Did you know that domestic violence affects one in three women during their lifetime? Each year up to 1,600 women are murdered, often by their husbands, boyfriends, ex-boyfriends, or partners. For women in abusive relationships, knowing their risk level for homicide can save their lives. Did you know that information is available?
Women can learn how much their safety and well-being is in jeopardy by taking the Danger Assessment, an online tool developed by Jacquelyn Campbell, PhD, RN, FAAN, a professor at Johns Hopkins School of Nursing.
Campbell was named an American Academy of Nursing Edge Runner last month (July) for creating the free program, Danger Assessment: An Instrument to Help Abused Women Assess Their Risk of Homicide. The honor recognizes nurse-designed models of care and interventions that improve health care quality, cost, and consumer satisfaction.
“This is an extraordinary honor and another opportunity to shed light on domestic violence,” Campbell said in a statement. “I am grateful for the Academy’s recognition and for the commitment of so many colleagues and organizations that have prioritized research and funding for this distressing public health problem.”
The Danger Assessment (DA) predicts a woman’s risk of being killed or almost killed by an intimate partner. For more than 30 years, law enforcement, health care professionals and domestic violence advocates identified and assisted women with a high risk of being harmed by using the tool created by Campbell in 1986. There is also a version to download that predicts reassault in abusive female same-sex relationships.
Available in English, Spanish and Portuguese, the DA is divided in two parts: a calendar to record when abuse and injuries occur, and a 20–item questionnaire about risk factors such as past death threats, partner’s employment status, and partner’s access to a gun.The DA also provides information about shelters and counselors.
If you, or someone you know, are in an abusive relationship, take action to avoid becoming a deadly statistic. For more information about resources, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline (https://www.thehotline.org) at (800) 799-7233.
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