Screening for Domestic Violence and Childhood Exposure in Families Seeking Care at an Urban Pediatric Clinic

Bair-Merritt, Megan H.; Jennings, Jacky M.; Eaker, Kristen; Tuman, Judith Levsky; Park, Sun Min; Cheng, Tina L.

doi:10.1016/j.jpeds.2008.01.035

« Previous Next »The Journal of Pediatrics
Volume 152, Issue 5 , Pages 734-736.e1, May 2008

Screening for Domestic Violence and Childhood Exposure in Families Seeking Care at an Urban Pediatric Clinic

Megan H. Bair-Merritt, MD, MSCE
- Division of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
- Reprint requests: Megan H. Bair-Merritt, MD, MSCE, 200 N Wolfe Street, Office 2021, Baltimore, MD 21287.
Jacky M. Jennings, PhD, MPH
- Division of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD
Kristen Eaker, PNP
- Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, Baltimore, MD.
Judith Levsky Tuman, PNP
- Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, Baltimore, MD.
Sun Min Park, PNP
- Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, Baltimore, MD.
Tina L. Cheng, MD, MPH
- Division of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD

Received 3 August 2007; received in revised form 17 December 2007; accepted 25 January 2008.

In a survey of 133 caregivers in a pediatric clinic, 30 women (23%) disclosed domestic violence, with 2 reporting coercive control but not physical violence. Seventeen women stated that a child had been exposed as well. Domestic violence is not a “private” adult problem; further study of an appropriate pediatric-based screener is needed.

Abbreviations: CTS1, Conflict Tactics Scale 1, DV, Domestic violence, WEB, Women's Experience with Battering scale