scholarly journals Intimate partner violence and physical health problems in women

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Tanja Pate ◽  
Barbara Simonič

Numerous findings in scientific literature consistently show the association of intimate partner violence (IPV) and domestic abuse with the risk for and incidence of a series of different physical health conditions and problems. Studies have shown the association of IPV and overall health and wellbeing especially in women. The purpose of the paper is therefore to present an overview of the research in the field of IPV and women’s mental and physical health. Both quantitative and qualitative research studies published from 2012 to 2018 were included in the review. The results show that IPV is associated with several mental health problems in women, such as depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder, as well as with women’s worse physical health, chronic pain, substance abuse, gynaecological, cardiovascular and gastrointestinal problems and behavioural syndromes associated with physiological disturbances and physical factors. The article reviews current studies and confirms that the experience of IPV in women has long-term consequences for their physical and mental health.

2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (15-16) ◽  
pp. 2993-3010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Merete Berg Nesset ◽  
Johan Håkon Bjørngaard ◽  
Jim Aage Nøttestad ◽  
Richard Whittington ◽  
Cecilie Lynum ◽  
...  

Police officers are often the first responders to intimate partner violence. The aim of the study was to examine the association between structured police assessments on-site in cases of intimate partner violence, and decisions about immediate arrest of the perpetrator and/or relocation of the victim. Data were extracted from police reports on 124 emergency visits in cases of intimate partner violence perpetrated by men toward women. Six out of totally 15 items of the intimate partner violence risk assessment measure B-SAFER were used by the front line police officers as the basis for decisions on whether or not to arrest the perpetrator or relocate the victim. The six items: perpetrator violent acts, violent threats or thoughts, escalation of violence, substance use problems, mental health problems, and breach of no-contact order, were selected on the basis of their utility in emergency situations. There were increased odds of arrest on-site if the perpetrator was physically violent (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.8, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.0-7.7) or had substance problems (AOR = 2.3, 95% CI = [1.0- 5.2]). There were increased odds of victim relocation if the perpetrator had mental health problems (AOR = 7.4, 95% CI = [2.4-23.1]) or if children were present on-site (AOR = 3.1, 95% CI = [1.1- 8.6]). In contrast, escalation of violence was associated with reduced odds of the perpetrator being arrested (AOR = 0.4, 95% CI = [0.1- 0.9]) or the victim being relocated (AOR = 0.4, 95% CI = [0.1- 1.3]). The finding that the police did not immediately respond to escalation, potentially signaling lethal violence needs to be addressed.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Astrid M.A Eriksen ◽  
Marita Melhus ◽  
Bjarne Koster Jacobsen ◽  
Berit Schei ◽  
Ann-Ragnhild Broderstad

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.


2020 ◽  
Vol 29 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Wei ◽  
F. Hou ◽  
W. Cao ◽  
C. Hao ◽  
J. Gu ◽  
...  

Abstract Aims This study assessed the relationships between different perpetrator-victim roles in intimate partner violence (IPV), emotion regulation (ER) and mental health problems among men who have sex with men (MSM) in China. Methods From April to June 2019, 1233 participants were approached via gay-friendly non-governmental organisations in 15 cities across mainland China. Results Of the total, 578 eligible participants completed an anonymous online survey. All participants provided informed consent and information about their violent perpetrator-victim role and mental health status. The results revealed a high prevalence of IPV in this study sample, with 32.7% of participants reporting IPV victimisation and 32.5% of participants reporting IPV perpetration during their lifetime. A total of 81 (14.0%) participants were suicidal, 309 (53.5%) participants reported poor general mental health and 208 (36.0%) had significant depressive symptoms. Adjusted logistic regression models revealed that both physical victimisation (adjusted odds ratio [ORa] = 3.22, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.11–9.32) and sexual victimisation (ORa = 2.90, 95% CI = 1.39–6.05) had positive associations with suicidality, and unidirectional and bidirectional psychological perpetration were associated with poor general mental health and significant depressive symptoms. Although high cognitive reappraisal showed a negative association with poor general mental health (ORa = 0.89,95% CI = 0.86–0.92), the correlation with victims of IPV was weaker than it was with non-victims. Conclusions This study revealed that different perpetrator-victim roles in different IPV situations should be considered comprehensively in research, prevention and intervention. ER is not enough to buffer the effects of IPV on the mental health of MSM victims.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samantha Winter ◽  
Lena Moraa Obara ◽  
Sarah McMahon

Globally, one billion people live in informal settlements, and that number is expected to triple by 2050. Studies suggests that health in informal settlements is a serious and growing concern, yet there is a paucity of research focused on health outcomes and the correlates of health in these settlements. Studies cite individual, environmental and social correlates to health in informal settlements, but they often lack empirical evidence. In particular, research suggests that high rates of violence against women (VAW) in informal settlements may be associated with detrimental effects on women’s health, but few studies have investigated this link. The purpose of this study was to fill this gap by empirically exploring associations between women’s experiences of intimate partner violence (IPV) and their physical and mental health. Data for this study were collected in August 2018 in Mathare Valley Informal Settlement in Nairobi, Kenya. A total of 550 randomly-selected women participated in surveys; however, analyses for this study were run on a subpopulation of the women (n=361). Multivariate logistic regressions were used to investigate the link between psychological, sexual, and emotional IPV and women’s mental and physical health. Results suggest that while some socioeconomic, demographic, and environmental variables were significantly associated with women’s mental and physical health outcomes, all types of IPV emerged key correlates in this context. In particular, women’s experiences of IPV were associated with lower odds of normal-high physical health component scores (based on SF-36); higher odds of gynecological and reproductive health issues, psychological distress (based on K-10), depression, suicidality, and substance use. Findings from this study suggest that policies and interventions focused on prevention and response to VAW in informal settlements may make critical contributions to improving health for women in these rapidly growing settlements.


2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (5) ◽  
pp. 838-849
Author(s):  
Huiping Zhang ◽  
William Wong ◽  
Susan Fan ◽  
Paul S. F. Yip

Intimate partner violence is an important public health issue affecting the well-being of the young adults. However, there is little epidemiological evidence on the incidence and associated mental health problems of both intimate partner violence perpetration and victimization in Chinese context. Using one representative community sample of 1,227 young adults aged 18–27 years in 2016, this study aimed to examine the prevalence, sociodemographic characteristics, and possible mental health consequences of intimate partner violence among young adults in Hong Kong. It is found that the prevalence of preceding 1-year intimate partner violence perpetration and victimization was 5.3% and 9.1% respectively. The perpetrators were worse educated, unemployed, and married, while the victims were also unemployed and cohabited. Compared with those without involving in any intimate partner violence, perpetrators of intimate partner violence were more likely to engage in frequent smoking and alcohol use, and victims of intimate partner violence reported lower life satisfaction, more self-harm behaviors, higher suicide ideation and attempt, and heavy alcohol use. Both perpetrators and victims were more likely to report the worst mental health problems and high risky behaviors.


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