Domestic Violence and Public Health: Integrating Evidence, Policy, and Practice

Domestic violence is a pervasive and preventable public health issue that has a profound impact on physical, mental and social well-being throughout life. It affects individuals, families and communities worldwide, contributing to injury, chronic disease, poor mental health, substance misuse and adverse reproductive and child health outcomes. As well as causing individual harm, domestic violence places a substantial burden on health systems, social services and economies, while reinforcing gender, social and health inequalities. Public health approaches emphasise prevention, early identification and coordinated responses that address underlying risk factors such as social norms, economic stress, housing insecurity and limited access to services. Recognising domestic violence as a public health issue underscores the importance of population-level data, evidence-based interventions, cross-sector collaboration, and policies that promote safety, equity, and resilience. This perspective is vital for creating long-lasting solutions that reduce violence and enhance population health outcomes.

The goal of this Research Topic is to promote a comprehensive public health understanding of domestic violence by encouraging interdisciplinary, evidence-based research to inform prevention, intervention and policy. Based on public health approaches, this collection examines how domestic violence can be effectively addressed through coordinated systems, innovative interventions and inclusive policies operating across individual, community and structural levels. Specifically, this Research Topic aims to highlight prevention strategies and response models that translate policy into practice, explore innovations such as digital tools, community-based programmes, and integrated health and social services and to assess approaches tailored to vulnerable and marginalised populations.

Suitable themes for manuscripts include, but are not limited to:
• Public health prevention and intervention strategies: Which population-level interventions are effective in preventing domestic violence? How can public health programmes translate policy into sustainable practice?
• Policy, systems and cross-sector responses: How do health, social, legal and community systems coordinate their responses to domestic violence? What policy approaches strengthen prevention and survivor-centred care?
• Innovations in practice and technology: How can digital tools, telehealth or data-driven approaches improve prevention, reporting or support? Which innovative community-based models demonstrate a measurable public health impact?
• Vulnerable and marginalised populations: How does domestic violence disproportionately affect marginalised groups in relation to gender, race, disability, age or migration status? What effective, culturally responsive and equity-focused interventions exist?
• Life-course and syndemic perspectives: How does domestic violence intersect with mental health, substance use and chronic disease? What are the long-term health consequences across the life course?
• Crisis, disasters and structural stressors: How do pandemics, climate events, conflict or displacement influence the risk of domestic violence and access to services?
• Measurement, surveillance and methodological approaches: How can surveillance systems and mixed-methods research improve the understanding and monitoring of domestic violence?
• Communication, awareness and health promotion: Which public health communication strategies effectively reduce stigma and encourage people to seek help?


The Research Topic welcomes diverse quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods research, including studies on surveillance, measurement, modelling, training activities and public health communication. By fostering transdisciplinary dialogue among researchers, practitioners, and policymakers, this Research Topic aims to strengthen public health systems, improve outcomes for victims, and support the development of scalable, equitable solutions to reduce domestic violence globally to and improve population health.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Review
• Study Protocol
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: domestic violence, policy, prevention strategies, mental health

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.