A Brief Commentary and a Preliminary Literature Search concerning the Role of Warning Signs in the Treatment and Prevention of Intimate Partners' Violence

Abstract

This paper presents a stress-vulnerability approach to the understanding and treatment of intimate partners' violence. The potential benefit of integrating detailed analyses of warning signs of violence in treatment interventions is examined. A brief search in the literature yielded few articles on the clinical relevance of warning signs in relation to partners' violence. However, the preliminary nature of the present literature search precludes firm conclusions concerning current clinical research and practise. The possibility that both perpetrator and victim might profit from therapy focusing on ability to identify and intervene in relation to early danger signals of violence is discussed.