This article describes the need for better methods of assessing domestic violence and introduces the authors' new intimate partner violence and/or abuse (IPV/A) screening test. The article explains why such screening is crucial during family mediation, especially when one or more of the parties is self-represented, and notes that violence is underdetected by mediators using existing methods. The test proposed by the authors is the Mediator's Assessment of Safety Issues and Concerns (MASIC), which assesses psychological abuse, coercive control, physical violence, sexual abuse or assault, stalking, and fear. The test is designed to be non-accusatory and to encompass categories of abuse that are not fully captured by other tests. The MASIC test is included in the appendix, and the authors note that it is not copyrighted.
The Mediator's Assessment of Safety Issues and Concerns (MASIC): A Screening Interview for Intimate Partner Violence and Abuse Available in the Public Domain
Holtzworth-Munroe, Amy; Beck, Connie J. A.; Applegate, Amy G.. Family Court Review, Oct. 1, 2010https://www.researchgate.net/publication/227667044_The_Mediator's_Assessment_of_Safety_Issues_and_Concerns_MASIC_A_Screening_Interview_for_Intimate_Partner_Violence_and_Abuse_Available_in_the_Public_Domain