Abstract

ARBACH, Karin  and  BOBBIO, Antonella. Intimate partner violence risk assessment in community health facilities: a multisite longitudinal study. Psychosocial Intervention [online]. 2018, vol.27, n.2, pp.105-112. ISSN 2173-4712.  https://dx.doi.org/10.5093/pi2018a13.

The remarkable development of tools for the structured assessment of violent reoffending of intimate partner aggressors coexists with a relative scarcity of tools adapted for the diversity of community facilities for women who suffer intimate partner violence (IPV). This situation prompted the development of the RVD-Bcn in Catalonia (Spain). The present multisite prospective study is the first to test the predictive validity of this tool for IPV risk assessment in a sample different to the original. Trained assessors interviewed 321 women in five community health facilities in Córdoba (Argentina); 230 of them completed a follow-up that ranged from 47 to 311 days. Incidents of physical IPV, including serious threats and forced sex, were recorded prospectively. Rates of IPV in the low, moderate and high-risk groups were 10, 57, and 33 percent, respectively. The summary risk ratings were significantly associated with the occurrence of violence during follow-up, as were RVD scores (ROC-AUCs = .88 and .89, respectively). Low-risk participants not only suffered fewer IPV events than participants in the moderate and high-risk group, but also suffered them later in time. The most accurate predictive model of IPV included total scores and a dichotomised variable of low vs. moderate-high summary risk rating. Findings contribute to the emerging practice of including structured violence risk assessment in Latin American professional contexts and institutions.

Keywords : Intimate partner violence; Structured risk assessment; Community health facilities; Prospective.

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