Domestic violence

Partners and children who are subject to domestic abuse are more likely to experience certain physical and mental health effects than previously thought, according to a new meta-analysis. People who have been subject to abuse are more likely to experience physical and mental health effects than previously thought, according to a new study. In a global review and meta-analysis of evidence published in Nature Medicine today, researchers have found that there are elevated risks between intimate partner violence or childhood sexual abuse, and some health conditions including major depressive disorder, maternal miscarriage for partners, and alcohol misuse and self-harm among children. Globally, one in three ever-partnered women have experienced intimate partner violence in their lifetime, and around 20% of young women and 10% of young men have experienced some form of childhood sexual abuse. However, research investigating health outcomes associated with intimate partner violence and childhood sexual abuse has been limited. The authors found that exposures to intimate partner violence had a moderate association with an increased risk of major depressive disorders (63%) and an increased risk of maternal abortion and miscarriage (35%). Childhood sexual abuse was shown to be moderately associated with an increased risk of alcohol use and an increased risk of self-harm (45% and 35%, respectively). The authors indicate these findings are larger in magnitude and more extensive than previously suggested. Dr Joht Singh Chandan, Clinical Associate Professor in Public Health at the University of Birmingham and senior co-lead author of the paper said: "This comprehensive study marks a significant step in understanding the profound health impacts of intimate partner violence against women and childhood sexual abuse. Our findings reveal not only the alarming associations these forms of violence have with conditions like major depressive disorder, miscarriage, alcohol use disorders, and self-harm, but also underscore the urgent need for robust preventive measures and support systems." Professor Emmanuela Gakidou from the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington and senior co-lead author of the paper "While we've shed light on these critical health issues, our research also highlights the gaps in current knowledge and the necessity for continued investigation to fully grasp the extensive consequences of such violence. It's imperative that we use these insights to inform policy, healthcare, and community interventions, ensuring a safer and healthier future for individuals affected by these pervasive forms of violence." Dr Nicholas Metheny, Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing and Health Studies at the University of Miami said: "Our research marks a pivotal shift in how we perceive the societal and health burdens of intimate partner violence (IPV). Previously, our evidence primarily highlighted IPV's contribution to HIV and depression, substantially underestimating its broader impact. This study expands our understanding, revealing IPV's extensive influence on a wider range of poor health outcomes. "This new perspective is crucial in elevating IPV as a public health imperative in the global sphere, hopefully igniting both political and scientific momentum towards effective prevention and intervention strategies." 4000 studies reviewed -- 229 suitable for inclusion Searching through papers published from seven databases, Emmanuella Gakidou and colleagues identified the available literature on intimate partner violence and childhood sexual abuse and their associated health effects. They reviewed over 4,000 studies, of which 229 studies met the criteria for inclusion. Using the burden of proof methodology (a meta-analytic approach for estimating a conservative measure of the elevated or reduced risk of a particular health outcome after exposure to a harmful or protective risk factor), they evaluated the strength of evidence connecting intimate partner violence and/or childhood sexual abuse to health outcomes, which were supported by at least three studies. Additional potential health outcomes were also initially identified in the study, including an association of maternal hypertensive disorders with intimate partner violence and an association of smoking with childhood sexual abuse. However, the research concludes that due to a scarcity of evidence, these could not be included in the meta-analysis. The authors note that the studies are observational and cannot demonstrate causality and highlight that their findings are limited owing to the limited number of studies that explore these relationships. They suggest that their research demonstrates the wide-ranging health effects of intimate partner violence and childhood sexual abuse but emphasize the need for further research to strengthen the evidence base. The study was funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The Hotline uses digital capabilities of Genesys Cloud CX to increase scale and drive more survivor-centric experiences SAN FRANCISCO, May 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Genesys®, a global cloud leader in experience orchestration, today announced the National Domestic