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elements of engagement, the interdependent environment, and uncertainty/vulnerability, seeks toidentify the fitting response to an ethical question, rather than the right or the good. It has thepotential to meet the need for an appropriate ethic for interdisciplinary forensic psychiatry teams.Comparisons between Psychiatrists’ and Mental Health Nurses’ DecisionMaking in Civil CommitmentAnthony O’Brien, University of Auckland (a.obrien@auckland.ac.nz)Clinician perception of use of mental health legislation has been suggested as contributing tovariation in rates of civil commitment. Variation has been reported in a number of jurisdictionsinternationally and is evident in New Zealand. The primary aim of this study was to develop andtest the psychometric properties of a questionnaire designed to measure clinician perceptions ofuse of mental health legislation. Secondary aims were 1) to test the hypothesis that cliniciandifferences in perceptions of use of legislation are associated with the rate of committal of theirmental health service, and 2) to test the hypothesis that nurses and psychiatrists show differencesin clinical decision making. Two instruments were used to measure clinician perception ofmental health legislation in nine New Zealand health districts. Districts (n=9) were selected torepresent those with high and low rates of use of civil commitment. Clinicians (n=168) wereasked to rate clinical vignettes thought to be typical of those in which mental health legislationmight be considered. A 24 item survey of attitudes to civil commitment was developed andtested using exploratory factor analysis. The study used a purposive sample of mental healthnurses (n=98) and psychiatrists (n=70). This paper will focus mainly on the comparisonsbetween psychiatrists and nurses and will discuss the implications for the functioning ofmultidisciplinary teams and for decision making in relation to mental health legislation.85. Intimate Partner Violence: Theory and PracticeThe Aetiology of Intimate Partner Violence and Implications for Practice andPolicyLouise Dixon, University of Birmingham (l.dixon.1@bham.ac.uk)Nicola Graham-Kevan, University of Central Lancashire (ngraham-kevan@uclan.ac.uk)Purpose: This review critiques popular theoretical accounts of intimate partner violence (IPV). Itprovides a synthesis of methodologically sound research to understand how this social problemis best conceptualised and the implications for practice and policy. Background: Practice andpolicy in the domain of IPV is often informed by opinion and research driven by a genderedperspective, despite the wealth of evidence supporting the need to further explore and respond tothe spectrum of IPV from a gender inclusive perspective. Theory underlying hypotheses about206