Variations in Women’s Help Seeking in Response to Intimate Partner Violence: Findings From a Canadian Population-Based Study

Background There is limited information about what influences help-seeking following experience of intimate partner violence (IPV). This study investigated determinants of formal and informal help-seeking by those who had experienced lifetime physical, sexual or psychological IPV. Methods A cross-sectional population-based New Zealand study conducted from 2017 to 2019 recruited 2,887 participants (1,464 women and 1,423 men) aged 16 years and older. Face-to-face interviews were conducted. Of these, 1,373 participants experienced physical, sexual or psychological IPV. Two series of logistic regressions were conducted: 1) comparing those who sought help with those who did not, and 2) comparing those who had not sought help with those who sought informal help only, or with those who also sought formal help. Results Of the 1,373 participants who reported experience of physical, sexual or psychological IPV 835 participants (71.3% of women and 49.0% of men) sought some form of help. In both genders self-reported physical and mental health or work-related IPV impacts were significantly associated with help-seeking. Experiencing only one form of IPV was associated with lower odds of seeking formal help by women (Adjusted odds ratio = 0.38; 95%CI = 0.15, 0.92 for physical/sexual only and AOR = 0.37, 95%CI = 0.22, 0.64 for psychological only) compared to those experiencing concurrent types of IPV. Conclusion and implications Although there were gender differences in help-seeking, for both women and men the experience of greater impacts associated with IPV exposure increased the likelihood of help-seeking. Agencies providing services for people who are experiencing IPV need to be equipped to identify and respond to multiple forms of IPV, and prepared to address the suite of impacts experienced.

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Intimate partner violence and mental health problems among Sami and non-Sami in Norway – the SAMINOR 2 Questionnaire Survey.

10.21203/rs.3.rs-87493/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Astrid M.A Eriksen ◽

Marita Melhus ◽

Bjarne Koster Jacobsen ◽

Berit Schei ◽

Ann-Ragnhild Broderstad

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Intimate Partner Violence ◽

Ethnic Differences ◽

Partner Violence ◽

Questionnaire Survey ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

Population Based ◽

Intimate Partner ◽

Health Problems ◽

Population Based Study

Abstract Background: Mental health problems is an important contributor to the global burden of disease. Exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV) and violence in childhood (CV) is associated with mental health problems. These issues are scarcely studied among the Sami. This study estimates the prevalence of IPV and its association to mental health problems among Sami and non-Sami, and whether the effect of IPV on mental health was altered by exposure to CV. To our knowledge, this is the first population-based study estimating IPV and its association to mental health problems among Sami and non-Sami in Norway. Methods: This study was based on the cross-sectional SAMINOR 2 Questionnaire Survey, a part of the Population-based Study on Health and Living Conditions in Regions with Sami and Norwegian Populations – the SAMINOR Study. Pearson’s chi-square tests and two-sample t-tests were used for testing differences between groups and multiple linear regression analysis was applied to explore the association between IPV/CV and mental health problems (continuous scores of psychological distress and symptoms of post-traumatic stress). Results: A total of 12.8% of women and 2.0% of men reported to have experienced any IPV (emotional, physical, and/or sexual). A significantly higher proportion of Sami women reported exposure to emotional (12.4% vs. 9.5%, p=.003), physical (11.6% vs. 6.9%, p<.001), and any IPV (17.2% vs. 11.8%, p<.001) compared to non-Sami women. There were no ethnic differences in sexual IPV among women (2.1% vs. 1.8%, p=.5). The study demonstrated that being exposed to emotional, physical, or sexual IPV is associated with mental health problems. The most severe mental health problems were observed among those who reported both IPV and CV. There were no ethnic differences in the association between the different types of IPV and mental health problems, and we observed overall similar results among men and women. Conclusions: The most severe mental health problems were observed for those who were exposed to both IPV and CV. It is therefore important for victims of IPV to address experiences of violence in childhood. The effect that IPV and CV have on mental health problems seems to be same, regardless of ethnicity and gender.

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A Population-Based Study of the Prevalence and Distinctiveness of Battering, Physical Assault, and Sexual Assault in Intimate Relationships

Violence Against Women ◽

10.1177/107780120200801004 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 8 (10) ◽

pp. 1208-1232 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

Paige Hall Smith ◽

Gloria E. Thornton ◽

Robert Devellis ◽

Joanne Earp ◽

Ann L. Coker

Keyword(s):

Intimate Partner Violence ◽

Health Status ◽

Sexual Assault ◽

Intimate Relationships ◽

Partner Violence ◽

Population Based ◽

Intimate Partner ◽

Physical Assault ◽

Sexual Assaults ◽

Population Based Study

The types of violence subsumed under the term intimate partner violence include physical assault, sexual assault, psychological abuse, and battering. This study is the first to estimate the prevalence of intimate partner violence by type (battering, physical assaults, and sexual assaults) in a population-based sample of women aged 18 to 45. The authors describe the prevalence of partner violence by type as well as the demographic, health behavior, and health status correlates of intimate partner violence by type. Findings support the empirical distinction of battering and assault. Battering as measured by the Women's Experiences With Battering (WEB) Scale provided the most comprehensive measure of intimate partner violence.

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