Intimate partner violence victims' acceptance and refusal of on-site counseling in emergency departments: Predictors of help-seeking behavior explored through a 5-year medical chart review

• Published in: Preventive medicine 2018-03, Vol.108, p.86-92
• Main Authors: Choi, Anna Wai-Man, Wong, Janet Yuen-Ha, Lo, Ruby Tsz-Fung, Chan, Pik-Ying, Wong, John Kit-Shing, Lau, Chu-Leung, Kam, Chak-Wah
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Counseling - methods; Crime Victims - psychology; Emergency department; Emergency Service, Hospital; Female; Help-Seeking Behavior; Hong Kong; Humans; Intimate partner violence; Intimate Partner Violence - psychology; Male; Medical chart review; Mental Disorders; On-site counseling; Patient Acceptance of Health Care - psychology; Retrospective Studies; Sex Factors; Surveys and Questionnaires
• ISSN: 0091-7435; 1096-0260
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2017.12.012

Healthcare services constitute the first formal support that many intimate partner violence (IPV) victims receive and a link to formal welfare and psychological support. The help-seeking behavior for psychosocial support, e.g., Accident and Emergency Departments (AED) onsite counseling, is key to developing effective support for IPV victims. This study aimed to strengthen the health-welfare support link to aid IPV prevention in AEDs by investigating the acceptance and refusal of on-site counseling by IPV victims. A retrospective cohort study retrieved and reviewed all records of IPV victims presenting at the AEDs of two Hong Kong hospitals between 2010 and 2014. A total of 157 male and 823 female IPV victims were identified, 295 of whom refused on-site counseling. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed to examine the association between help-seeking and demographic and violent injury-related factors. The odds of help-seeking via on-site counseling were significantly lower for victims with mental illness (aOR=0.49; 95% CI=0.27, 0.88). After controlling for all demographic characteristics, mental illness, and drug abuse information, sex remained an independent predictor of help-seeking (aOR=2.62; 95% CI=1.45, 4.74); victims who had experienced >2 abuse incidents were more likely to seek help than those who had experienced ≤2 abuse incidents (aOR=1.90; 95% CI=1.11, 3.26). The factors associated with help-seeking from on-site services by IPV victims reflect the need for multidisciplinary collaborative work aimed at IPV prevention. Healthcare professionals require training on how to promote help-seeking behavior targeted specifically for male and female IPV victims according to their needs and preferences. •We investigated IPV's victims' acceptance for on-site counseling in AEDs.•Sex is an independent predictor of service acceptance.•The number of abuse episodes predicts IPV victims' help-seeking behaviors.•Multidisciplinary collaborative work is needed for IPV prevention.•Training on the sex differences in IPV victims' service acceptance is recommended.