Using Primary Care to Tackle Domestic Violence and Abuse (DVA)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Using Primary Care to Tackle Domestic Violence and Abuse (DVA) in the community setting
IRAS ID
302611
Contact name
Austen El-Osta
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Imperial College London
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
DVA is a global public health problem and a violation of human rights. It is prevalent in society and is almost invisible in primary healthcare, affecting all genders, ages and ethnicities, and can have a very detrimental impact on an individual’s physical and emotional health and that of their family.
Since the UK national lockdown, there has been a drastic increase in the calls and visits to helplines, as well as the reports of cases of DVA. The inability to escape abusers has left victims trapped by law, often exacerbating pre-existing poor mental health conditions (e.g., depression, anxiety) and psychosomatic distress reactions (e.g., insomnia, OCD). The lockdown meant that physicians are seeing a fraction of their usual patients, and often offer remote consultations, which is a clear barrier to identifying victims of DVA.
Our eSurvey based study primarily aims to investigate the prevalence of DVA. Completing the brief survey can help raise awareness about DVA in the community including how to recognise signs of the various types of DVA in both children and adults. Raising awareness about DVA in the community not only helps survivors of DVA to openly discuss and encourage receiving support, but also helps victims to recognise and acknowledge the abuse they are experiencing.
REC name
North West - Greater Manchester East Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
21/NW/0335
Date of REC Opinion
27 Jan 2022
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion