Intimate Partner Violence and the Risk of Developing Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

2019 ◽  
pp. 088626051988851 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joht Singh Chandan ◽  
Tom Thomas ◽  
Karim Raza ◽  
Caroline Bradbury-Jones ◽  
Julie Taylor ◽  
...  

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a global public health issue with a variety of ill health consequences associated with exposure. Due to the stimulation of chronic stress and inflammatory pathways, childhood abuse has been associated with the subsequent development of functional syndromes such as fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Although IPV in women appears to elicit similar biochemical responses, this association has not been tested thoroughly in IPV survivors. These functional syndromes are complex in etiology and any indication of their risk factors would benefit health care professionals managing this population. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the association between exposure to IPV with functional syndromes: fibromyalgia and CFS. We conducted a retrospective open cohort study using “The Heath Improvement Network” database between January 1, 1995 and December 1, 2017. A total of 18,547 women who were exposed to IPV were each matched by age to four controls who were not exposed ( n = 74,188). The main outcome measures were the risk of developing fibromyalgia and CFS. These were presented as adjusted incidence rate ratios (aIRR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). We found that 97 women in the exposed group developed fibromyalgia (incidence rate [IR] = 1.63 per 1,000 person-years) compared to 239 women in the unexposed group (IR = 0.83 per 1,000 person-years). Following adjustment, this translated to an IRR of 1.73 (95% CI = [1.36, 2.22]). Similarly, 19 women developed CFS in the exposed group (IR = 0.32 per 1,000 person-years), compared to 53 in the unexposed group (0.18 per 1,000 person-years), which translates to an aIRR of 1.92 (95% CI = [1.11, 3.33]). Therefore, we have identified an association between a history of IPV in women and the development of these functional syndromes, which may provide more information to inform the biopsychosocial pathway precipitating the development of fibromyalgia and CFS.

Author(s):  
Leonard A. Jason ◽  
Lynne Wagner ◽  
Renee Taylor ◽  
Michael T. Ropacki ◽  
Jennifer Shlaes ◽  
...  

2019 ◽  
Vol 217 (4) ◽  
pp. 562-567 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joht Singh Chandan ◽  
Tom Thomas ◽  
Caroline Bradbury-Jones ◽  
Rebecca Russell ◽  
Siddhartha Bandyopadhyay ◽  
...  

BackgroundInternationally, intimate partner violence (IPV) cohorts have demonstrated associations with depression and anxiety. However, this association has not yet been described in a UK population, nor has the association with serious mental illness (SMI).AimsTo explore the relationship between IPV exposure and mental illness in a UK population.MethodWe designed a retrospective cohort study whereby we matched 18 547 women exposed to IPV to 74 188 unexposed women. Outcomes of interest (anxiety, depression and SMI) were identified through clinical codes.ResultsAt baseline, 9174 (49.5%) women in the exposed group had some form of mental illness compared with 17 768 (24.0%) in the unexposed group, described as an adjusted odds ratio of 2.62 (95% CI 2.52–2.72). Excluding those with mental illness at baseline, 1254 exposed women (incidence rate 46.62 per 1000 person-years) went on to present with any type of mental illness compared with 3119 unexposed women (incidence rate 14.93 per 1000 person-years), with an aIRR of 2.77 (95% CI 2.58–2.97). Anxiety (aIRR 1.99, 95% CI 1.80–2.20), depression (aIRR 3.05, 95% CI 2.81–3.31) and SMI (aIRR 3.08, 95% CI 2.19–4.32) were all associated with exposure to IPV.ConclusionsIPV remains a significant public health issue in the UK. We have demonstrated the significant recorded mental health burden associated with IPV in primary care, at both baseline and following exposure. Clinicians must be aware of this association to reduce mental illness diagnostic delay and improve management of psychological outcomes in this group of patients.


Author(s):  
Juan Manuel Carmona-Torres ◽  
Beatriz Recio-Andrade ◽  
María Aurora Rodríguez-Borrego

Abstract OBJECTIVE To determine the prevalence of intimate partner violence among health care professionals who work in the Spanish National Health System, according to the autonomous communities of Spain. METHOD This was a descriptive cross-sectional multicenter study conducted with male and female health professionals (doctors, nurses, and nursing aides) in the different autonomous communities that are part of the Spanish National Health System. The following instruments were employed: among women, an intimate partner violence screening questionnaire; and among men, a questionnaire that screened for violence in the family environment. RESULTS A total of 1,039 health professionals participated in the study. Of these, 26% had suffered some type of abuse. Among the men, this prevalence was 2.7%, while among the women, it was 33.8%. There were differences in the prevalence of intimate partner violence among different autonomous communities, with the highest percentages in the Canary Islands. In terms of profession, 19.5% of the doctors had been exposed to intimate partner violence, while this percentage was 31% and 48.6% for nurses and nursing professionals, respectively. CONCLUSION The results indicate the presence of intimate partner violence among healthcare personnel in most of the autonomous communities of Spain. The data demonstrate the need to implement action plans, both to support victims and to mitigate the problem.


