When Disclosure Isn’t the Goal: Exploring Responses to Partner Violence Victimization Screening and Universal Education among Youth and Adults

Abstract

Efforts to connect intimate partner violence (IPV) and teen dating violence (TDV) survivors with services rely heavily on victimization screening, despite extensive evidence that many will not disclose abuse even with the best-available screening tools. This study examines how two forms of brief IPV/TDV intervention (screening and universal education) affect important outcomes other than disclosure, including participants’ perceptions of options and resources for addressing IPV/TDV and maintaining safety. This study applies regression models and inductive qualitative analysis to survey data from adults (N = 646) and youth (N = 648) and accompanying qualitative interview data to explore participants’ perceptions of safety-related resources and options after completing a set of randomly assigned brief IPV/TDV interventions. Brief IPV/TDV interventions (including screening and universal education) may influence safety options and connection to resources, even in the absence of disclosure. The brief interventions examined in this study supported participants’ awareness of available resources and sparked personal reflection and insight. Organizational-level outcomes included stronger community partnerships, increased capacity for communicating about IPV/TDV, and expanded services for survivors. These outcomes appeared to be strongly shaped by how staff approached IPV/TDV-related interactions with participants. Implementation of brief IPV/TDV interventions in the context of high school and community-based relationship education programs represent a promising strategy for promoting safety and safety-related empowerment among youth and adult survivors. Future research should continue to examine outcomes of such interventions beyond disclosure.