Interventions to Improve Responses of Helping Professionals to Intimate Partner Violence

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of the study is to systematically review the available evidence on the effectiveness of interventions to improve the response of various helping professionals who come into contact with female victims of intimate partner violence (IPV). Methods: Several databases were searched, and N = 38 studies met the inclusion criteria for review. Results: The quick scoping review identified 5 types of intervention behavioral outcomes: (1) IPV screening and assessment, (2) IPV identification, (3) referral, (4) other behavioral outcomes, and (5) multiple behavioral outcomes. Eighty percent of the reviewed studies were conducted in health care settings, with only eight studies in non–health care settings. Ninety percent of the studies reported positive effects on at least one outcome measure, however, only 10 studies were rated as good quality. Conclusions: This review pinpoints the pressing need for more rigorous studies using randomized controlled design, especially in non–health care settings in IPV.