Hidden Victims: The Healthcare Needs and Experiences of Older Women in Abusive Relationships

Zink, Therese M.; Jacobson, Christer; Regan, Saundra; Pabst, Stephanie

doi:10.1089/jwh.2004.13.898

Cited by 76 publications

(93 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…A main focus is the development of large prospective studies to delineate the long-term course of abuse on women's lives and mulitfactorial randomized controlled trials of ''best practice'' interventions (Cohn, Salmon, & Stobo, 2002;Nelson, Nygren, McInerney, & Klein, 2004;Wathen & MacMillan, 2003). As a starting point, clinicians might routinely assess partner violence using questions from the WEB Scale and the BRFSS, or other measurement tools (Bonomi, Allen, et al, 2006), and ensure a comprehensive and compassionate response to women who report abuse in their relationships (Zink et al, 2004).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The broad definition of partner violence proposed by the CDC is necessary in order to adequately characterize all forms of violence and abuse that could harm victims involved with abusive intimate partners. The growing focus on partner violence in women older than 65 years of age is of particular importance, given the potential for social isolation and functional and cognitive impairment in older women (Cohen, Forte, Du Mont, Hyman, & Romans, 2005) and the tendency for health care providers to think of partner violence as a problem of younger women (Lachs, 2004;Zink, Jacobson, Regan, & Pabst, 2004).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Intimate Partner Violence in Older Women

Bonomi¹,

Anderson²,

Reid³

et al. 2007

The Gerontologist

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Purpose: We describe the prevalence, types, duration, frequency, and severity of intimate partner violence (''partner violence'') in older women. Design and Methods: We randomly sampled a total of 370 English-speaking women (65 years of age and older) from a health care system to participate in a crosssectional telephone interview. Using 5 questions from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) and 10 questions from the Women's Experience with Battering (WEB) Scale, we assessed a woman's exposure to partner violence. We estimated lifetime partner violence prevalence using the BRFSS questions (physical, forced intercourse, forced sexual contact, verbal threats, and controlling behavior), and we estimated past-5-year and past-year prevalence using the BRFSS and the WEB Scale. We estimated violence frequency, duration, and severity using the BRFSS questions. Results: According to the BRFSS, lifetime partner violence prevalence was 26.5%; 18.4% of women experienced physical or sexual violence and 21.9% experienced nonphysical violence (threats or controlling behavior). According to the BRFSS and WEB Scale, past-5-year violence prevalence was 3.5%, and past-year violence prevalence was 2.2%. Many abused women reported more than 20 episodes of violence in their lifetime (from 18.1% for physical violence to 61.2% for controlling behavior). The median duration ranged from 3 years (forced sexual contact) to 10 years (controlling behavior). The proportion of abused women rating their abuse as severe ranged from 39.1% (forced sex or sexual contact) to 70.7% (threats). Implications: The high lifetime partner violence occurrence, frequency, duration, and severity, coupled with results from prior studies indicating long-term adverse health effects of partner violence, suggest a need for increased efforts to address partner violence in older women.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Intimate Partner Violence in Older Women

Bonomi¹,

Anderson²,

Reid³

et al. 2007

The Gerontologist

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“…However, initiatives require agencies and individuals to recognise the issues surrounding domestic abuse and older women before they can be effective. This is echoed by Zink et al (2004Zink et al ( , 2005 who highlight that healthcare providers need to be alert to domestic abuse as an issue for older women in consultations as older women are often reluctant to disclose this type of information. They highlight that in addition to the reasons for non-disclosure identified with younger women, they are further compounded with older women through generational factors such as notions of privacy surrounding the home and intimate relationships.…”

Section: Potential Barriers To Older Women Reporting Domestic Abusementioning

confidence: 99%

The impact of domestic abuse for older women: a review of the literature

McGarry

Simpson

Hinchliff‐Smith

2010

Health & Social Care in the Community

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What is known about this topicThe services that currently exist may not be appropriate to meet the needs of this group of women. AbstractThe consequences of domestic abuse are far reaching, impacting significantly on long-term health and emotional wellbeing of those affected. However, while the literature offers an insight into the scope and nature of domestic abuse among the younger population in the UK, there is currently little available data regarding older women and domestic violence. This is increasingly being recognised as a significant deficit in awareness and understanding within society as a whole and more particularly for those responsible for support and care provision. While research in this area may be scarce the work that has been undertaken to date would suggest that domestic abuse is both a significant and an under-recognised phenomenon, which has a wide-ranging impact on the lives and health of older women. It also suggests that older women's experiences of domestic abuse are markedly different from those in younger age groups and that these differences have not been adequately acknowledged or accounted for. Given that the UK has an ageing population and that emerging national policy initiatives are beginning to recognise domestic abuse as an issue for older women, it is fundamental that health and social care professionals are able to both identify domestic abuse and understand the particular experiences and needs of older women affected by domestic abuse. The aim of this literature review is threefold: (i) to provide a comprehensive summary of the impact of domestic abuse for older women particularly within the context of health, (ii) to explore the particular barriers to recognition and reporting abuse and (iii) to highlight the particular gaps in our knowledge and understanding from a policy and care provision perspective. A systematic approach to a review of the literature was used to identify key literature and available evidence relating to domestic abuse among older women.

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“…Similar to the women in our sample, the women in the USA also value medical proof, such as photographs of injuries taken by HCPs, that helps them establish credible testimony against their perpetrators in a court of law (Dienemann, Glass & Hyman, 2005). Another study conducted in the USA indicated that battered women also value information from HCPs on community resources, such as IPV programs (Zink, Jacobson, Regan & Pabst, 2004). Like other studies, our study shows that beneficial assistance from HCPs ultimately helps women to make decisions that are right for them in an effort to break the cycle of violence.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 61%

Battered Japanese women's perceptions and experiences of beneficial health care

Nemoto

Rodríguez

Mkandawire‐Valhmu

2008

Japan Journal Nursing Sci

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Aim: The purpose of this study was to explore battered Japanese women's perceptions and experiences of receiving health-care assistance that they found helpful in dealing with their partner's violence. Methods: This study employed an interpretative qualitative design. Fifteen battered Japanese women who lived in central, western, and southern Japan were sampled. The data were collected through face-to-face individual interviews using a semistructured interview guide. The analysis was completed using the thematic analysis method. Results: Three themes were identified that battered Japanese women found helpful in regard to health-care providers' assistance: empathy and understanding, professional intervention, and a flexible system and assistance. Conclusion: For health-care providers to effectively treat battered Japanese women, it is critical that the providers understand the dynamics of intimate partner violence and that they provide information to battered women about the available community resources and options.

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Hidden Victims: The Healthcare Needs and Experiences of Older Women in Abusive Relationships

Abstract: Older women victims have difficulty initiating discussions about IPV with their providers. Providers are encouraged to identify signals of potential abuse and to create privacy with all patients to discuss difficult issues, such as IPV, and to be knowledgeable about appropriate referrals.

Cited by 76 publications

References 23 publications

Intimate Partner Violence in Older Women

Intimate Partner Violence in Older Women

The impact of domestic abuse for older women: a review of the literature

Battered Japanese women's perceptions and experiences of beneficial health care

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