As a Domestic Violence Nurse Specialist, You Are Asked to Testify

As a domestic violence nurse specialist, you are asked to testify in a court case involving intimate partner abuse. The defense attorney asks, "When Mr. and Mrs. Smith came to the emergency room, several people were around, yet Mrs. Smith still did not say that Mr. Smith hit her." Which statement describes the rationale for Mrs. Smith not accusing her husband?

A) Abuse victims are not likely to accuse spouses without photographic evidence.
B) Abuse victims who are accompanied by the person who battered them are not likely to be truthful about the cause of the injuries.
C) Abuse victims are not always aware of the resources available to them.
D) Abuse victims often lie about their injuries because they are afraid they will be killed or their children will be harmed.