Examining a rural Victorian community's knowledge and help seeking behaviour for family violence and the role of the local public health service.
Peter Kelly, Michael Field, Ruth Payne and 1 others
PMID 35714269WHAT IT FOUND
Community members wanted health services to ask about safety, offer private spaces, and make referrals discreetly.
Fear, stigma, privacy, and not knowing services were strong barriers to help.
Key findings
01Participants expected health services to ask about personal and family safety during regular appointments, but only a small proportion said they would be completely comfortable disclosing family violence.
02Fear was the strongest barrier to seeking support, including fear of the perpetrator finding out, not being believed, and stigma.
03The strongest suggestion for making help easier was increasing the availability and accessibility of services, especially after hours and immediate support.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The sample was small and not representative of the broader Colac community. The survey was only offered in English, and men, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and people from diverse cultural backgrounds were under-represented. Because the study was advertised through the local health service, many participants may have been staff or volunteers, which could shape expectations of health services. Limited demographic information was collected to reduce the chance of identifying people in a small town. The survey did not ask about family composition or specific support needs for children. The findings are descriptive community views and themes, not evidence that a family violence intervention works.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflict of interest related to this research.
The easy way to misread this
Do not treat these findings as evidence that a family violence service works. This was a descriptive survey of mostly female community members, with possible health service staff and limited representation.