
UMMS Affiliation
Department of Family Medicine and Community Health; Department of Medicine, Division of Preventive and Behavorial Medicine
Publication Date
2012-6
Document Type
Article
Subjects
Adult Survivors of Child Abuse; Domestic Violence; Physicians, Primary Care; Physician's Practice Patterns
Disciplines
Community Health and Preventive Medicine | Preventive Medicine | Primary Care
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Health care professionals like other adults have a substantial exposure to childhood and adult victimization, but the prevalence of abuse experiences among practicing family physicians has not been examined. Also unclear is the impact of such personal experiences of abuse on physicians' screening practices for childhood abuse among their patients and the personal and professional barriers to such screening.
METHODS: We surveyed Massachusetts family physicians about their screening practices of adult patients for a history of childhood abuse and found that 33.6% had some experience of personal trauma, with 42.4% of women and 24.3% of men reporting some kind of lifetime personal abuse, including witnessing violence between their parents. These rates are comparable to or higher than those reported in prior studies of physicians' histories of abuse.
RESULTS: Physicians with a past history of trauma were more likely to feel confident in screening and less likely to perceive time as a barrier to screening.
CONCLUSIONS: Given the high prevalence of prior childhood and victimization of both men and women physicians with the associated effects on their clinical work, we recommend that educational and training settings adopt specific competencies to provide safe and confidential environments where trainees can safely explore these issues and the potential impact on their clinical practice and well-being.
Source
Fam Med. 2012 Jun;44(6):416-24. Link to article on publisher's website
Journal/Book/Conference Title
Family medicine
Related Resources
PubMed ID
22733419
Repository Citation
Candib LM, Savageau JA, Weinreb LF, Reed GW. (2012). Inquiring into our past: when the doctor is a survivor of abuse. Family Medicine and Community Health Publications. Retrieved from https://escholarship.umassmed.edu/fmch_articles/226
Included in
Community Health and Preventive Medicine Commons, Preventive Medicine Commons, Primary Care Commons