Violence Hotline (The Hotline), the 24/7 hotline serving anyone impacted by relationship abuse in the US, is swiftly connecting more survivors to essential support through highly trained advocates using the Genesys Cloud CX™ platform. The mission of the Hotline is to shift power back to survivors, offering free and confidential support, safety planning and connection to crucial local resources via phone, online chat and text. The Hotline is available for anyone 13 years old and up. External factors that add stress, financial strain or isolation can negatively impact survivors of domestic violence and that can further compromise their safety. Today's challenging health, social and economic environment has accelerated risk for domestic violence, limited sources of support for victims and increased financial and housing instability for those experiencing abuse. "The pandemic greatly increased the need for 24/7 crisis support and services, as well as the complexity in serving survivors safely," said Marty Hand, vice president of technology for The Hotline. "Genesys helped us meet survivors where they were; support their evolving needs; and enabled us to serve more people amidst the highest volume in our 27-year history." Empowering Survivor-Centric Support with Digital Technology During a time when technology is increasingly used to cause harm, The Hotline is determined to leverage technology to expand its reach and support more survivors. To deliver services, the organization relies on highly trained advocates who provide quality, trauma-informed education, validation, and connection to empower victims and survivors to make life-changing decisions with dignity and respect. With a growing demand for services, The Hotline needed to scale its operations quickly by using digital solutions to support live advocates who are administering survivor-centered services that match the sensitivity and urgency of their situations. The Hotline partnered with Genesys to modernize its contact center infrastructure through Genesys Cloud CX, an all-in-one Experience Orchestration platform that offers capabilities to deliver personalized, empathetic engagement across voice and digital channels. Facing more than double the daily calls, chats and texts it receives - now nearly 3,000 per day - The Hotline sought to leverage the Genesys platform to expand the capacity of its advocates by automating the optional collection of non-identifying demographic data using digital and voice bots powered by Genesys Digital Bot Flows. Now survivors can more quickly share details about their situations with anonymity. The Genesys Cloud CX platform also allows The Hotline to more efficiently route survivors to advocates, while automatically passing important context so advocates are better prepared with appropriate resources. According to Hand, by carefully and sensitively using technology, the organization scaled quickly to meet the increasing demand for its services. "We went from 92 advocates to 160 in less than two years. With limited funding available, we rely on technology to stretch that capacity even further," said Hand. "Saving our advocates time through automation provides a better experience and has reduced our wait times greatly." "The time taken for us to answer 1 million contacts is getting shorter and shorter," continued Hand. "It took seven-and-a-half years to answer our first million calls and just two-and-a-half years to answer the last million." To date, The Hotline has answered more than 6.5 million calls, chats and texts. Last year, webchat and SMS accounted for 43% and 9% of its interactions, respectively. Both digital channels have become essential for victims as sending a message via a mobile device can be safer than making a phone call. "The Hotline's digital transformation is an important reminder that customer experience technologies support diverse use cases that extend beyond the traditional contact center," said Olivier Jouve, chief product officer at Genesys. "For The Hotline, orchestrating seamless, empathetic experiences between survivors and advocates has an important impact on lives. At Genesys, our vision is to enable any organizations with the technology they need to earn people's trust by making them feel seen, heard and understood." To learn more about how the National Domestic Violence Hotline is transforming support for survivors visit TheHotline.org. About Genesys Every year, Genesys orchestrates billions of remarkable customer experiences for organizations in more than 100 countries. Through the power of our cloud, digital and AI technologies, organizations can realize Experience as a Service®, our vision for empathetic customer experiences at scale. With Genesys, organizations have the power to deliver proactive, predictive, and hyper personalized experiences to deepen their customer connection across every marketing, sales, and service moment on any channel, while also improving employee productivity and engagement. By transforming back-office technology to a modern revenue velocity engine Genesys enables true intimacy at scale to foster customer trust and loyalty. Visit . ©2023 Genesys. All rights reserved. Genesys, the Genesys logo, Genesys Cloud CX, and Experience as a Service are trademarks, service marks and/or registered trademarks of Genesys. All other company names and logos may be registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective companies. About The National Domestic Violence Hotline The National Domestic Violence Hotline envisions a world where all relationships are positive, healthy, and free from violence. If you or someone you know is experiencing relationship abuse in any form, help is available. The National Domestic Violence Hotline provides free, confidential support 24/7/365. Text START to 88788, call 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), or chat online at TheHotline.org. You are not alone. Media Contacts: Kelley Crane Genesys [email protected] Method Communications [email protected] SOURCE Genesys

