• Jeffrey R Jaeger, Darren Spielman, Peter F Cronholm, Sam Applebaum, and William C Holmes.
• Division of General Internal Medicine, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. JaegerJ@uphs.upenn.edu
• J Gen Intern Med. 2008 Aug 1; 23 (8): 115211561152-6.

BackgroundPrimary prevention of intimate partner violence (IPV) at the level of the primary care provider is unexplored.ObjectiveWe sought to identify whether men disclose current IPV perpetration when asked by a primary care provider.DesignCross-sectional study.ParticipantsConsecutive male patients of 6 providers in public health, university, and VA hospital clinics.MeasurementsMen were screened for IPV perpetration during routine visits, then given a Conflict Tactics Scale questionnaire (CTS2) to complete and mail back anonymously.ResultsOne hundred twenty-eight men were screened; 46 (36%) returned CTS2 questionnaires. Twenty-three and 2 men disclosed past and current perpetration to providers, respectively. Providers assessed lethality/safety issues in 58% of those reporting a perpetration history (including both with current perpetration), responded with direct counseling to 63% (including both with current perpetration), and referred 17% for services related to the screening (including 1 with current perpetration). Nine and 26 men reported current, CTS2-assessed physical and psychological aggression of a partner, respectively.ConclusionsMen appear to underreport current IPV perpetration in face-to-face primary care encounters when compared to other methods of reporting. Men may more readily report past IPV perpetration in face-to-face encounters.

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