Educational Media Reviews Online

A domestic violence survivor provides focused insight into this insidious problem when, after looking at herself in the mirror after a beating by her husband, she thinks, "…if he had done this to someone on the street he'd be in jail."

Breaking the Cycle of Domestic Violence is a primer for health care professionals in recognizing, assessing, and documenting signs of domestic violence in their patients. Produced by the Kansas Medical Society Alliance, many of the statistics and laws referred to are local, but they are surely representative of many parts of the United States and Canada. The national statistics are sobering. Two to four million women every year are victims of domestic violence, 1 million seeking emergency room care. The prevalence in our society makes questioning about it a necessary part of the patient screening process.

Domestic violence tends to form a 3-stage cycle. The tension building phase, the battering phase, and the honeymoon stage when the batterer appears to be truly sorry. The cycle however, spirals, usually becoming more violent if left untreated. This program emphasizes the importance of asking every patient key questions to help identify a possible abuse victim.

Breaking the Cycle focuses primarily on women as victims of domestic violence, but acknowledges that there are male victims, and that children are also affected. It does a superb job in outlining the emotional trauma involved in this type of abuse. Children may not be physically abused at all, but the psychological and emotional effects can be far-reaching. The reasons for women staying in an abusive relationship, and the underlying reasons why people become batterers are explained.

Perfect for clinical in-service presentations, this program gives practical steps towards intervening, documenting, and referring patients. It stresses clarifying the therapeutic goal and empowering the patient with information and options. The technical aspects of the video are professional, and it is divided into clear-cut sections so the tape can be stopped at various points for discussion or instruction purposes. The accompanying resource guide is a valuable booklet on its own, but used in conjunction with the video provides a complete package for domestic violence training for the health care professional. Highly recommended for collections supporting health sciences schools, hospitals and other clinical health care institutions.

Highly Recommended