Prevention Fund.

Thank you for your ongoing commitment to end domestic violence!

Be sure to visit our website http://endabuse.org/health to learn more about our programs, products, and campaigns!