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Rural Health Information Hub

Violence and Abuse in Rural America – Resources

Selected recent or important resources focusing on Violence and Abuse in Rural America.

Examining the Availability of SAFE Kits at Hospitals in the United States
Congressional hearing analyzing the availability of sexual assault forensic examiners. Discusses the impact of training, service volume, and workforce retention on access. Notes rural-specific rates of sexual assault and challenges with access to care. Includes testimony from the U.S. Government Accountability Office, International Association of Forensic Nurses, and Futures Without Violence.
Additional links: A. Nicole Clowers Testimony, Kiersten Stewart Testimony, Sara Jennings Testimony
Date: 12/2018
Sponsoring organizations: House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
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Rural and Tribal Elder Justice Resource Guide
Provides an overview of elder abuse in rural and tribal communities as presented during a summit event hosted by the U.S. Department of Justice's Elder Justice Initiative on November 14-15, 2018. Includes statistical data on impacts of elder abuse in rural settings and links to toolkits, federal resources, and community outreach resources. Supplemental document contains speaker presentation slides.
Additional links: Rural and Tribal Elder Justice Summit Materials
Date: 11/2018
Sponsoring organizations: U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Justice
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Domestic and Intimate Partner Violence: Some Do's and Don'ts for Health Providers
Discusses the role rural healthcare providers can play in screening for and helping address domestic violence (DV) and interpersonal violence (IPV). Features a Kentucky physician assistant educator, universal screening at an Oregon Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), and insights from a Missouri orthopedic trauma surgeon and a national DV/IPV technical assistance provider.
Author(s): Kay Miller Temple
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 10/2018
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Exploring the Rural Context for Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
Discusses adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and how they may impact rural health. Provides policy recommendations focused on the rural dimensions of ACEs. Addresses categories of ACEs, prevalence in rural areas and for Native populations, federal efforts to address ACEs, and the opioid epidemic. Covers the role of school-based healthcare programs to increase access to pediatric specialty services or linking children to needed non-medical services. Profiles a committee site visit focused on a model ACEs program in New York in Appendix A.
Date: 08/2018
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
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Together We Can Be Bully Free: CAH and Law Enforcement Address Peer Victimization through School-Based Program
Highlights an anti-bullying program developed by Union General Hospital, a Critical Access Hospital (CAH) in Union Parish, Louisiana. Describes how the hospital and local law enforcement collaborate to teach elementary, middle, and high school students about the negative effects bullying and how to model positive social behavior.
Author(s): Jenn Lukens
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 07/2018
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Confronting Adverse Childhood Experiences to Improve Rural Kids' Lifelong Health
Highlights a western North Carolina school district and a Native American tribe in Wisconsin that are working to address adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Provides an overview of the impact ACEs have on health and provides data on ACE exposure among rural adults.
Author(s): Jenn Lukens
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 09/2017
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Rural Community Violence: An Untold Public Health Epidemic
Policy brief examining the prevalence and nature of violent crime in rural communities across the U.S. Discusses the problem in a public health context. Also provides a series of policy recommendations aimed at reducing violence in rural areas.
Author(s): Brandy Dawson
Date: 04/2017
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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Infusing Technology Into Perinatal Home Visitation in the United States for Women Experiencing Intimate Partner Violence: Exploring the Interpretive Flexibility of an mHealth Intervention
A qualitative interpretive study exploring perinatal home visitors' and women's observations and experiences of the Domestic Violence Enhanced Home Visitation Program (DOVE) at rural and urban sites using mHealth technology or a home visitor paper-based method.
Author(s): Loraine J Bacchus, Linda Bullock, Phyllis Sharps, et al.
Citation: Journal of Medical Internet Research, 18(11), e302
Date: 11/2016
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Negotiating Peril: The Lived Experience of Rural, Low-Income Women Exposed to IPV During Pregnancy and Postpartum
Study of intimate partner violence (IPV) experienced by rural women from pregnancy to 2 years postpartum, drawing from interviews with 10 women. Highlights factors that impede interventions to help pregnant or new mothers out of abusive situations.
Author(s): Camille Burnett, Donna Schminkey, Juliane Milburn, et al.
Citation: Violence Against Women, 22(8), 943-965
Date: 11/2015
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Comparison of Abuse Experiences of Rural and Urban African American Women During Perinatal Period
Compares the experiences of perinatal intimate partner violence (IPV) among African American women by rural and urban location to explain whether perinatal IPV differs between African American women who are living in rural and urban environments. Highlights the similarities as well as the differences with a focus on types of abuse, the location of IPV, and response to abuse.
Author(s): Shreya Bhandari, Linda F. C. Bullock, Jeanita W. Richardson, et al.
Citation: Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 30(12), 2087-2108
Date: 07/2015
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Last Updated: 2/5/2025