{"title":"General practitioners' knowledge and management of children co-victimized by intimate partner violence","authors":"Justine Launey , Bernard Brau , Mathieu Kuchenbuch , Martine Balençon","doi":"10.1016/j.arcped.2025.04.004","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a major global public health issue, frequently impacting children as secondary victims. However, research on the involvement of general practitioners (GPs) in identifying and managing children exposed to IPV in France is lacking.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>This study aimed to assess GPs' knowledge and practices regarding child protection in IPV cases, shedding light on gaps in their training and practices.</div></div><div><h3>Methods and Settings</h3><div>An electronic survey was conducted among GPs in Bretagne from May 2020 to May 2022, assessing demographic characteristics, clinical experiences, management practices for children exposed to IPV, and understanding its impact on children and adolescents.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The study involved 91 GPs (sex ratio: 0.34, median: 15 [interquartile: 5.75–23] years of practice experience, and 25 % [18–30] of their practice focused on paediatrics). Results showed that 67 % encountered IPV situations within the past year, 46 % of children were in danger (2[1–2] per practitioner), and 48 % of children lived in a family with IPV (2[1–3] per practitioner). Thirty-five percent of GPs observed children exposed to IPV without recognizing them as endangered. Regarding knowledge of the impact of IPV on children, practitioners rated it at 5 out of 10, expressing discomfort (Likert scale from 0 to 10 (LS<sub>0–10</sub>): 4[3:5]) and perceiving their training as inadequate (LS<sub>0–10</sub>: 3[2:4]). They emphasized the need for better stakeholder understanding, favoring in-person training and enhanced access to specialized consultations to enhance their expertise.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>These findings highlight the critical role of GPs in identifying and managing children exposed to IPV in France, despite gaps in knowledge and practice. Strengthening GPs’ training, standardizing protocols, improving and developing access to specialized consultations, such as hospital-based Unit for Endangered Children (“Unité d’Accueil Pédiatrique Enfant en Danger”, UAPED), and fostering interprofessional collaboration could enhance child protection efforts in IPV contexts.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55477,"journal":{"name":"Archives De Pediatrie","volume":"32 6","pages":"Pages 413-419"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3000,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Archives De Pediatrie","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0929693X25001083","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"PEDIATRICS","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a major global public health issue, frequently impacting children as secondary victims. However, research on the involvement of general practitioners (GPs) in identifying and managing children exposed to IPV in France is lacking.
Objective
This study aimed to assess GPs' knowledge and practices regarding child protection in IPV cases, shedding light on gaps in their training and practices.
Methods and Settings
An electronic survey was conducted among GPs in Bretagne from May 2020 to May 2022, assessing demographic characteristics, clinical experiences, management practices for children exposed to IPV, and understanding its impact on children and adolescents.
Results
The study involved 91 GPs (sex ratio: 0.34, median: 15 [interquartile: 5.75–23] years of practice experience, and 25 % [18–30] of their practice focused on paediatrics). Results showed that 67 % encountered IPV situations within the past year, 46 % of children were in danger (2[1–2] per practitioner), and 48 % of children lived in a family with IPV (2[1–3] per practitioner). Thirty-five percent of GPs observed children exposed to IPV without recognizing them as endangered. Regarding knowledge of the impact of IPV on children, practitioners rated it at 5 out of 10, expressing discomfort (Likert scale from 0 to 10 (LS0–10): 4[3:5]) and perceiving their training as inadequate (LS0–10: 3[2:4]). They emphasized the need for better stakeholder understanding, favoring in-person training and enhanced access to specialized consultations to enhance their expertise.
Conclusion
These findings highlight the critical role of GPs in identifying and managing children exposed to IPV in France, despite gaps in knowledge and practice. Strengthening GPs’ training, standardizing protocols, improving and developing access to specialized consultations, such as hospital-based Unit for Endangered Children (“Unité d’Accueil Pédiatrique Enfant en Danger”, UAPED), and fostering interprofessional collaboration could enhance child protection efforts in IPV contexts.
期刊介绍:
Archives de Pédiatrie publishes in English original Research papers, Review articles, Short communications, Practice guidelines, Editorials and Letters in all fields relevant to pediatrics.
Eight issues of Archives de Pédiatrie are released annually, as well as supplementary and special editions to complete these regular issues.
All manuscripts submitted to the journal are subjected to peer review by international experts, and must:
Be written in excellent English, clear and easy to understand, precise and concise;
Bring new, interesting, valid information - and improve clinical care or guide future research;
Be solely the work of the author(s) stated;
Not have been previously published elsewhere and not be under consideration by another journal;
Be in accordance with the journal''s Guide for Authors'' instructions: manuscripts that fail to comply with these rules may be returned to the authors without being reviewed.
Under no circumstances does the journal guarantee publication before the editorial board makes its final decision.
Archives de Pédiatrie is the official publication of the French Society of Pediatrics.