A MIXED METHODS STUDY By

This mixed methods study seeks to explain women's decision making regarding intimate partner violence disclosure in urban emergency departments. It contributed to an overall program of research led by Dr. H.L. MacMillan examining the effectiveness of screening in health care settings to reduce violence and improve the quality ofwomen's lives. The study included a randomized, controlled trial with a quantitative sub-analysis and a grounded theory approach. The trial goal was to evaluate whether routine screening for IPV in health care settings, as compared to usual care, does more good than harm. The quantitative sub-analysis included 1,182 participants from three trial emergency departments. In the sample, 1.9 % were exposed to intimate partner violence disclosed to the health care provider. Of those who disclosed, 62.9 % were positive on both the screening tool and criterion standard. The grounded theory phase involved 19 participants and sought to examine the problems that trial participants associated with intimate partner violence disclosure and the processes they used to resolve them