CFN Violence and Abuse Patterns 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When documenting intimate partner violence injuries photographically, the forensic nurse should:
- Use only close-up photos to capture detail
- Include orientation, mid-range, and close-up photos with a measurement scale (Correct answer)
- Photograph only visible external wounds
- Obtain consent only if the patient is not incapacitated
Correct answer: Include orientation, mid-range, and close-up photos with a measurement scale
Forensic photography requires orientation shots for context, mid-range shots for location, and close-ups with a scale ruler for accurate size documentation.
Question 2: A child discloses sexual abuse during a forensic nursing assessment. The nurse's priority action is to:
- Conduct a detailed interview to gather all facts immediately
- Avoid leading questions, listen carefully, and make a mandatory report (Correct answer)
- Contact the alleged perpetrator for clarification
- Delay reporting until a forensic interview specialist is available
Correct answer: Avoid leading questions, listen carefully, and make a mandatory report
Mandatory reporting must occur promptly; the nurse should avoid leading questions and gather only spontaneous disclosures during the medical encounter.
Question 3: Which behavioral indicator is most commonly seen in children who have experienced chronic domestic violence exposure?
- Increased academic performance due to hypervigilance
- Regression to earlier developmental behaviors and hyperarousal (Correct answer)
- Decreased interest in peer relationships only
- Oppositional behavior limited to school settings
Correct answer: Regression to earlier developmental behaviors and hyperarousal
Children exposed to domestic violence commonly exhibit regression, hyperarousal, and other trauma responses reflecting their chronic stress state.
Question 4: The Danger Assessment tool (DA) developed by Jacquelyn Campbell is used to:
- Determine legal culpability of the abuser
- Assess lethality risk for intimate partner homicide (Correct answer)
- Screen for childhood trauma history
- Evaluate perpetrator recidivism after arrest
Correct answer: Assess lethality risk for intimate partner homicide
The Danger Assessment is a validated instrument for estimating a woman's risk of being killed by an intimate partner.
Question 5: A patient with a traumatic brain injury from IPV presents with no visible scalp wounds. Which mechanism explains this?
- Scalp wounds only occur with weapon use
- Hair can conceal wounds and blunt force can cause intracranial injury without external marks (Correct answer)
- TBI cannot occur without visible external trauma
- Scalp lacerations require surgical instruments to produce
Correct answer: Hair can conceal wounds and blunt force can cause intracranial injury without external marks
Hair obscures scalp injuries and closed-head trauma can cause significant intracranial injury without external visible marks.
Question 6: Which population has the highest reported rates of IPV-related homicide in the United States?
- Asian American women
- White non-Hispanic women
- Black non-Hispanic women (Correct answer)
- Hispanic women
Correct answer: Black non-Hispanic women
Black non-Hispanic women experience disproportionately high rates of IPV-related homicide in the United States.
Question 7: During a sexual assault examination, genital injuries are absent. The forensic nurse should document this by:
- Writing 'no evidence of assault' in the chart
- Noting that absence of injury does not negate the assault history (Correct answer)
- Discharging the patient without treatment
- Repeating the examination in 48 hours only
Correct answer: Noting that absence of injury does not negate the assault history
Absence of genital injury is common in sexual assault and must be documented as consistent with, not contradictory to, the history provided.
CFN Violence and Abuse Patterns 3
When documenting intimate partner violence injuries photographically, the forensic nurse should: