Prenatal screening for intimate partner violence: a qualitative meta-synthesis

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2015

Abstract

Aim The aim of this meta-synthesis was to glean an understanding of healthcare providers' experience with prenatal screening for intimate partner violence (IPV). Background Prenatal screening guidelines for IPV are in place; however, a gap exists between these recommendations and providers' practices. Methods Noblit and Hare's (1988) approach to synthesizing qualitative research studies was utilized. Eight research reports were identified and produced a sample of 142 experienced women's healthcare providers from the United States, New Zealand, and Sweden. Results The synthesis revealed five overarching themes: (1) therapeutic relationship, (2) understanding what she is not saying, (3) presence of partner, (4) variations of how and when to discuss, and (5) “lost in the maze” of disclosure. When analyzed as a whole, the five themes contribute to a lack of universal screening for IPV. Conclusions Given that IPV is a social problem with long-term negative sequela, providers are poised to identify women during the perinatal timeframe to ensure adequate referrals and services to stop the cycle of violence.

Comments

Copyright 2015 Elsevier

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Publication Title

Applied Nursing Research

Published Citation

LoGiudice, J. A. (2015). Prenatal screening for intimate partner violence: a qualitative meta-synthesis. Applied Nursing Research, 28(1), 2-9. doi:10.1016/j.apnr.2014.04.004.

DOI

10.1016/j.apnr.2014.04.004

Peer Reviewed

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