Trauma- and Violence-Informed Care: Orienting Intimate Partner Violence Interventions to Equity

Abstract

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a complex traumatic experience that often co-occurs, or is causally linked, with other forms of structural violence and oppression. However, few IPV interventions integrate this social-ecological perspective. We examine trauma- and violence-informed care (TVIC) in the context of existing IPV interventions as an explicitly equity-oriented approach to IPV prevention and response. Systematic reviews of IPV interventions along the public health prevention spectrum show mixed findings, with those with a theoretically grounded, structural approach that integrates a trauma lens more likely to show benefit. TVIC, embedded in survivor-centered protocols with an explicit theory of change, is emerging as an equity-promoting approach underpinning IPV intervention. Explicit attention to structural violence and the complexity of IPV, systems and sites of intervention, and survivors’ diverse and intersectional lived experiences has significant potential to transform policy and practice.