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An evaluation of domestic violence services provided at a pediatric hospital
Thesis

An evaluation of domestic violence services provided at a pediatric hospital

Christine Weirich
Master of Public Health (M.P.H.), Drexel University
Jun 2011
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/etd-3609
pdf
Weirich_Christine_20112.74 MB
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Abstract

Family violence Hospitals Pediatrics Public Health
Despite evidence linking domestic violence (DV) exposure with a variety of adverse outcomes, formal programs addressing DV in the pediatric setting are lacking. In order to address DV, St. Christopher's Hospital for Children (SCHC) in Philadelphia, PA developed Children and Mom's Project (CAMP) in 2005. For CAMP, SCHC collaborates with Lutheran Settlement House's Bilingual Domestic Violence Program (BDVP) to screen families for DV and provide such services to those screened positive. This study focused on CAMP's evaluation with the goal to profile the characteristics of DV victims who received DV resources at SCHC, including utilization levels. Data collected between October 2005 and October 2010 on 637 DV victims were retrospectively reviewed and analyzed through descriptive and analytical statistics to assess demographic characteristics, safety markers, and service utilization. Most subjects were female, African American or Hispanic, English-speaking, 18-35 years of age, and reported having one or two dependents. Compared to national statistics of DV victims, our subjects were younger and more likely to be female, African American or Hispanic, single, and with dependents. For each subject, a median of two contacts was made, for a total of 35 minutes of services per day. Subjects who utilized DV services at least thrice, for more than 15 minutes were considered "high utilizers" (31%). Based on two safety variables, "high utilizers" confront more dangerous DV situations than "low utilizers" (<3 contacts, or 15 minutes or less of DV services). Accurate assessments of safety and stability over time were not possible due to inadequacy of the data. Future evaluation of CAMP seeks creation of a survey tool to prospectively assess health and safety outcomes of families receiving DV services.

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