Health Stu Fac

April 2006

A Season of Change: Meet Anita
Research
  • Identification of Violence in the Home
    • Resources and Information
  • Sexual Assault Awareness Month
    • Announcements
  • Family Violence Prevention Fund's 2007 National Conference on Health and Domestic Violence
  • John's Hopkins Center for Injury and Research Policy's 15th Annual Summer Institute
  • CDC's 12th Annual Maternal and Child Health Epidemiology Conference

    • A Season of Change

    Meet Anita

    In the spirit of change - Daylight Savings, Spring, the West Coast having bad weather while the east coast enjoys the sun – I would like to introduce myself. I, Anita Nageswaran, have taken over for Aruna Venkatesan as a new Health Intern here at the Family Violence Prevention Fund. Currently, I am a first year medical student at the University of California San Francisco, and the moderator of this listserv.

    I hope to see the listserv grow to a forum in which we can showcase your contributions to the fight against domestic violence. Here at the Fund, we want to know what is going on in your community, your school, and your life to combat intimate partner violence. I would also like to see the listserv function as a discussion board and platform from which collaboration and ideas can come together across the nation so that collectively, we are not reinventing the wheel. With each new event, paper published, speech given, and rally held we should be moving forward in our fight against violence. So please, feel free to contact me with any material, exciting news, questions or comments regarding domestic violence or the Family Violence Prevention Fund. Use the Fund and the listserv as a resource and a guide to get connected so that you and those around you can be as informed and prepared as possible to help your patients fight the violence in their lives.

    RESEARCH

    Identification of Violence in the Home

    As members of the health profession we often question our role in identifying victims of domestic violence. What is the best way to go about noticing, helping, and healing these victims? How do we engage as professionals in an effective yet appropriate manner? When have we gone too far? When have we not done enough?

    Though these questions are far from answered, researchers chip away at the problem one hypothesis at a time. One such study, in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine examined a single aspect of this broader issue – the role of a physician in identifying violence in the home. Led by Bonnie Kerker, MPH; the study looked to compare the rates of reported domestic violence by mothers to those identified by physicians. The researchers also looked at the rates of harsh discipline practices reported by mothers to those identified by physicians. And finally, researchers looked at the relationship between harsh discipline practices and domestic violence in general.

    Through interviews with both patients and physicians the research team attempted to look at the disparity between physician detection and patient self-report. Percentages of domestic violence as well as harsh discipline measures (defined as hitting a child between the ages of 4 and 8, and leaving a visible mark) were the measurable outcomes of this study. The data showed that pediatricians detected domestic violence in 0.3% of the cases, as compared to parents who reported violence 4.2% of the time. Physicians detected hash discipline methods in 0.5% of cases, whereas mothers self-reported hitting their children in 21.6% of cases. Concomitantly, mothers reporting domestic violence were more likely to use harsh discipline methods, and hit their children, compared to those not reporting violence in the home. However, physicians detecting domestic violence were not more likely to detect child abuse. Consequently, the study found that parents report more violence (both domestic and hash discipline measures) than physicians detect. The study called for physicians to directly ask mothers about violence in the home, as well as for medical educators to better equip physicians to ask and appropriately respond to violence in patients’ lives.

    Article Summarized from: Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine Vol 154

    Resources and Information

    Sexual Assault Awareness Month

    April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM), dedicated to preventing and raising awareness of sexual violence. SAAM recognizes sexual violence as a major public health concern and each year reinforces the need for preventative efforts. The goal is to increase public awareness and understanding surrounding sexual violence in today’s society. The campaign helps communities support rape and sexual assault survivors and their families, as well as individuals and organizations who provide rape crisis intervention and prevention services year round. It is a time to encourage the public to take action. The hope is that Sexual Assault Awareness Month will bring us one step and one month closer to ending sexual assault. So wear teal, and visit the SAAM website to find out what you can do to support Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

    ANNOUNCEMENTS

    Family Violence Prevention Fund's 2007 National Conference on Health and Domestic Violence

    Now Accepting Abstracts!    
    Deadline for Abstract Submission: July 28th, 2006


    Registration Opens Online
    September 30, 2006
    Pre-conference sessions: March 22, 2007
    Conference: March 23 - March 24, 2007

    Location:
    Grand Hyatt San Francisco
    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.

    The Family Violence Prevention Fund is especially encouraging Health Professional Students to submit abstracts reflecting student-led research, domestic violence campus reforms, and collaborative student/advocacy programs. A pre-conference session specifically focusing on professional health students and domestic violence activism will be held on March 22, 2007. Students will receive a reduced conference registration price and are eligible for scholarships. Please contact Anna Marjavi (anna@endabuse.org p:415-252-8900) with further questions.

    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. Please contact Julie Varghese Julie@endabuse.org, phone (415) 252-8900.

    View Conference Purpose and Goals

    Registration opens September 30, 2006 online: www.endabuse.org/health/conference

    View content from our 2004 National Conference on Health Care and Domestic Violence in Boston, MA.

     

    John's Hopkins Center for Injury and Research Policy's 15th Annual Summer Institute

    Registration for the Johns Hopkins Center for Injury Research and Policy’s 15th Annual Summer Institute: “Principles and Practice of Injury Prevention” is now open. Please visit www.jhsph.edu/INJURYCENTER for more information

    CDC's 12th Annual Maternal and Child Health Epidemiology Conference

    “Making Methods and Practice Matter for Women, Children and Families”

    Maternal and Child Health Epidemiology conference organizers invite epidemiologists, policymakers, students, clinicians, researchers and community advocates alike to share their experiences and knowledge in hopes of generating new ideas for improving data use and informing policy in the realm of Maternal and Child Health.

    The conference will be held December 6-8, 2006 at the OMNI hotel in Atlanta, Georgia. Travel scholarships are available (requests must be made by September 5, 2006).

    Abstracts will be accepted until 11pm Eastern on May 8th 2006.

    Please visit http://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/MCHEpi/ for more details

    Health Students and Faculty Against Domestic Violence is a monthly listserv aimed to network health students and faculty from across the country who are interested in improving the health sector response to domestic violence. To subscribe visit http://www.endabuse.org/programs/healthcare/, click on 'Read More' under Join Monthly Listservs , and click on 'Subscribe' under Health Students and Faculty Against Domestic Violence Listserv.

    We encourage you to use this listserv to announce upcoming events you are planning or to pose questions to the group. To post an announcement or ask a question, send an e-mail to anita.nageswaran@gmail.com.

    The listserv is moderated by Anita Nageswaran, Health Intern with the Family Violence Prevention Fund and First Year Medical Student at the University of California, San Francisco

    Thank you for contributing to our community!

    To learn more please visit our website http://www.endabuse.org/health