Background:

Domestic violence (DV) constitutes a public health concern, and nurses’ beliefs and knowledge influence their intervention.

Objective:

To analyze the perceptions, beliefs, and knowledge of family health nurses (FHN) about DV.

Methodology:

Observational, descriptive, and correlational study applied an online questionnaire to a non-probabilistic sample of 98 FHNs, including scales on perception, beliefs, and knowledge about DV.

Results:

In a DV situation, most FHNs (78%) refer the victims to other professionals, and only 16% report the crime. Only one third of FHNs had specific training in this area and identified as barriers to their intervention, the lack of theoretical and technical training and inadequate health unit organization. Globally, FHNs showed a low level of beliefs (1.44 ± 0.45) and acceptable knowledge (2.9 ± 0.41). There was a significant correlation between the male gender and the level of beliefs about DV.

Conclusion:

FHNs deal with DV situations but training and favorable conditions in health units are necessary to intervene effectively.

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