Introduction to Domestic Violence and Abuse Within Healthcare Contexts

Abstract

Domestic violence and abuse (DVA) is a serious concern that healthcare professionals including nurses, midwives, doctors, and others working in any setting may encounter in their practice as they may come across victim-survivor seeking healthcare support to deal with the health impact of DVA. Healthcare professional can, therefore, play a very important role in identifying, referring, and responding to such individuals effectively. To do this, healthcare professionals need to understand the phenomenon of DVA and its associated details. This chapter aims to explore the issue of DVA and provides an overview of the definitions, forms of DVA, prevalence, presentation, and impact on the physical and psychological health of the victim-survivor and others.