Danger Assessment (DA)
Definition
A 20-item validated instrument developed by Dr. Jacquelyn Campbell for estimating the risk of intimate-partner homicide or near-lethal assault. Combines a weighted item battery with a calendar rating abuse severity and frequency over the past year.
- Developer
- Dr. Jacquelyn Campbell
- Format
- 20-item validated risk instrument
- Purpose
- Estimates risk of intimate-partner homicide
- Component
- Calendar rating abuse severity/frequency over a year
Common questions
How is the Danger Assessment used differently from a general risk checklist in a case file?+
Beyond the weighted item score, its calendar component asks the survivor to mark on a past-year calendar when abuse incidents occurred and rate their severity, which captures escalation patterns over time rather than just a snapshot count, giving evaluators a trend as well as a total risk level.
What is a common misunderstanding about what a Danger Assessment score proves?+
A high score indicates elevated statistical risk of lethal or near-lethal violence based on validated risk factors, but it is not a prediction that violence will occur in any specific case, and a low score does not guarantee safety since some lethal incidents occur with few prior warning signs captured by any instrument.
Related terms
- Coercive Control
- A pattern of behaviour in intimate relationships that seeks to deny autonomy and dominate the victim through means including isolation, monitoring, financial...
- Intimate Partner Violence (IPV)
- Physical, sexual, or psychological harm by a current or former partner or spouse. Encompasses physical assault, sexual coercion, emotional abuse, and coercive...
- PWDV Act 2005
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- Safety Planning
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- Universal Screening
- Asking all patients in a clinical setting about IPV exposure, regardless of presenting complaint or risk appearance. Contrasted with targeted screening, which...