Table 2 PreVAiL Delphi Importance Ratings and Rankings – Rounds 1 and 2

Examine the elements underpinning promising or successful programmes in resilience to discover the similarities, beliefs and values inherent in these programmes, so that they can be building blocks for intervention pilot work.

Determine the critical requirements for evidence-based resilience interventions at individual, family, community and policy levels.

Develop and evaluate interventions to promote resilience in those exposed to various kinds of violence.

Determine epidemiology of resilience for those exposed to CM and/or IPV.

Child Maltreatment Research (CM)

(listed from highest to lowest Round 2 Rank; new priorities added after Round 1 do not have a Round 1 rating score; tied priorities are indicated by the same numerical rank in Round 2)

Examine the elements underpinning promising or successful programmes in child maltreatment to discover the similarities, beliefs and values inherent in these programmes, so that they can be building blocks for intervention pilot work.

Development and evaluation of new interventions for primary prevention of child maltreatment (including, physical, sexual and emotional abuse, neglect and exposure to IPV) focused on children, families and offenders.

Development and evaluation of new interventions for preventing recurrence of, or impairment associated with, exposure to child maltreatment (including, physical, sexual and emotional abuse, neglect and exposure to IPV) focused on children, families and offenders.

Determine methods to assess risk and protective factors for adverse consequences from child maltreatment, taking a lifespan approach (e.g. factors that prevent a maltreated child from experiencing negative outcomes in childhood, adolescence or adulthood.

Adaptation/application of existing evidence-based child maltreatment interventions (primary and secondary prevention, for children, families and offenders), including ongoing evaluation to understand which interventions work in which settings/contexts.

Development and evaluation of interventions to prevent recurrence of, or impairment from, child maltreatment located in specific settings or contexts (e.g., the child welfare system, the justice system, the health care system).

Develop definitions of CM including: i) definitions of neglect, ii) definitions of exposure to partner violence, iii) definitions of emotional/psychological abuse, iv) definitions of physical abuse, and v) definitions of sexual abuse.

Prevention of child maltreatment in First Nations communities.

Evaluate policy or structural interventions that may prevent CM.

Develop measures of CM including: i) definitions of neglect, ii) definitions of exposure to partner violence, iii) definitions of emotional/psychological abuse, iv) definitions of physical abuse, and v) definitions of sexual abuse.

Develop a better understanding of the overlap and differences between poor parenting, family dysfunction and family violence.

Develop prevention programmes for child maltreatment that are affordable for low and middle-income countries or adapt existing effective programmes in such a way as to ensure they are affordable in these countries.

Examine internet-facilitated child sexual abuse.

Controversial issues in child maltreatment.

Intimate Partner Violence Research (IPV)

(listed from highest to lowest Round 2 Rank; new priorities added after Round 1 do not have a Round 1 rating score; tied priorities are indicated by the same numerical rank in Round 2)

Examine the elements underpinning promising or successful programmes in IPV to discover the similarities, beliefs and values inherent in these programmes, so that they can be building blocks for intervention pilot work.

Develop and evaluate a primary prevention of IPV intervention directed at those at risk for perpetrating IPV (esp. male youth).

Develop and evaluate IPV intervention(s) using identified evidence-based “promising” models (e.g., advocacy-based models of coordinated service provision).

Evaluate policy or structural interventions that may prevent IPV.

Evaluate effectiveness of existing IPV services, including shelters, programmes for abusers (male and female) and programmes for couples.

Determine methods to assess risk and protective factors for adverse consequences from IPV, taking a lifespan approach (e.g., factors that prevent a maltreated child for experiencing negative outcomes in childhood, adolescence or adulthood).

Conduct a review and prepare an inventory of the better prevention programmes for IPV in low and middle-income countries.

Develop measures of IPV including: i) definitions of exposure to partner violence, ii) definitions of emotional/psychological abuse, iii) definitions of physical abuse, and iv) definitions of sexual abuse.

Develop definitions of IPV including: i) definitions of exposure to partner violence, ii) definitions of emotional/psychological abuse, iii) definitions of physical abuse, and iv) definitions of sexual abuse.

Develop prevention programmes for IPV that are affordable for low and middle-income countries or adapt existing effective programmes in such a way as to ensure they are affordable in these countries.

Controversial issues in IPV.

Cross-cutting Issues (CC)

(listed from highest to lowest Round 2 Rank; new priorities added after Round 1 do not have a Round 1 rating score; tied priorities are indicated by the same numerical rank in Round 2; some priorities were consolidated and/or re-distributed to specific content areas for Round 2, as indicated by *)

Integrate violence questions in national and international surveys.

Evaluate inter-relationships between CM, IPV and other forms of violence across the lifespan; consider a lifespan approach to violence exposures.

Assess factors that impact policy decisions including capacity to implement evidence-based CM and IPV prevention on a scale commensurate with these problems - especially in resource-poor settings - and how to increase this capacity.

Examine mechanisms (mediators/moderators) in the relationship between exposure to violence and mental health outcomes (including substance abuse) or the continuity of violence.

Develop and test models of coordinated care for victims of violence - across community and health settings and including inter-service and interdisciplinary coordination.

Develop methods to capture gene-environment and individual environment interactions.

Use of information technology for tracking, researching and integrating services.

Conduct a review, and prepare an inventory of the better prevention programmes (IPV and CM) in low and middle-income countries.

Examine the elements underpinning promising or successful programmes (in CM, IPV and/or resilience) to discover the similarities, beliefs and values inherent in these programmes, so that they can be building blocks for intervention pilot work.

Determine methods to assess risk and protective factors for adverse consequences from CM & IPV, taking a lifespan approach (e.g., factors that prevent a maltreated child from experiencing negative outcomes in childhood, adolescence or adulthood).

Develop universally acceptable definitions of CM & IPV including neglect, emotional/psychological abuse and approaches to measure these concepts; these should be reflective of culture and societal shifts and otherwise context-specific.

Research Methods (RM)

(listed from highest to lowest Round 2 Rank)

Investigate methods for collecting and collating datasets to link data (e.g., child welfare data and mental health data) and conducting pooled, meta and sub-group analyses to identify which interventions might be promising for which groups.

Determine ways to evaluate studies that do not meet the usual standards of evidence in Evidence-Based Medicine hierarchies; e.g., how to include observational and qualitative studies.