Employee assistance program services for intimate partner violence and client satisfaction with these services

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Occupational Health
• Sociology

Background:

• Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant public health issue.
• Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) are a potential resource for individuals experiencing IPV.
• Understanding the scope and effectiveness of EAP services for IPV is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To document the range of intimate partner violence (IPV) services offered by Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs).
• To assess women's satisfaction levels with EAP services when seeking assistance for IPV.
• To identify factors influencing satisfaction with EAP-provided IPV support.

Main Methods:

• Mixed-methods approach combining semistructured interviews with 28 EAPs.
• National web-based survey of 1765 women who utilized EAPs for IPV-related assistance.
• Data collection conducted in the fall of 2008.

Main Results:

• EAPs provide comprehensive services for individuals experiencing intimate partner violence.
• Women's satisfaction with EAP IPV services correlated with income and type of assistance received.
• Challenges identified include EAP representatives' difficulty in victim identification and women's confidentiality concerns.

Conclusions:

• EAPs offer substantial support for intimate partner violence.
• Enhancing EAP effectiveness requires addressing confidentiality issues.
• Strengthening the delivery of IPV-related assistance within EAPs is recommended.