Literature Review Buss, K. E. & Warren, J. M. (2015, March 1). Trauma and treatment in early childhood: A review of the historical and emerging literature for counselors. The Professional Counselor,5(2), 225-231.

The first author, Buss, is a counselor at Hope-Thru-Horses, Inc. in Lumber Bridge, North Carolina and the second author, Warren, is an assistant professor at the University of North Carolina-Pembroke. Citing the high level of dependence on parents and other caregivers, the authors note that children aged 5 years and younger are especially vulnerable to trauma due to domestic violence. Moreover, these young people are particularly susceptible to different types of trauma due to a wide range of events and incidents involving some form of severe in-home domestic violence. In addition, the authors emphasize that fully 85% of all fatalities among this segment of the American population are caused by domestic violence, and this alarming figure only diminishes slightly by age 7 years. Following a detailed description of the symptoms of trauma in young people exposed to domestic violence and noting that there remains a dearth of relevant research in this area, the authors conclude that more research is needed to identify risk and protective factors that can help formulate more efficacious interventions in the future.

Kulkarni, S. J. & Racine, E. F. (2012, March 1). Examining the relationship between Latinas' perceptions about what constitutes domestic violence and domestic violence victimization. Violence and Victims, 27(2), 182-186.

The authors are PhDs practicing at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte who note that domestic violence among the Latina population in the United States is a serious public health issue and cite the cross-cultural differences that exist among the mainstream American population and Latinas concerning their perceptions of what types of behaviors can be regarded as domestic violence. The authors point out that identifying these types of cross-cultural differences represents a timely and valuable enterprise since these issues can have an impact on the effectiveness of interventions that are designed to help this segment of the population as well as determining with more precision the prevalence rate of domestic violence among Latinas. At present, estimates indicate that almost 25% of Latinas experience some type of domestic violence during some point in their lives, but these victims may not consider themselves as legitimate victims of domestic violence due to cultural differences, thereby making accurate estimates as well as developing appropriate and timely interventions for this population far more difficult for health care providers. In addition, the authors provide a detailed description of the wide array of mental and physical health care problems that are associated with domestic violence in general, as well as the enormous economic costs that are involved. Some of the risk factors for domestic violence for Latinas were shown to include being young, poor and having large numbers of children. The authors conclude that domestic violence reporting rates for Latinas can be expected to increase in the foreseeable future as this segment of the population becomes more acculturated.

LeGeros, M. & Savage, J. (2012,...

Building bridges: Training social work students in domestic violence work. Field Educator, 2(2), 37-39.
The authors are MSWs practicing at Brigham and Women’s Hospital’s Passageway, Center for Community Health and Health Equity in Boston. The authors point out that there remains a lack of connection between classroom learning and internship experiences in the field where students gain first-hand experience in responding to the needs of traumatized domestic violence victims. In response, the authors describe the implementation of innovative social work programming at the hospital-based Passageway program that is designed to provide social work students with the background and tools they will need to help traumatized domestic violence victims in a wide variety of settings with an even wider range of needs. During this program, interns learn about empowerment and different perspectives and models that can be applied to unique situations involving domestic violence trauma. Finally, the authors conclude their article with an overview of trauma theory and its application to real-world situations involving domestic violence, and describe several types of interventions that have proven effective in the past.

Plumb, J. L. & Bush, K. A. (2016, April 1). Trauma-sensitive schools: An evidence-based approach. School Social Work Journal, 40(2), 37-41.

The authors are school social workers at Prairie Lakes Area Education Agency, Fort Dodge, Iowa and Student Wellness at Assumption High School, Davenport, respectively, who emphasize that tens of millions of young Americans are traumatized by repeated exposures to domestic violence. In fact, the authors note that while precise figures are unavailable, it has been estimated that as many as two-thirds of American youths are exposed to domestic violence at some point, and far too many suffer from the trauma that is associated with chronic exposures over time. Noting that approximately 90% of American students attend public schools, the authors call for an increased focus on this problem by introducing interventions at the school level that can help these young learners better cope with their domestic violence situations. This strategy is especially appropriate, the authors note, because a majority of American young people already receive mental health services through the public schools. In addition, the authors also stress that time is of the essence in formulating more effective interventions for young people that have been traumatized by domestic violence because the adverse effects of trauma are especially pronounced during these formative years. Moreover, the authors point out that although the negative effects of domestic violence on children can harm young people in a number of ways, it tends to adversely affect those parts of the brain that are responsible for learning, making this problem a significant national public health care issue.

Smith, T. J. & Holmes, C. M. (2018, January 1). Assessment and treatment of brain injury in women impacted by intimate partner violence and post-traumatic stress disorder. The Professional Counselor, 8(1), 1-4.

The first author, Smith, is a resident in counseling and a senior client services advocate at Safe Harbor Shelter in Richmond, Virginia…