Which screening tool assesses frequency/severity of intimate partner violence by asking about Hurt, Insult, Threaten, and Scream?

Which screening tool assesses frequency/severity of intimate partner violence by asking about Hurt, Insult, Threaten, and Scream?

• A. PHQ-9
• B. GAD-7
• C. HITS scale
• D. Abuse Assessment Screen (AAS)

Answer: (C)

The concept here is a brief violence screening tool that captures how often abusive behaviors occur by focusing on four specific actions. The four behaviors—Hurt, Insult, Threaten, and Scream—are the exact items in the HITS scale. Patients rate how often their partner has physically hurt them, insulted them, threatened them, or screamed at them, usually on a scale from never to frequently. Adding up these responses gives a score that helps identify whether intimate partner violence is present and how severe it might be, guiding next steps like safety planning or a fuller assessment. This makes the HITS scale the best choice for the description, because the other options measure different things: PHQ-9 screens for depressive symptoms, GAD-7 screens for anxiety, and while the Abuse Assessment Screen also screens for IPV, it uses a different question set rather than the Hurt/Insult/Threaten/Scream framework.

The concept here is a brief violence screening tool that captures how often abusive behaviors occur by focusing on four specific actions. The four behaviors—Hurt, Insult, Threaten, and Scream—are the exact items in the HITS scale. Patients rate how often their partner has physically hurt them, insulted them, threatened them, or screamed at them, usually on a scale from never to frequently. Adding up these responses gives a score that helps identify whether intimate partner violence is present and how severe it might be, guiding next steps like safety planning or a fuller assessment.

This makes the HITS scale the best choice for the description, because the other options measure different things: PHQ-9 screens for depressive symptoms, GAD-7 screens for anxiety, and while the Abuse Assessment Screen also screens for IPV, it uses a different question set rather than the Hurt/Insult/Threaten/Scream framework.