Levels of Prevention
Levels of Prevention Public health focuses on prevention emphasizing conditions and diseases affecting an entire population hoping to improve community health. The public health community changed attitudes toward family violence. For years, family violence was seen as a private issue, but in 1979, the Surgeon General of the United States called the public health community to arms, identifying the devastating effects of family violence. The premise is that violent behavior, and associated consequences, are preventable (Dahlbert, 2007). This paper will define family violence, levels of prevention, address cost-effectiveness of prevention, and explore epidemiological models useful for primary prevention.
Family Violence The World Health Organization defines violence as the intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against oneself, another person, or against a group or community, that either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, maldevelopment or deprivation (Dahlbert, 2007. para 9).
In the United States, any violent act by one family member against another family member is family violence. Victims are usually women and children. Intimate partner violence (IPV) is violence against a domestic partner. Increasingly the elderly are victimized. Victims of family violence are often dependent on the perpetrator (Family Violence, 2010). Family violence may be a learned behavior. Coercive parenting and early childhood aggression are key components in developing violent behaviors (Scholer, Mukherjee, Gibbs, Memon, & Joneward, 2007). Many children, urban and suburban, have witnessed IPV or community violence. A navy family study and a national survey of adolescents study propose violence exposure co-occurs within the family and community. Up to 69% of children surveyed witnessed IPV in their own family; over one-half witnessed community violence. Parents report children
Family Violence The World Health Organization defines violence as the intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against oneself, another person, or against a group or community, that either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, maldevelopment or deprivation (Dahlbert, 2007. para 9).
In the United States, any violent act by one family member against another family member is family violence. Victims are usually women and children. Intimate partner violence (IPV) is violence against a domestic partner. Increasingly the elderly are victimized. Victims of family violence are often dependent on the perpetrator (Family Violence, 2010). Family violence may be a learned behavior. Coercive parenting and early childhood aggression are key components in developing violent behaviors (Scholer, Mukherjee, Gibbs, Memon, & Joneward, 2007). Many children, urban and suburban, have witnessed IPV or community violence. A navy family study and a national survey of adolescents study propose violence exposure co-occurs within the family and community. Up to 69% of children surveyed witnessed IPV in their own family; over one-half witnessed community violence. Parents report children