Violence screening in college health centers: Predictors and missed opportunities

Intimate partner violence (IPV) and sexual violence (SV) are significant public health issues for female college students. Female college students, ages 18-25, are at high risk for both IPV and SV. IPV and SV have immediate and long-term health effects.  Healthy People 2020 objectives focus on reducing IPV and SV.  According to college health care providers’ (HCPs) reports, fewer than 37% of college health centers include SV questions in routine intake forms; less than 50% of college HCPs assess for SV during gynecologic visits. Intimate partner violence screening occurs even less often than sexual violence screening. Although a few descriptive studies have examined IPV and SV screening in select settings (e.g., OB/GYN, primary care), all relied exclusively in HCP self-report and none included college health centers. Our study utilized a cross-sectional quantitative survey design to explore IPV/SV screening from the perspectives of both HCPs and college women, and identify factors that promote or impede college HCPs’ IPV and SV screening behaviors. For Aim 1, we examined women’s experiences with IPV/SV screening in appointments at college health centers. Aim 2 examined college HCPs’ reports of IPV/SV screening behaviors and screening-related attitudes, beliefs, intentions, and perceptions of organizational factors that promote or inhibit IPV/SV screening. We will present findings from Aim 1 of the study. This theoretically driven study has expanded our understanding of IPV/SV screening from the perspectives of both HCPs and college women, and identifies modifiable and non-modifiable factors for intervention development.