wast_screening_tool: Woman Abuse Screening Tool (WAST)

In cliot: Clinical Indices and Outcomes Tools

Woman Abuse Screening Tool (WAST)

Description

Calculates the results of the Woman Abuse Screening Tool (WAST), used to identify intimate partner violence (IPV). The tool begins with two general questions (WAST-Short). If positive, further specific questions regarding physical and sexual abuse are asked.

Usage

wast_screening_tool(tension_level, argument_difficulty, partner_abuse_history,
                    partner_frightening, hit_kicked_punched, physical_abuse_outside,
                    sexual_abuse_outside, sexual_abuse_current_partner)

Arguments

tension_level	Numeric (0-2). "In general, how would you describe your relationship?" 0: No tension 1: Some tension 2: A lot of tension
argument_difficulty	Numeric (0-2). "Do you and your partner work out arguments with..." 0: No difficulty 1: Some difficulty 2: Great difficulty
partner_abuse_history	Numeric (0 or 1). Do arguments ever result in you feeling down or bad about yourself? (Or similar emotional abuse query depending on version). (1 = Yes).
partner_frightening	Numeric (0 or 1). Do arguments ever result in hitting, kicking, or pushing? (1 = Yes).
hit_kicked_punched	Numeric (0 or 1). Do you ever feel frightened by what your partner says or does? (1 = Yes).
physical_abuse_outside	Numeric (0 or 1). Has your partner ever abused you physically? (1 = Yes).
sexual_abuse_outside	Numeric (0 or 1). Has your partner ever abused you sexually? (1 = Yes).
sexual_abuse_current_partner	Numeric (0 or 1). (Additional items may vary by implementation, typically standard 8 questions). (1 = Yes).

Value

A list containing:

WAST_Short_Result	Interpretation of the first two screening questions.
WAST_Total_Items_Positive	Count of positive responses across the full tool.
Recommendation	Suggested next steps.

References

Brown JB, Lent B, Brett PJ, Sas G, Pederson LL. Development of the Woman Abuse Screening Tool for use in family practice. Fam Med. 1996;28(6):422-428.

Examples

# Example 1: Positive Short Screen
# Tension (2), Difficulty (2)
wast_screening_tool(2, 2, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0)

# Example 2: Negative Short Screen
# No tension (0), No difficulty (0)
wast_screening_tool(0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0)

cliot documentation built on Dec. 1, 2025, 1:06 a.m.