Voldsforebyggende forskning og undervisning ved Nasjonalt kunnskapssenter om vold og traumatisk stress

The Norwegian Centre for Violence and Traumatic Stress Studies (NKVTS) collects, develops and disseminates knowledge and competence in the field of violence and traumatic stress. An important objective of the centre is to reduce the health and social consequences that may follow from violence and traumatic stress.

In this report we present projects on research, development and knowledge dissemination, as well as educational courses run by NKVTS that are in some way linked to the prevention of violence in close relationships. 

An implicit prevention purpose is often found in research and teaching about violence. The researcher acquires knowledge that may be relevant to the prevention of new violent incidents, to the prevention or reduction of the late effects of violence, or on how to prevent people from being exposed to violence in general. Even if preventing violence is not explicitly formulated as the main purpose of the projects, prevention can be regarded as an implicit milestone.

24 different research and developmental projects related to the prevention of violence in close relationships are presented in the report. Methodically, and with regard to content, the projects cover a wide field:

Studies aiming at increased understanding of how different groups of people experience being exposed to violence
• Development of methods and competence among relevant professionals 
• Knowledge about the prevention of violence and abuse within minority groups     
• The incidence and character of violent acts in different populations
• The effects of therapy on men who perpetrate violence
• Status of knowledge and imparting knowledge about violence to organisations, colleges and universities
• Imparting of knowledge through the use of films, videos and literature

The report gives a summary of five projects that deal with the use of violence in the upbringing of children in immigrant and refugee families, about the incidence of – and the prevention of violence and sexual abuse against children and about whether the hospitals discover child mal- treatment.

The researchers at NKVTS give lectures at different universities and especially to the students that take their master’s degree in socio-psychological work. Tis master’s degree is the result of cooperation between The National Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention (NSSF), The Norwegian Centre for Addiction Research (SERAF) and NKVTS. Lectures are also given to NGOs, to public authorities and other public organisations.

Finally, five different teaching assignments illustrate how different subjects are connected to the prevention of violence, even when prevention is not an explicit theme for the lectures.