Women Veterans’ Preferences for Intimate Partner Violence Screening and Response Procedures Within the Veterans Health Administration Katherine M. Iverson, Kristin Huang, Stephanie Y. Wells, Jason D. Wright, Megan R. Gerber, Shannon Wiltsey-Stirman Correspondence to Katherine M. Iverson E-mail: katherine.iverson@va.gov Katherine M. Iverson National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder VA Boston Healthcare System Department of Psychiatry Boston University School of Medicine 150 South Huntington Avenue, (116B-3) Boston, MA 02130 Kristin Huang VA Boston Healthcare System Department of Psychology Suffolk University Boston, MA Stephanie Y. Wells National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder VA Boston Healthcare System Boston, MA Jason D. Wright National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder VA Boston Healthcare System Boston, MA Megan R. Gerber VA Boston Healthcare System Department of Medicine Boston University School of Medicine Boston, MA Shannon Wiltsey-Stirman National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder VA Boston Healthcare System Department of Psychiatry Boston University School of Medicine Boston, MA Abstract: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant health issue faced by women veterans, but little is known about their preferences for IPV-related care. Five focus groups were conducted with 24 women Veterans Health Administration (VHA) patients with and without a lifetime history of IPV to understand their atti- tudes and preferences regarding IPV screening and responses within VHA. Women veterans wanted disclosure options, follow-up support, transparency in documenta- tion, and VHA and community resources. They supported routine screening for IPV and articulated preferences for procedural aspects of screening. Women suggested that these procedures could be provided most effectively when delivered with sen- sitivity and connectedness. Findings can inform the development of IPV screening and response programs within VHA and other healthcare settings. Published 2014. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA. Keywords: female veterans; Department of Veterans Affairs; domestic violence; screening; counseling; qualitative research Research in Nursing & Health, 2014, 37, 302–311 Accepted 8 April 2014 DOI: 10.1002/nur.21602 Published online 2 July 2014 in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com). Intimate partner violence (IPV) refers to physical, sexual, and psychological harm from a past or current intimate partner and is a significant public health problem faced by women in the United States (US; Black et al., 2011). IPV is associated with numerous physical health problems (Bonomi et al., 2006; Dillon, Hussain, Lox- ton, & Rahman, 2013; Gerber, Wittenberg, Ganz, Williams, & McCloskey, 2008; Woods, Hall, Campbell, & Angott, 2008) as well as elevated risk for mental health symptoms and conditions such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depres- sion, substance-related disorders, and suicidality (Iverson, Dick, et al., 2013; Jaqu- ier, Hellmuth, & Sullivan, 2013; Trevillion, Oram, Feder, & Howard, 2012). The magnitude of these health consequences is underscored by epidemiological data indicating that a minimum of 25% of American women experience physical or sexual IPV during their lifetime (Black et al., 2011; Breiding, Black, & Ryan, 2008), with estimates approaching 50% when psychological IPV is measured (Black et al., 2011). Although women of all sociodemographic groups are at risk for IPV (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2012), population-based research suggests that women veterans are at higher risk for IPV than non-veteran women (Dichter, Cerulli, & Bossarte, 2011). In comparison to civilians, veterans' greater exposure to prior interpersonal trauma (e.g., childhood maltreatment and unwanted sexual experiences during military service) and other risk factors (e.g., PTSD and Published 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.