Patricia Cullen

Women experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV) and suicide frequently present to emergency departments (EDs). While IPV and suicide are known to co-occur, there is a limited understanding of the intersection in ED presentations. This systematic review, meta-analysis, and narrative synthesis aimed to quantify the association between IPV and suicidality in women presenting to EDs and examine the factors that influence women’s suicide risk. Systematic searches of three databases identified 20 ED studies of 7,498 women, reporting associations between IPV and suicidal presentations (final search: 30 August 2025). Pooled prevalence and risk ratios (RRs) were estimated using five random-effects meta-analysis models, stratified by IPV type and suicide-related outcome. Narrative synthesis was used to examine factors associated with suicide risk. Study risk of bias was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) checklist. On average, 22% (95% CI [0.11, 0.36]) of women with suicide presentations had experienced physical IPV, while 13% [0.08, 0.18] of women with IPV histories reported suicidality. IPV was associated with a three-fold increased risk of suicide attempt (RR 3.00 [1.39, 6.47]), and psychological IPV demonstrated a stronger association (RR 3.23 [1.68, 6.19]) than physical IPV (RR 2.00 [1.26, 3.17]). High between-study heterogeneity was observed across all models ( I ² > 75%), and a high risk of bias was identified in half of the studies. The robust associations detected between IPV and suicide attempt underscore the need for contextualised assessment within trauma-informed emergency care to strengthen clinical response and care pathways for women.

Background: Domestic, family, and sexual violence (DFSV) is a significant public health issue. There are currently large gaps in prevention, early intervention, and longer‐term recovery and healing support for victim‐survivors of DFSV. Implementing peer navigation programs to support victim‐survivors has the potential to address some of these gaps. Yet there is a lack of current research on the components necessary to implement these programs, including in primary care settings. Objective: To develop core components of a DFSV peer navigation program tailored to primary care settings. Methods: A participatory design approach bringing together women with lived experience of DFSV, health practitioners, and researchers. Results: We designed five core components of a peer navigation program: (1) Walking Alongside: Peer‐Informed Relational Care; (2) Peer Navigation as Practical Support; (3) Safe and Ethical Practice in Peer Navigation; (4) Role Clarity and Boundary‐Setting; and (5) Organisational Supports for Peer Navigation Practice. In presenting these results, we also highlight reflections on our design process. Conclusion: The implementation of peer navigation programs for victim‐survivors can provide survivor‐centred relational and practical support. Ensuring effective implementation of peer navigation programs must address key challenges, particularly in ensuring safety and wellbeing of victim‐survivors and peer navigators through DFSV‐informed primary care practice. These findings can inform the implementation of peer navigation programs for victim‐survivors to promote care that prioritises trusting relationships, agency, and pragmatic support. Patient or Public Contribution: This research centred the lived expertise of victim‐survivors. We established a Working Group of women with lived experience of DFSV, health practitioners, and researchers to design the components of a peer navigation program, using our lived, living, and learned (professional) expertise. Women with lived experience were involved in the study design, as members of the Working Group, and in manuscript authorship.

Student self-harm and suicide are persistent and complex challenges in schools. Educators are often the first point of contact for students experiencing these behaviours, yet many report feeling ill-equipped to respond effectively. This mixed-methods systematic review aims to examine educator perspectives on, experiences of and attitudes towards, student self-harm and suicide. Five electronic databases were searched for peer-reviewed articles in English from January 2000 to May 2025 reporting on educators’ perspectives towards student self-harm and suicide. 54 articles were included in the narrative synthesis and assessed for quality using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. Educators held varied perspectives on their role in supporting student self-harm and suicide. While some viewed themselves as gatekeepers, others viewed supporting self-harm and suicide as beyond their professional scope. Some educators perceived self-harm and suicide as genuine signals of underlying distress, while others perceived these behaviours as attention-seeking and happening for trivial reasons such as peer pressure and boredom. Educators consistently reported feeling ill-equipped and identified lacking appropriate knowledge, training and guidance as key barriers to responding and supporting students. Preferred supports included targeted training with scenario-based learning, online modules, and peer discussion opportunities. Practical resources such as crisis plans, flowcharts, and clear guidelines were also identified as essential. Overall, this synthesis of educator perspectives highlights the need for interventions that provide educators with the skills, confidence, and resources to respond effectively to student self-harm and suicide. Trial Registration : This systematic review was prospectively registered in PROSPERO (CRD420251043232; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD420251043232 ) on 29 May 2025, and is reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) Statement (Page et al., 2021). The completed PRISMA checklist is available in Supplementary File 1.

