Include Men When Screening for
Domestic Violence continued from page 18
Clinicians can use the adapted questionnaires on page 16 with military men to assess decision-making , autonomy , the possibility of physical violence , sexual violence , psychological violence , and inequitable gender norms . CMHCs working with military populations can find helpful resources on online platforms sponsored by the Department of Defense , such as MilitaryOneSource , militaryonesource . mil , or military branch-specific resources such as My- Navy Portal my . navy . mil . ( More resources are in the box below .)
The good news is that community agencies , military hospitals , and private practices have increased the use of domestic violence assessments . Asking the question , “ Do you feel safe at home ?” is a good start to assessing domestic violence , but the mental health community must realize that victims do not always perceive danger in this type of violence .
Intimate Partner Violence in the Military
• Military Times : “ How Bad Is DoD ’ s Domestic Abuse Problem ? Unclear , Thanks to Data Gaps , Auditors Say ,” By Karen Jowers , May 7 , 2021 , bit . ly / 3SjWek2
• Aggression and Violent Behavior , A Review Journal : 2020 Jul-Aug ; “ Prevalence of Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration Among Military Populations : A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis ,” J . Kwan , et . al ., bit . ly / 3Nzfqst
• WomensLaw . org : Domestic Violence in the Military , bit . ly / 3E1YYO6
• Government Accounting Office : The Department of Defense recorded over 40,000 domestic abuse incidents involving military servicemembers , spouses , or intimate partners from FY 2015 – 19 . Of these , 74 percent were physical abuse . bit . ly / 3UmWno1
• CBS Evening News : “ Military ’ s Domestic Violence Crisis Compounded After 20 Years of War .” From the report : “ Incidents of spousal abuse in the military ” were “ more than twice that of the national population ,” according to 2019 data cited by Blue Star Families . cbsn . ws / 3sYhYqz
• Blue-Star Families : “ Ex-Military Spouse Tells Congress Her Story of Domestic Abuse , Revealing Cracks in Military ’ s Response to Incidents .” From the report : “ Incidents of spouse abuse in the military are at about 1.1 percent , according to Defense Department data from 2019 . That rate is more than twice that of the national population , which is . 42 percent , said Jessica Strong , co-director of applied research at Blue Star Families , a nonprofit organization that advocates for military families .” bit . ly / 3Tarj9k
Additional Resources
Clinical Mental Health Counselors can join this effort by making these minor modifications in their place of practice :
• Modify counseling intakes to assess both men and women equally .
• Intentionally develop competency on military topics related to family dynamics and equality in mental health for military members and veterans .
• Encourage counselors to participate in programs that serve military populations , such as MilitaryOneSource , Tricare , and Wounded Warrior Project .
Together we can enhance the quality of mental health care for the military population and their families .
If you have any questions regarding domestic violence screening and prevention program for military members , or if you would like additional resources , feel free to reach out to me at miyamoo @ mail . regent . edu or ( 925 ) 434 – 8506 .
• Military OneSource : Search for “ domestic violence ” for resources such as articles , flyers , posters , podcasts , and toolkits at www . militaryonesource . mil
• U . S . Department of Defense Sexual Assault Prevention and Response ( SAPRO ): The results of DoD SAPRO ’ s assessments and reports on sexual assault in the military are used to inform the DoD ’ s sexual assault prevention and response efforts , www . sapr . mil / reports
• Love to Know ( Military Families : Resources , Tips and Beyond ): “ Domestic Violence in Military Families : A Closer Look ,” by Mona Bapat , PhD , HSPP , Licensed Clinical Psychologist , family . lovetoknow . com / domestic-violence-military-families
Non-Military Statistics on Victims of Intimate Partner Violence
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention : Definition of domestic violence that includes physical violence , sexual violence , stalking , and psychological aggression . Also includes statistics , consequences , and prevention strategies , bit . ly / 3T7nB0l
• National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey : 2016 / 2017 ( most recent available ), bit . ly / 3DArllf
• National Coalition Against Domestic Violence : “ Male Victims of Intimate Partner Violence ,” but almost all of the research they cite for the statistics in the fact sheet are from 2010 and 2011 . bit . ly / 3DDlrjd
• Wikipedia —“ Domestic Violence Against Men ” 107 citations , but most are from around 10 years ago , and some are from before 2000 , bit . ly / 3zJJnQO
The Advocate Magazine 2022 , Issue # 3 American Mental Health Counselors Association ( AMHCA ) www . amhca . org 19