Hypothesis testing is a critical step in any research proceedings. It allows determining whether logical conclusions can be drawn about the population under consideration based on the data collected from the utilized sample. It is critical to ensure the hypothesis is tested when addressing social problems such as domestic and intimate partner violence and their effect on children. Thus, Templeton Family Services & Support Program (2022) offers several schemes to families with children with special needs, including developmental and learning disabilities and mental health conditions. In particular, the service provides a parenting education program aimed at persons with children under ten years of age and families with suspected child abuse and neglect (“Templeton Family Services & Support Program,” 2022). The education program covers various topics, from child development and discipline to family stress management. Domestic abuse is a substantial contributor to family stress and can adversely impact the relationships among the family members and affect child development. This report will consider the social problem of the parenting education program for families with suspected abuse and best practice to address that problem based on the previously reviewed articles on domestic abuse.
Problem Definition and Measures/Outcomes
The reviewed literature on the problem of domestic violence is well-developed. The research studies conducted by Trevillion et al. (2013) and Halliwell et al. (2019) focus on investigating domestic violence within the health care settings. The authors focus on the problem of health care professionals not being equipped to recognize domestic violence signs in psychiatric and other patients. However, Trevillion et al. (2013) fail to consider the impact domestic violence may have on children, thus, failing to fully contribute to the definition of the social problem under consideration. Meanwhile, Halliwell et al. (2019) included participants with children in the sample and pregnant persons. Similarly, Gelder et al. (2020) discuss the effect intimate partner violence can have on children exposed to it. It is highlighted that children exposed to abuse are at higher risk for trauma and are more likely to become perpetrators or victims of domestic violence themselves (Gelder et al., 2020). The studies under review refer to the existing body of literature when defining the problem of domestic abuse and intimate partner violence, with two out of three articles also considering the impact on children.
Furthermore, the selected articles dedicated to domestic abuse exhaustively discuss the outcomes of the performed and proposed interventions. When discussing the impact on the persons experiencing abuse, Trevillion et al. (2013) consider the impact on the severity of domestic violence, quality of life, safety behaviors, and needs of the clients. However, the research fails to indicate the impact of the intervention on patient outcomes concerning children. Although Halliwell et al. (2019) consider the influence on children and support accessed by victims of domestic abuse relating to children, the outcomes involving the effect of the intervention on children are not examined. Similarly, Gelder et al. (2020) focus on the potential outcomes for the victims of domestic abuse but not their children. Overall, although the problem of intimate partner violence and its impact on the children is well-defined, the outcomes relating to children are not examined in detail. Nevertheless, the studies can inform the parenting education program for families with suspected abuse.
Literature and Diversity
The research studies pertaining to domestic abuse and intimate partner violence interventions comprehensively address the diversity in defining and documenting the experience of the problem. It should be noted that the three articles focus on the problem of domestic violence in diverse populations, accounting for the experiences of both men and women. In addition, they consider the domestic abuse experienced by psychiatric care patients, clients assessing health care and maternity services, and community-based individuals who do not actively seek help from a health care facility. In their definition of the problem of domestic violence, Trevillion et al. (2013), Halliwell et al. (2019), and Gelder et al. (2020) highlight that any individual can become a victim of abuse. However, the impact of intimate partner violence on children is discussed only by Halliwell et al. (2019) and Gelder et al. (2020), with Trevillion et al. (2013) failing to address it. Nevertheless, it can be argued that diversity is thoroughly discussed in the social problem examination.
The experience of the defined problem is addressed from the point of view of diverse populations. Thus, Trevillion et al. (2013) and Halliwell et al. (2019) discuss the experience of medical professionals in recognizing and addressing domestic abuse in patients. In addition, the articles focus on the experiences of individuals from different socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds and account for the sexual orientation, relationship status, household income, living arrangements, children, and pregnancy. Therefore, it can be concluded that the reviewed literature comprehensively addresses diversity in defining and documenting the experience of domestic abuse and can inform the parenting education program for families as the problem under consideration.
Development of the Field of Intervention
The selected research articles utilize different designs in the development of the field of intervention. Thus, Trevillion et al. (2013) employ the quasi-experimental controlled design with both quantitative and qualitative methods. The study was designed to measure the impact of domestic violence and mental illness training sessions on the ability of psychiatric care professionals to notice signs of abuse in patients. The impact on the physical and mental health of the service users, and their use of safety behaviors and quality of life, is examined. Halliwell et al. (2019) focused on the data collection from medical care facilities offering help to different populations suffering from intimate partner violence. Meanwhile, Gelder et al. (2020) plan to employ a randomized controlled trial to test the proposed eHealth intervention aimed at female victims of domestic abuse. Thus, the revised studies follow different designs and procedures associated with them in order to perform the interventions.
