Domestic Violence in the Military: Women's Policy Preferences and Beliefs Concerning Routine Screening and Mandatory Reporting

Objectives: This study describes active duty military (ADM) women’s beliefs and preferences concerning domestic violence (DV) policy in the military. Methods: Telephone interviews were completed with 474 ADM women from all services,119 of whom had experienced DV during their military service. Results: A majority (57%) supported routine screening. Although 87% said the military’s policy on mandatory reporting should remain the same, only 48% thought abuse should be reported to the commanding officer; abused women were significantly less likely than nonabused women to agree with this aspect of the policy. ADM women’s beliefs were similar to those of women in a previously studied civilian sample, except that 73% of ADM compared to 43% of civilian women thought routine screening would increase women’s risk of further abuse. Conclusions: ADM women recognized both advantages and disadvantages of current DV policies. More research is urgently needed about actual outcomes of screening and reporting policies.