Identification of abused women in health settings

The purpose of this study was to identify battered women in a health setting. The sample studied were 100 women in a local family planning clinic. 50 who reported themselves as having been battered within the last year and 50 who did not. Data was obtained by using a copywritten tool, the Abuse Risk Inventory (ARI). The tool included two parts: demographic data in which the client identified herself as having been battered and a survey entitled Interpersonal Relationships. The questionnaire was distributed to the sample population at a family planning clinic.
The researcher compared the means of the ARI of the two groups. The difference between the means analyzed was using a t TEST. Findings were significant at the p<.01 level. Several demographics were observed; among them Length of Relationship, Annual Income, and Physical Abuse for both the Respondent and Partner. Observations of the ARI means were made in each category.