OBJECTIVE: To explore the relationship between demographic characteristics, practice characteristics, and training characteristics and behavior of physicians toward victims of spouse abuse. METHOD: Physicians from four different specialties in a local general hospital (n=76, RR=50%) were surveyed to assess their behaviors toward spouse abuse victims. Information was collected about demographic, practice, and training characteristics. Behavior was measured by three variables, verbal statements about behavior, frequency of suspecting abuse and number of victims identified in the past year (self-reported). RESULTS: Overall, about 50% of the physicians identified five or less than five victims in the past year. More than 80% of the physicians scored positively on verbal statements of behavior, but only 22% scored positively on frequency of suspecting abuse. Only age and specialty were significantly related to behavior. CONCLUSIONS: Physicians are most likely to make positive statements about behavior, but much less likely to actually suspect abuse. Training programs and graduate curricula in medical schools should focus more on ways of affecting behavior.
Learning Objectives: 1. Understand measurement of behavior of physicians toward victims of spouse abuse. 2. Explore the factors that infleunce behavior of physicians toward victims of spouse abuse.
Keywords: Domestic Violence,
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
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