Overall, it can be argued that the choice of different designs allows for exploring the problems of domestic abuse and intimate partner violence in diverse populations. In addition, the application of various study designs adds to the existing body of literature on the problem and informs the issue under consideration. Therefore, different approaches to the development of the field of intervention can advise the social problem of the parenting education program for families with suspected abuse of either one of the parents or children.
Selection of Best Practices in the Field of Intervention
The studies under consideration apply a variety of methods of evaluation to assess interventions developed for the problem of domestic violence and intimate partner abuse, particularly in families with children. Thus, Trevillion et al. (2013) employed statistical, economic, and qualitative analyses to determine the effectiveness of the intervention. The variety of the used methods of analysis examines the different aspects of addressing intimate partner violence experienced by psychiatric care patients. Halliwell et al. (2019) utilize a variety of statistical tests to assess the outcomes for the sufferers of domestic abuse. For example, t-tests, chi-square statistics, and non-parametric statistical tests with mean and median values to measure the effectiveness of the discussed intervention. Meanwhile, Gelder et al. (2020) plan to utilize the Generalized Estimation Equation and the ANCOVA model to evaluate the outcomes of the proposed intervention. It should be noted that the articles under review provide clear justification for the use of the discussed methods of evaluation.
It can be argued that the methods of evaluation are well developed and allowed the two out of three research teams to reach logical conclusions based on the data collected from diverse samples. Therefore, the conducted interventions can inform the social problem under consideration by addressing the impact of domestic violence interventions on family stress and relationships in families with children. Although the third discussed intervention has not been performed, the proposed methods of evaluation are discussed in detail, with different factors, such as gender, being considered as outcome modulators (Gelder et al., 2020). Thus, the evaluation methods are comprehensive and thoroughly developed and will help advise further development of the reviewed parenting education problem.
Recommendations for Practice
The validity and reliability of measures to assess outcome and the methodologies for data collection can be assessed as sufficient. The internal consistency in the research studies conducted by Trevillion et al. (2013) is evaluated by Cronbach’s Alpha measure, which is traditionally applied to assess the correlations between different items in a survey. Meanwhile, the internal validity is verified through the use of bootstrapping method (Trevillion et al., 2013). However, it is unclear what validity and reliability tests were performed by Halliwell et al. (2019) and what tests Gelder et al. (2020) plan to utilize. Although all articles provide a detailed explanation of the utilized data collection methods, the validity and reliability of data collection instruments are not discussed.
However, it should be noted that all studies implemented long-established instruments whose reliability and validity are extensively described in the research literature. For example, Halliwell et al. (2019) applied such instruments as Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Primary Care Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Screen, and SF12 Health Survey to collect data pertaining to the domestic abuse victims’ health. Thus, it can be argued that the validity and reliability of measures to assess outcomes and the methodologies for data collection are partially established.
Conclusion
In summary, the field of intervention for the social problem under consideration is well developed. The reviewed research articles on domestic abuse and intimate partner violence can help inform the parenting education program offered by the Templeton Family Services & Support Program. In particular, they can address the effect of domestic violence on the direct victims of abuse and the hidden victims – children. The knowledge base related to the problem is well developed, with the studies under examination referring to and comparing their results with the previous works on the issue. The evaluation of the discussed interventions is also thorough and addresses the outcomes for trained clinicians and domestic violence victims. It should be noted that the problem, intervention, and evaluation were suitably sensitive to the diverse populations, accounting for experiences of abuse victims from different backgrounds and professionals working in psychiatric and health care facilities. Overall, the reviewed research studies offer valuable practices to address the social problem. In particular, they can help inform parenting education teachers on how to recognize signs of domestic abuse and intimate partner violence and inform them about the benefits of intervening.
References
Gelder, N. E., Van Rosmalen-Nooijens, K. A., A Ligthart, S., Prins, J. B., Oertelt-Prigione, S., & Lagro-Janssen, A. L. (2020). SAFE: An eHealth intervention for women experiencing intimate partner violence – study protocol for a randomized controlled trial, process evaluation and open feasibility study. BMC Public Health, 20(1), 1–8. Web.
Halliwell, G., Dheensa, S., Fenu, E., Jones, S. K., Asato, J., Jacob, S., & Feder, G. (2019). Cry for health: A quantitative evaluation of a hospital-based advocacy intervention for domestic violence and abuse. BMC Health Services Research, 19(1), 1–12. Web.
Templeton Family Services & Support Program. (2022). Web.
Trevillion, K., Byford, S., Cary, M., Rose, D., Oram, S., Feder, G., Agnew-Davies, R., & Howard, L. M. (2013). Linking abuse and recovery through advocacy: An observational study. Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences, 23(1), 99–113. Web.