Adolescent Dating Violence Prevention in Healthcare Settings: Systematic Scoping Review

Adolescent dating violence (ADV) is associated with short- and long-term physical and psychological adverse health outcomes. Therefore, it is crucial to implement prevention strategies to address ADV in settings that serve adolescents. One natural point of contact is healthcare settings, as adolescents may present to these settings due to general health concerns and concerns related to ADV exposure. However, little is known about the state of the science for how adolescent healthcare providers can participate in ADV prevention and work, as well as the potential barriers healthcare providers may face when incorporating ADV prevention strategies into their practice. To advance understanding, a systematic scoping review was conducted to summarize current evidence on (a) ADV prevention strategies in healthcare settings, and (b) healthcare provider perspectives on implementing ADV prevention strategies. The search was conducted in five relevant databases in September 2023. Peer-reviewed articles published in English before September 2023 were included if they addressed at least one study aim. After screening 5786 articles, 11 articles met the inclusion criteria and were included in this review. Overall, there were only a few studies on ADV prevention strategies designed for implementation in healthcare settings. Common barriers identified to implementing ADV prevention strategies included limited time, training, and resources. Facilitators of implementation included ADV response protocols/guidelines and working in collaborative teams. This systematic scoping review demonstrates that further research is needed to develop and evaluate ADV prevention strategies for different healthcare settings, and to understand effective ways to address barriers to implementing these strategies.