2019 ◽  
pp. 088626051988100
Author(s):  
Iris Manor-Binyamini ◽  
Michal Schreiber-Divon

The purpose of this study was to examine how Bedouin women perceived and interpreted seeing a doctor for help in the aftermath of intimate partner violence. In the phenomenological study, 38 semi-structured interviews were conducted at two different points in time. The first interview took place before the first appointment with the doctor, and the second took place about 3 months after seeing the doctor. The findings revealed two main themes: an act of resistance against the prevailing social norms and empowerment out of crisis. The study found that doctors and other professionals working in the field of domestic violence in community clinics provide a reliable first source of support for women within a limiting social space. This brings into focus the centrality of the role of the doctor/health care professionals within the framework of the community clinic and is intended to direct, train, and deepen the insights of the medical staff that work with women affected by intimate partner violence and to create uniformity in the interventions for these women.


2019 ◽  
pp. 088626051988386
Author(s):  
Alison Fogarty ◽  
Hannah Woolhouse ◽  
Rebecca Giallo ◽  
Catherine Wood ◽  
Jordy Kaufman ◽  
...  

Maternal and child health are strongly linked, particularly in the presence of intimate partner violence (IPV). Women who experience IPV are at increased risk of negative physical and mental health difficulties. However, little is known about the experience of mothering within the context of IPV and what mothers perceive as contributing to resilience. This study had two aims. First, to explore women’s experience and perceived challenges associated with being a mother within the context of being in a relationship where IPV is being used. Second, to explore what mothers found helpful in coping during this experience. A nested qualitative sub-study was conducted within a prospective study of mothers during pregnancy and following the birth of their first child. Nine women who reported experiencing IPV since becoming pregnant with their first child participated in semi-structured qualitative interviews, which were then transcribed and analyzed using interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA). Three subthemes emerged within the theme of unique challenges experienced by mothers. These were partner control over parenting, other disrespectful and controlling behavior, and emotional exhaustion. Within the theme of mothers’ sense of resilience and coping, career development, making sense of experiences, focusing on children, and help-seeking played important roles in helping mothers manage these difficulties. Our findings highlighted the impact that IPV can have on the experience of mothering and the importance of prioritizing women’s health and well-being. Finally, these findings emphasize the importance of health-care professionals identifying and acknowledging the signs of IPV to support women to speak out about their experiences.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. e0168502 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sheila Sprague ◽  
Gerard P. Slobogean ◽  
Hayley Spurr ◽  
Paula McKay ◽  
Taryn Scott ◽  
...  

2018 ◽  
Vol 58 (10) ◽  
pp. 1192-1206 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sheila Sprague ◽  
Aparna Swaminathan ◽  
Gerard P. Slobogean ◽  
Hayley Spurr ◽  
Erika Arseneau ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
pp. 152483802199595
Author(s):  
Joel Seme Ambikile ◽  
Sebalda Leshabari ◽  
Mayumi Ohnishi

Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a well-known public health problem occurring worldwide. With a multisectoral approach being emphasized in addressing IPV, the health sector has a key role to play due to many IPV victims who appear in health facilities without their needs being met. A well-designed and implemented IPV curriculum is necessary for effectively training health care professionals to provide quality IPV care and related services. This integrative review was conducted to establish evidence for existing curricular limitations and recommendations for training health care providers to respond to IPV. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted for studies published from 2000 to 2020 in five databases (PubMed, Science Direct, Cochrane Library, Google, and Scholar). As a criterion, studies that reported curricular limitations in training health care providers/professionals to address IPV were included. A total of 198 studies were identified for screening, with 16 studies meeting the inclusion criteria and included in the review. Findings: Curricular limitations for IPV response training for health care providers were reported in the following areas (themes): time allocated for the training, amount of content in the existing curricula, institutional endorsement for the content, IPV response teachers/facilitators, teaching and learning strategies, and funding to support curricular implementation. Various recommendations to improving IPV response training were provided including guaranteeing the training in all courses, increasing academic capability to teach the content, allocation of funding to improve infrastructure for curriculum development and implementation, comprehensive approaches to teaching, and continuing education for health care providers.


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