Screening for Intimate Partner Violence in an Oncology Population

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is most broadly defined as behavior that is abusive and perpetrated by someone who is in a current or previous relationship with the victim (Nelson, Bougatsos, & Blazina, 2012); see Table 1. Intimate partner violence may occur on a continuum ranging from isolated incidents described as situational couple violence to intimate terrorism encompassing multiple aspects of psychological and physical abuse (Johnson, 2008). Although few studies have focused solely on the oncology population, a 2006 study by Modesitt and colleagues states that a staggering 75% of women under treatment for breast, ovarian, endometrial, or ovarian cancer report having experienced some form of intimate partner abuse during adulthood (Modesitt et al., 2006). Results from a 2002 National Violence Against Women Survey confirmed this high rate of incidence (Canady, Naus, & Babcock, 2010).