Kim Price
Health Care Providers and Intimate Partner Violence: An Analysis of
Training Textbooks, 1995-2005
Battering, domestic violence, partner abuse. These are the names given
to the physical, emotional, and sexual abuse of women by husbands, boyfriends,
and cohabiting partners. While estimates vary, three important studies cite abuse
at 13% (Gelles 2000, average based on 6 large sample studies 1976-1996 of any
reported violence by males against women); 25% of United States women will re-
port abuse from an intimate partner (Tjaden and Thoennes 2000, National Vio-
lence Against Women Survey of 16,000 men and women); and up to 31% (The
Commonweath Fund 1999, nationally representative survey of 2,011 women and
1,084 men).
Health care professionals are in a unique position to identify domestic vio-
lence. Unlike friends, family, and co-workers, health care professionals have op-
portunities through women’s health care visits, records and screening information
(if available) to address violence against women in a confidential and supportive
setting. According to a recent study, “the presence of an understanding and car-
ing provider” made a significant difference in respondents’ decisions to make
their abuse known (Hathaway et al. 2002, 687).
Theoretical fram ings for dom estic violence
The framing of intimate partner violence has taken three dominant forms
in the social science literature: cultural, gender neutral and feminist. Among the
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Convention