Post-separation abuse: A concept analysis.
Kathryn J Spearman, Jennifer L Hardesty, Jacquelyn Campbell
PMID 35621362WHAT IT FOUND
Post-separation abuse is an ongoing pattern of legal, economic, child-related, discrediting, and stalking intimidation after separation.
Nurses can assess risk, safety plan, document, report abuse, counsel firearm storage, and advocate; these are suggestions, not tested interventions.
Key findings
01Post-separation abuse is defined as an ongoing, willful pattern of intimidation of a former intimate partner that includes legal abuse, economic abuse, threats and endangerment to children, isolation and discrediting, and harassment and stalking.
02The essential attributes identified are fear and intimidation; domination, power and control; intrusion and entrapment; and omnipresence.
03No existing measure captures long-term post-separation abuse, and none include legal abuse, using children, or threats to take custody; only the Danger Assessment includes threats of harm to children.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
This is a concept analysis and literature review, not a patient study, so it does not test whether nursing actions reduce abuse or harm. The authors note little quantitative data on incidence, prevalence, severity, or health consequences of post-separation abuse. No existing measurement tool captures long-term post-separation abuse, and existing tools omit legal abuse, using children, or threats to take custody. Most reviewed studies were from high-income countries and heterosexual partnerships, so applicability to diverse populations and legal jurisdictions is limited. Co-parenting conflict is often studied separately from or lumped with IPV. This makes it hard to distinguish abuse from non-abusive conflict.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the nursing actions as evidence they reduce abuse or harm. This is a concept analysis and literature review, not a trial or patient study.