ICDVP Risk Assessment 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When conducting a risk assessment with a survivor from an immigrant community, which additional factor must be considered?
- Immigration status, which an abuser may use as a control tactic and threat (Correct answer)
- Whether the survivor has legal citizenship before offering services
- Language barriers only, as immigration status is irrelevant to risk
- Whether the abuse occurred in the United States or abroad
Correct answer: Immigration status, which an abuser may use as a control tactic and threat
Abusers often exploit immigration status to threaten deportation, increasing the survivor's danger and reducing their likelihood of seeking help.
Question 2: A survivor discloses that their abuser has been stalking them since separation. How does stalking affect risk assessment?
- It is a minor concern if no physical contact has occurred
- Stalking post-separation significantly elevates homicide risk (Correct answer)
- Stalking only raises concern when witnessed by a third party
- Stalking primarily indicates obsession rather than physical danger
Correct answer: Stalking post-separation significantly elevates homicide risk
Post-separation stalking is a major predictor of intimate partner homicide and must be treated as a high-lethality indicator.
Question 3: Which of the following protective factors can help reduce assessed risk during safety planning?
- The survivor's strong emotional attachment to the abuser
- The abuser's expression of remorse after violent incidents
- The survivor having a reliable support network and safe housing options (Correct answer)
- The length of time since the last violent incident
Correct answer: The survivor having a reliable support network and safe housing options
A reliable support network and access to safe housing are key protective factors that can reduce immediate danger and improve safety outcomes.
Question 4: In risk assessment, what is the significance of an abuser who has threatened or harmed family pets?
- Animal abuse is unrelated to domestic violence risk
- Harm to pets is a recognized predictor of escalating violence toward the survivor and children (Correct answer)
- It only matters if children witnessed the abuse of the pet
- It indicates displaced aggression that makes direct violence toward the survivor less likely
Correct answer: Harm to pets is a recognized predictor of escalating violence toward the survivor and children
Animal abuse is a recognized lethality indicator and a form of coercive control used to intimidate survivors and children.
Question 5: When a survivor minimizes or recants abuse allegations during a risk assessment, the advocate should:
- Accept the recantation and close the case
- Understand recantation is common due to fear, trauma, and dependency, and continue assessing safety (Correct answer)
- Document the recantation and transfer the case to law enforcement
- Assume the abuse was not as serious as initially reported
Correct answer: Understand recantation is common due to fear, trauma, and dependency, and continue assessing safety
Recantation is a common trauma response and does not indicate the abuse did not occur; advocates should maintain a non-judgmental stance and continue safety planning.
Question 6: Which pattern of abuse is most associated with escalating risk toward lethal violence?
- Occasional verbal arguments without physical contact
- Increasing frequency and severity of violence over time (Correct answer)
- Isolated physical incidents separated by long calm periods
- Emotional abuse without any physical component
Correct answer: Increasing frequency and severity of violence over time
An escalating pattern of increasing frequency and severity is a strong predictor of serious injury or homicide.
Question 7: How does substance abuse by the abuser affect domestic violence risk assessment?
- It reduces risk because the abuser may be incapacitated
- It is a co-occurring factor that can elevate the severity and unpredictability of violence (Correct answer)
- Substance abuse explains the violence and reduces the abuser's culpability
- It is only a risk factor if the survivor also uses substances
Correct answer: It is a co-occurring factor that can elevate the severity and unpredictability of violence
Substance abuse by the abuser is a risk-elevating co-occurring factor that can increase unpredictability and severity of violence, though it does not cause abuse.
ICDVP Risk Assessment 3
When conducting a risk assessment with a survivor from an immigrant community, which additional factor must be considered?