From left to right: Parthi Desai, Angelique Richard, Andra Medea, Elizabeth Sheesley Martin, and Jose Prince Clinicians are on the front lines in caring for gunshot victims. The continuous flow of these victims to emergency departments has sparked the medical community to speak out on ways to reduce the violence. Dr. Jose Prince, vice president & system chief, pediatric surgical services, at Northwell Health, says he has cared for hundreds of children who have been shot, adding that discussions about safety and access to guns do not impinge on the rights of responsible gun owners. “I see this as a public health issue that affects all of us in every community we’re in,” Prince said. Prince’s comments came during a panel Wednesday during the MedCity News INVEST conference in Chicago. He was joined by Angelique Richard, chief nursing officer at Rush University Medical Center; Andra Medea, founder of C3 De-escalation; and Elizabeth Sheesley Martin, workplace violence prevention counselor at UC Davis Health. The panel was moderated by Parth Desai, principal, Flare Capital Partners. As gun violence worsens, Rush has increased the number of drills it conducts to improve staff preparedness, Richard said. The medical center has completed an assessment of all of its campuses and engaged a security firm to help with solutions. Those solutions include weapons detection systems in high-risk areas, such as the emergency department. Similar to Rush, New York City-based NorthWell has hardened so-called soft targets, Prince said. But he added that these measures can only go so far. For example, they would not stop a domestic violence situation that leads to a killing in a parking lot. Prince said that while gun violence must be addressed as a public health issue, there has not been much research about preventing firearm injury. Some healthcare providers are taking the initiative to gather and disseminate information about firearm violence prevention. The BulletPoints Project in California provides resources that help clinicians learn how to discuss firearms with patients and how to communicate with patients who are at risk of gun violence. Funded by the state of California, BulletPoints developed from the violence prevention research of Amy Barnhorst, a psychiatrist at UC Davis Health. Martin, a workplace violence prevention counselor at the health system, said that this project provides training that helps clinicians understand what they can do to prevent gun violence. Hospital administrators sometimes view hospital violence as a sudden event, but it does not always unfold that way, said Medea, whose C3 de-escalation techniques are used in mental health settings, law enforcement, crisis centers, courts, and schools. Medea gave an example of a hospital behavioral unit that frequently took in transports from the sheriff’s office in the early morning hours. These patients often spent hours in handcuffs without food, water, or access to a bathroom. The intake process was often disruptive, leading to calls to security. Using Medea’s de-escalation approach, the hospital changed its intake process. When those sheriff’s transports came in, the first contact with the hospital was someone offering food to put them at ease. Paperwork came later. This procedural change decreased disruptions. “They simply don’t get calls from that floor anymore,” Medea said. Technology can play a role in helping to prevent disruptive situations. For example, the wait time for a hospital bed can range from hours to days. Software can inform patients, Medea said. Adults have a need to know what’s going to happen to them next, she explained. If they don’t know, they feel disrespected and become angry. A device that they can check periodically or a notification on their phones can provide them with enough information that has the effect of preventing them from violently seizing control, Medea said. In some cases, the presence of uniformed people, such as security and police, has the effect of escalating a situation, Martin said. UC Davis Health has several different training programs that employ non-violent intervention techniques. Patient-facing staff members are trained to deal with verbal and physical confrontations. The training extends to those who answer the phones because they often receive threats. Prince said it’s also important to provide help to healthcare providers and hospital staff after an incident. That response can come from chaplains and others, he said.