Are primary care interventions for intimate partner violence effective? I wish I could tell you

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Listen up systematic reviewers. Don’t make Sarah Knowles angry; you won’t like her when she’s angry. Cue a rather frustrated blog about new research on primary care interventions for intimate partner violence.

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Childhood abuse and adverse life events interact synergistically to produce a high risk for psychotic experiences

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This recent study concludes that childhood abuse creates an enduring vulnerability to psychosis that is realised in the event of exposure to further stressors and risk factors, such as separation, bereavement, or being involved in an accident or physical attack.

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What people with learning disabilities think about abuse and those who are abusers

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Background The recent events at Winterbourne View refocused attention on abuse of people with learning disabilities, and there is an acceptance of the need for system wide change as a result of the enquiries that followed the uncovering of these events. That change has posited the need to close Winterbourne View type services and help [read the full story…]

Effective circles of support recommended for success of strategies to reduce abuse in people with learning disabilities

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Background Recent events have highlighted the increased risk of abuse faced by people with learning disabilities. Local authorities regularly collect data on adult protection referrals and one study has looked at trends that have emerged from analysis of this data Last year, we posted about a study based on in-depth interviews focusing on the experience [read the full story…]

Established framework for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder can be used with some amendments for people with learning disabilities

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The psychological impact of abuse has been conceptualised as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, but there has been little work on understanding whether this conceptualisation is appropriate and useful for adults with severe learning disabilities who may have limited communication skills. The researchers in this study set out to explore whether this established conceptual framework could [read the full story…]

New website aimed at helping people with learning disabilities stay safe online

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Information technology is a now a major part of the modern world and access to the internet is becoming more and more important to being a part of modern society. Access to the internet brings many benefits in terms of access to a broader community of friends, opportunities for learning and increasingly a number of [read the full story…]

New framework to help staff protect vulnerable people

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Background This document provides guidance for people working to prevent and reduce the risk of abuse and neglect of adults. It is aimed at NHS staff and their partners in education and social care and has been developed in partnership with the Department of Health, the Department of Education, the NHS and the social care [read the full story…]

People with disability are more likely to be victims of violence and to suffer mental illness as a result

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In the UK over 10 million people live with a disability, many of whom suffer from violence (Department for Working Pensions, 2011). A recent World Report on Disability by WHO (2011) highlighted that people living with disabilities are at  risk from sexual and physical violence. Despite this, little is known about who is at risk [read the full story…]

Many psychiatric patients experience domestic violence, but more research is needed

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The links between domestic violence and mental health are well documented. Research shows that people who are suffering from mental health problems may be more vulnerable to domestic violence. Studies also suggest that domestic violence may increase the risk of mental illness and that continued violence may lead to more persistent ill health. However, we [read the full story…]

Community-based outreach may reduce mental health problems in women who experience intimate partner abuse

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Women who experience intimate partner abuse (IPA) often suffer from mental health problems as a result. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and fear of further attacks are all common and understandable responses. Despite this, there are not many longitudinal studies that follow a group of women over a period of time and assess what interventions [read the full story…]