Ending the Cycle of Violence: Advancing Equity through Public Health Social Work Interventions for Effective Policy Responses

Background: The WHO estimates that one billion children have experienced physical, sexual, or emotional violence or neglect in the past year; and 35% of women will have experienced intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime. Across contexts, research has documented the relationship between exposure to violence in childhood and the risk of revictimization and perpetration in adulthood. Furthermore, we are increasingly documenting that children of parents who experience adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), such as abuse and neglect, in childhood, are more likely be exposed to risk factors for violence (e.g. poverty) and experience ACEs themselves. As our understanding of the causes, consequences, and contexts of interpersonal violence across the life span grows, there has been a call to increase research on the interconnected nature of different forms of interpersonal violence including, child maltreatment, intimate partner violence, and sexual violence spanning developmental time periods and relational contexts. Yet, research on these issues remains fragmented, and policies and practices to address interpersonal violence remain siloed. Furthermore, violence disproportionately impacts historically marginalized and disenfranchised communities. However, strategies and research that specifically address inequity remain limited and the path forward for making meaningful reductions in violence in our most vulnerable groups remains unclear.

Content: In this roundtable, presenters will share their different viewpoints on the state of the field, noting gaps as well as opportunities to unify around core research and practice questions. In particular, presenters will discuss CDC’s “Connecting the Dots� framework that highlights the connections between various forms of violence, and academic partners will explore the barriers and opportunities to bridge currently siloed violence research areas. Together they will also speak about the importance of, and challenges in, addressing structural inequalities in education, employment, social service delivery, healthcare, among others, that exacerbate interpersonal violence at a population level. Presenters from the CDC will discuss violence prevention technical packages that outline the best-available evidence on effective strategies to prevent violence and lessen the immediate and long-term harms of violence, as well as the INSPIRE and RESPECT frameworks that reflect international violence prevention efforts. Presenters from the Universities of Michigan and Maryland will highlight gaps in knowledge and limitations to current practice and policy approaches, as well as promising models in the U.S. and global contexts. Together, presenters will discuss how public health-social work partnerships can move the needle on preventing the cycle of violence, including population-level disparities in violence exposure and health outcomes and opportunities for the promotion of equity in policy and practice interventions.