210119 Family Violence Prevention in Ohio: Perspectives of Special Populations

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Lana Uhrig, RN, MBA , Public Health, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
Margarette Shegog, MPH , Public Health, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
Kenneth Steinman, PhD, MPH , College of Public Health, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
Randi L. Love, PHD, OCPC, CHES , College of Public Health, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
Introduction-The Ohio Family Violence Prevention Project's vision was organized around several central themes: family violence is an important public health issue, current efforts are inadequate due to funding and coordination issues, a growing body of research has identified promising approaches to prevention. The goal of this study was to identify how the vision of this project is relevant to specific populations.

Methods- These groups included experts from the following 5 communities: African American, Appalachia, the Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered (GLBT), Latino and people with disabilities (PWD). All five of these special populations are marginalized in one way or another, either politically, culturally, socially or economically. We organized our key informant findings around child maltreatment, Intimate partner violence, and elder abuse. Key informants (KI) for the study included community leaders and professionals working in their areas of interest. A consistent set of interview questions were posed to each of our informants.

Results- Overall, 73 participants were identified with a response rate of 60% and at least 2 key informants for each violence type/population were included. Most KI believed family violence was as common or more for each violence type/population. Responses focused on intervention rather than prevention. There was also general support to work through schools, though possibly not for the GLBT community.

Future Directions- A more narrow definition of “disabled” as a special population is needed. More research is needed in elder abuse in general

Learning Objectives:
Introduction-The Ohio Family Violence Prevention Project’s vision was organized around several central themes: family violence is an important public health issue, current efforts are inadequate due to funding and coordination issues, a growing body of research has identified promising approaches to prevention. The goal of this study was to identify how the vision of this project is relevant to specific populations. Methods- These groups included experts from the following 5 communities: African American, Appalachia, the Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered (GLBT), Latino and people with disabilities (PWD). All five of these special populations are marginalized in one way or another, either politically, culturally, socially or economically. We organized our key informant findings around child maltreatment, Intimate partner violence, and elder abuse. Key informants (KI) for the study included community leaders and professionals working in their areas of interest. A consistent set of interview questions were posed to each of our informants. Results- Overall, 73 participants were identified with a response rate of 60% and at least 2 key informants for each violence type/population were included. Most KI believed family violence was as common or more for each violence type/population. Responses focused on intervention rather than prevention. There was also general support to work through schools, though possibly not for the GLBT community. Future Directions- A more narrow definition of “disabled” as a special population is needed. More research is needed in elder abuse in general

Keywords: Family Violence, Special Populations

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: PhD student in OSU College of Public Health. I am an RN and have taken course work and participated in research on this topic.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

See more of: Community Approaches to Family Violence Prevention
See more of: Family Violence Prevention Forum