Globally, adolescents experience a significant burden of interpersonal violence, impacting their health, well-being and life trajectory. To address this, decision-makers need reliable evidence on effective interventions across various contexts. Objectives Synthesise the evidence for interventions addressing interpersonal violence experienced by adolescents aged 10–25 years. Methods Six electronic databases were systematically searched. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses published globally between 2010 and 2022 were included if they reported interventions addressing interpersonal violence experienced by adolescents. Results were synthesised narratively. Results 35 systematic reviews were included, of which 16 were also meta-analyses. Majority of reviews included interventions set in high income countries (71%) and implemented in educational settings (91%). Effectiveness was reported in majority of interventions measuring victimisation and/or perpetration of intimate partner violence, sexual violence, bullying and/or cyberbullying (90%), majority of interventions measuring improvements in knowledge and attitudes towards violence (94%) and all interventions measuring bystander behaviour and improvements in well-being and quality of life. However, the quality of included reviews as per Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews 2 and National Health and Medical Research Council was low, and equity as per PROGRESS-PLUS was seldom considered. There was also a paucity of interventions addressing interpersonal violence in low-middle income countries (12%) and none of the included interventions specifically addressed interpersonal violence perpetrated in the home such as family violence. Conclusion There is some evidence of promising interventions to address interpersonal violence experienced by adolescents, however there are gaps in scope and implementation. There is a need for equity-oriented public health approaches to comprehensively address the disproportionate burden of interpersonal violence experienced by adolescents globally, including those at the highest risk of harm. PROSPERO registration number CRD42020218969.

Background: Gambling is a growing public health issue in Australia. However, limited research has examined the role of primary health care and social services in routine screening for gambling harm in Australia. This research aimed to explore the enablers and barriers to implementing a co-designed gambling screening model in Fairfield, New South Wales – an area with high gambling expenditure. Methods: A co-designed gambling screening and referral model for GP and community-based organisations was implemented in Fairfield in 2020. Follow-up interviews were conducted with nine health care professionals who implemented the screening in 130 patients. Thematic analysis generated key barriers and enablers for implementation of this model. Results: Key enablers for the screening model implementation included structural factors (alignment of the screening model with current work), process factors and staffing factors (staff empowerment). However, we also noted process factors as a barrier to implementation, particularly the referral pathway following screening. Other barriers included social and structural factors, such as the complexity of gambling harm and project funding. Conclusions: Embedding routine screening in primary and community care settings can play a role in treating, reducing and preventing gambling-related harm, and reducing stigma in Fairfield and beyond. Additionally, screening models such as this provide health systems with clear evidence on the level of gambling harm in their community (particularly important in culturally and linguistically diverse communities who are underrepresented in research). This evidence is important for addressing system-level drivers of harm and advocating for political reform to reduce the impact of gambling on communities.

Background and Objective: Despite billions of dollars being spent on road safety each year, road transport crashes remain a leading cause of injury and death worldwide. New approaches to road safety are needed. Methods: We used data from a 2003/2004 Australian survey of young drivers (n=20...

In Australia there is no official national death toll for femicide. This is despite the prevalence of femicide in Australia and its disproportionate burden experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and women born outside of Australia. The official data that is available does not recognise femicide or collect the contextual factors contributing to fatal violence against women, and where more in-depth data is collected, it is restricted to deaths in the context of domestic and family violence. The available data is not timely and lacks rigour, and thus, the structural determinants and true burden of femicide in Australia are not known. The community-led Counting Dead Women Australia femicide census aims to fill this gap by capturing and reporting femicide data in Australia.