Seeing the Forest in Family Violence Research: Moving to a Family-Centered Approach

Abstract

Victims of family violence are sorted into fragmented systems that fail to address the family as an integrated unit. Each system provides specialized care to each type of victim (child, older adult, adult, animal) and centers on the expertise of the medical and service providers involved. Similarly, researchers commonly study abuse from the frame of the victim, rather than looking at a broader frame-the family. We propose the following 5 steps to create a research paradigm to holistically address the response, recognition, and prevention of family violence.By developing an integrated research model to address family violence, and by using that model to support integrated systems of care, we propose a fundamental paradigm shift to improve the lives of families living with and suffering from violence.