Objectives: Violence victimization is common in youth, and the association between victimization and ill-health is well established. Youth is also the period when alcohol risk drinking is most prevalent. At youth clinics in Västernorrland, Sweden, a randomized controlled intervention was conducted examining health outcomes and risk drinking after implementing routine inquiry about violence victimization and alcohol consumption. Methods: Participants in the intervention group underwent routine inquiry about violence victimization and alcohol consumption. Victimized participants received empowering strategies and were offered further counseling. Risk drinkers received motivational interviewing (MI). All participants answered questionnaires about sociodemography and health at baseline, at 3 months and at 12 months. Of 1,445 eligible young women, 1,051 (73%) participated, with 54% of them completing the 12-month follow-up. Males were excluded from the quantitative analysis owing to the low number of male participants. Fifteen research interviews examining the experience of routine inquiry were conducted. Results: Violence-victimized young women reported more ill health than non-victimized women did. This was especially evident for those who had been multiply victimized. There were no differences in health outcomes between the baseline and the 12-month follow-up for the intervention group and for the control group. Of the victimized women in the intervention group, 14% wanted and received further counseling. There was a significant decrease in risk drinking from baseline to follow-up, but no differences between the MI group and the controls. There was a large intra-individual mobility in the young women’s drinking behavior. In interviews, the participants described how questions about violence had helped them to process prior victimization. For some, this initiated changes such as leaving a destructive relationship or starting therapy. The participants considered risk drinking in terms of consequences and did not find unit-based guidelines useful. Conclusion: Violence victimization, especially multiple victimization, was strongly associated with ill health in young women. Routine inquiry about violence and subsequent follow-up led to a high degree of disclosure but did not improve self-reported health. However, victimized participants described talking about prior victimization as very helpful. Participants viewed risk drinking in terms of consequences rather than in quantity or frequency of alcohol, which may render unit-based drinking guidelines less useful when addressing risk drinking in youth.

Bakgrund: Mäns våld mot kvinnor är ett stort samhällsproblem världen över som får förödande konsekvenser för både kvinnor, barn och samhälle i form av ohälsa hos individen och höga samhällskostnader. Trots detta är våld och våldsutövning ett tabu- och skambelagtämne i samhället i stort där få insatser riktas till våldsutövarna som målgrupp och få arbetar rutinmässigt med att identifiera potentiella våldsutövare. En kommun i Sverige har sedan ett år arbetat med att ställa rutinmässiga frågor om våldsutövning, och är därmed av intresse attstudera vidare. Syfte: Studiens syfte var att undersöka socialarbetares erfarenhet och upplevelse av att ställa rutinmässiga frågor om våldsutövande som en del i det våldsförebyggande arbetet. Metod: En kvalitativ intervjustudie med fyra informanter från en mellanstor kommun i Sverige genomfördes och bearbetades med hjälp av kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Resultat: Resultatet visar att rutinmässigt fråga om våldsutövning utifrån ett fastställt formulär kan vara ett lämpligt arbetssätt för att identifiera potentiella våldsutövare och därigenom kunna erbjuda stöd och hjälp. Såväl de professionella som klienterna hade enbra upplevelse av frågeverktyget. Verktyget har kunnat identifiera potentiella våldsutövare. Samtalen ses även som ett bra sätt att normalisera detta tabu- och skambelagda ämnet i samhället. Viktiga komponenter för att upprätthålla detta arbete har varit betydelsen av att ha en samordnare som skapar struktur och stöd. Frågeverktyget har en del utvecklingspotential som exempelvis att nå fler målgrupper genom andra formuleringar. Slutsats: Att fråga omvåld är en viktig del i det våldsförebyggande arbetet. Om inte frågan ställs framkommer heller inte några svar. Det undersökta arbetssättet har visat sig fungera inom den studerade kommunen. Men metoden behöver utvecklas och studeras vidare både innan den kan komma till användning inom fler kommuners arbete mot våld i nära relationer, samt för att uppfyllade nya bestämmelserna inom socialtjänstlagen som ställer högre krav på att insatser riktas till de som utövar våld. / Background: Men's violence against women is a major societal problem worldwide that has devastating consequences for both women, children and society causing health problems and high societal costs. Despite this, violence is a taboo and shameful subject in society at large, where few efforts are directed at perpetrators of violence as a target group and few professionals work routinely to identify potential perpetrators of violence. A municipality in Sweden has been working for one year asking routine questions about violence, and is thus of interest to study further. Aim: The aim of the study was to examine social workers' experience of asking questions about violence on a routine basis as part of the violence prevention work. Method: A qualitative interview study with four informants from amedium-sized municipality in Sweden was conducted and processed with the help of qualitative content analysis. Results: The results show that a routine question of violencebased on an established form seems to be an appropriate way of working to identify potential perpetrators of violence and thereby be able to offer support and help. Both the professionals and the clients had a good experience of the query tool. The tool has been able to identify potential perpetrators of violence. The conversations are also seen as a good way to normalize this taboo and shameful topic in society. Important components for maintaining this work have been the importance of having a coordinator who creates structure and support. The questionnaire instrument has some development potential, such as reaching more target groups through other formulations. Conclusion:Asking about violence is an important part of violence prevention work. If the question is not asked, no answers will appear either.The working method examined has been shown to work within the municipality studied. But the method needs to be developed and studied further before it can be used in more municipalities' work against partner violence, and to meet the new provisions in the Social Services Act that demands greater efforts to target and treat perpetrators.