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The Danger Assessment: An Instrument for the Prevention of Intimate Partner Homicide

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Handbook of Interpersonal Violence and Abuse Across the Lifespan

Abstract

Despite recent decreases, intimate partner homicide (IPH) remains a significant problem in the United States. Although men are 3.4 times more likely to be murdered than women overall, among homicide victims, women are almost six times more likely to be murdered by an intimate partner than men. Two-thirds to three-quarters of female IPH victims were abused by that partner before being murdered; when women kill male partners, prior intimate partner violence (IPV) committed against the female partner is present approximately 75% of the time. Assessing the risk of IPV re-assault and IPH constitutes a promising prevention strategy with the potential to save the lives of individuals being abused by current or former intimate partners, the abusing partners, and both partners’ loved ones. Professionals working in health care, social services, shelter, and criminal justice settings are well-positioned to engage in risk assessment and risk-informed safety planning. This chapter provides an overview of risk factors for IPH and a review of the development and testing of the Danger Assessment (DA) – the only IPV risk assessment instrument designed and tested specifically to predict IPH risk. Additionally, details on six extensions of the DA, developed for specific survivor groups and settings, are provided. We conclude with a discussion of risk assessment as an IPH prevention strategy and a concrete example of how the DA and its extensions can be skillfully used as tools for safety planning in a health-care setting with the aim of preventing repeat violence and death.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Social Work, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Laurie M. Graham

  2. School of Social Work, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ, USA

    Jill T. Messing

  3. School of Nursing, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Jacquelyn Campbell

Authors
  1. Laurie M. Graham
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  2. Jill T. Messing
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  3. Jacquelyn Campbell
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Laurie M. Graham .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute on Violence, Abuse and Trauma, Alliant International University, San Diego, CA, USA

    Robert Geffner

  2. School of Health and Human Sciences, University of North Carolina at Greensbo, Greensboro, NC, USA

    Jacquelyn W. White

  3. Dept of Family and Community Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA

    L. Kevin Hamberger

  4. Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, USA

    Alan Rosenbaum

  5. Ethelyn R. Strong School of Social Work, Norfolk State University, Norfolk, VA, USA

    Viola Vaughan-Eden

  6. Education and Research, Zero Abuse Project, St. Paul, MN, USA

    Victor I. Vieth

Section Editor information

  1. Consultant, Alexandria, VA, USA

    Glenna Tinney

  2. College of Arts and Sciences - Society, Culture, and Language, University of South Florida - St. Petersburg, St. Petersburg, Florida, USA

    Shelly M. Wagers

  3. Department of Psychology, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL, USA

    Jennifer Langhinrichsen-Rohling

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Graham, L.M., Messing, J.T., Campbell, J. (2019). The Danger Assessment: An Instrument for the Prevention of Intimate Partner Homicide. In: Geffner, R., White, J.W., Hamberger, L.K., Rosenbaum, A., Vaughan-Eden, V., Vieth, V.I. (eds) Handbook of Interpersonal Violence and Abuse Across the Lifespan. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62122-7_145-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62122-7_145-1

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