Accuracy of five domestic violence screening questions with nongraphic language

To assess the accuracy of 5 domestic violence screening questions designed with less graphic language that they may be appropriate when children are present, mothers (n = 400) were recruited from primary care waiting rooms. Sensitivities, specificities, and predictive values were calculated using the revised Conflict Tactic Scale. "How do you and your partner work out arguments?" was the best individual question (area under the receiver operating characteristics curve 0.82, sensitivity 25%, specificity 97.7%). The 3-question combination with the domains of argument, safety, and manner of treating you and the children had the best results (area under the receiver operating characteristics curve 0.86, sensitivity 45.5%, and specificity 94.6%). The high specificity suggests a less graphic and potentially more acceptable group of questions for introductory discussions about domestic violence.