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Physician interaction with battered women: the women's perspective
L K Hamberger1, B Ambuel, A Marbella
1Department of Family and Community Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, USA.
Archives of Family Medicine
|November 20, 1998
Summary
Battered women identified specific desirable and undesirable physician behaviors. These findings can improve physician training and clinical practice for domestic violence survivors.
Area of Science:
- Medical Sociology
- Public Health
- Gender Studies
Background:
- Physician training programs lack input from battered women.
- Systematic advice from survivors is needed to guide physician behavior in domestic violence cases.
Purpose of the Study:
- Survey battered women to assess desired physician behaviors.
- Document patient experiences with physicians seeking abuse-related care.
- Analyze demographic and victimization history correlations with physician behavior ratings.
Main Methods:
- 115 battered women surveyed from support programs in Wisconsin.
- Self-report survey included demographics, relationship history, and physician behavior observations.
- Statistical analysis used cross-tabulations, chi-squared tests, and t tests.
Main Results:
- Battered women clearly defined desirable and undesirable physician actions.
- Few differences in ratings based on victimization history or demographics.
- Racial differences observed between African American and white women's ratings.
Conclusions:
- Identified specific physician behaviors crucial for domestic violence care.
- Further research required to understand racial disparities in perceptions.
- Results inform clinical practice and physician training for domestic violence.