Characteristics of domestic violence incidents reported at the scene by volunteer victim advocates

Abstract

At a single U.S. Army installation from 1997 to 2005, domestic violence volunteer victim advocates assisted 1,417 clients in 1,380 physical and 301 verbal abuse incidents. The average soldier and spouse population during this time was slightly less than 10,000. Advocates went to the scene of the incident to talk to the victim to ensure that her/his rights were observed, to determine whether the victim was safe, was referred to the hospital social work service for assessment, and had the information necessary to negotiate the complex military and community systems. The advocate inquired of the victim the characteristics of the incident and risk factors in the history of the relationship. In many incidents, risk factors indicated a history of serious violence by the offender including an increasing level of violence, stalking, and assaults. Frequently reported precipitants of incidents were relationship problems, jealously, and infidelity. Spouses often reported previous attempts to leave and to get help. Advocates play an important role in gathering information uniquely available at the scene that can be useful in planning education and intervention programs to reduce domestic violence in the Army, the military services, and civilian society.