Family and Domestic Violence in Australia: What Is Missing and What Do We Know? A Scoping Literature Review.

Abstract

Family and domestic violence (FDV) in Australia continues at alarming rates and impacts nearly every Australian family with significant health, financial and social consequences. This scoping review maps the breadth and nature of FDV research in Australia and provides a discussion of potential knowledge gaps and future research opportunities. A scoping review was conducted using 15 electronic databases and 90 international journals. Studies were screened for eligibility. The included studies investigated various aspects of FDV in Australia. From the eligible studies, data were extracted to summarize, collate and make a narrative account of the findings within the total of 137 studies included in this scoping review. Eight key FDV domains were identified, comprising the justice system and public policy, healthcare professionals, violence perpetration, violence victimization, vulnerable populations and minority groups, forms of violence, circumstantial factors and violence and the public. This scoping review provides a greater understanding of the FDV research available in the Australian context and provides the potential direction for future research efforts to inform policy and practice decisions on FDV in Australia. The findings of this review should be interpreted in light of its limitations.