Domestic Violence and Social Norms in Norway and Brazil (1 CE)

Number of Credits: 1

This course is for:  Clinical Psychologist, Counselors

Course By: Tracey Thomas, PsyD

Content By: Miranda, R.B., & Lange, S. (2020). Domestic violence and social norms in Norway and Brazil: a preliminary, qualitative study of attitudes and practices of health workers and criminal justice professionals.  PLoS One, 15(2), e0243352. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0243352

Course Description: Domestic violence is a priority in the public health field. In the presented study, researchers evaluated the social norms and professional regulations impacting criminal justice professionals and health workers' attitudes and practices pertaining to domestic violence in Brazil and Norway. Eight healthcare workers and eight criminal justice professionals provided insight on their views of domestic violence cases, including their responsibilities and challenges as care providers. The participants reported an insufficient amount of training in how to deal with domestic violence cases. Brazil and Norway have implemented laws and regulations to assist professionals who provide domestic violence victims, although many professionals report not abiding by the regulations for various reasons. The study is beneficial for skilled professionals working with domestic violence victims to provide a multi-professional approach to deliver services.

Learning Objectives:

1. Compare and contrast health care and criminal justice professions views on domestic violence and identify one main difference between Norway and Brazil in regard to health care and criminal justice professions views on domestic violence
2. Identify one key finding presented and discussed by the researchers
3. Identify two limitations with the areas of future research and consider the implications of these limitations in the context of future research in this area

Course Outline:

1. Read and understand the article, Domestic violence and social norms in Norway and Brazil: a preliminary, qualitative study of attitudes and practices of health workers and criminal justice professionals
2. Review the Course Description and Learning Objectives
3. Work through the post-test questions; the answers to the questions should be derived from the respective article
4. Review the article for further clarification, if needed
5. Return to the article for clarification regarding social norms and perceptions of domestic violence, or for any missed questions