Professional perceptions of domestic violence: The relationship between causal explanations and views on prevention and intervention

The 1970s saw a shift of focus by professions responding to domestic violence cases perpetrated by men towards women within Australia. Their focus was targeted at the factors that surround male perpetrators? violent behaviour. As a result, a number of alternative interventions were established based on a new understanding of domestic violence. Wider explanations have therefore led professional groups to form different angles of approach. Consequently researchers have found that perceptions towards domestic violence and the effectiveness of relevant interventions remain controversial across professions (Laing, 2002). Based on the literature supporting the importance of consistent professional perceptions and responses towards domestic violence, the current qualitative research aimed to measure the consistency of perceptions across five Perth professional groups: Police, community-based, women\u27s refuge, justice and health professionals (N: 39). Participant responses (from survey and interview questions) about the causal explanations of domestic violence were measured in terms of their relationship with views on effective interventions