Marital rape has been socially and culturally normalized within marriage. It becomes a subtle form of violence against women with severe mental illness who cannot negotiate on sexual matters with their partner. This study aims to critically analyze empirical studies to see how women with severe mental illness can be at risk of being sexually abused by their intimate partner, its impact on their life, what protects them from abuse, historical framework, the role of mental health professionals, need of research on marital rape of men and a way forward. Mental health professionals need to consider all these factors and provide community-coordinated care and support.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.