Intimate Partner Abuse and Mental Health

Abstract

Social Support and other protective factors (Education, Employment, Self-Esteem, Health, and Absence of Economic Hardship) were studied in relation to depression, anxiety, and three types of lifetime abuse (recent intimate partner violence and past intimate partner violence, child abuse). Asurvey of 557 women was conducted as part of a domestic violence screening intervention in primary care. Compared to nonabused women, recently abused women may receive less support from partners but reported comparable levels of support from others. Total protective factors potentially provided a buffer for abused women from developing anxiety and depression but appea less effective at severe levels of lifetime abuse.

Why I Stayed/Left: An Analysis of Voices of Intimate Partner Violence on Social Media

“…Specifically, lack of access to financial support not only put women at greater risk for violence, but also limited the opportunities for these victims to leave their abusive partner. Other researchers have found that economic dependency is related to a victim's decision to stay or inability to leave (Barnett 2000(Barnett , 2001Carlson et al 2002). Financial status is often a barrier to leaving; however, connection to systems of support (i.e., community resources, family, and friends) that aid in reducing the financial burden of leaving, can alleviate this barrier while also providing emotional support to victims (Carlson et al 2002).…”

“…While self-deception, distortion, and low self-worth were associated with staying in an abusive relationship, personal growth, particularly clarity about self, was associated with leaving. Carlson et al (2002) found that self-esteem can be a protective factor among victims, particularly against the development of psychological trauma related to abuse and future abuse. Whiting et al (2012b) highlight how victims of abuse report that blame leads to self-doubt, which often leads to the use of distortions to cope with the abuse.…”

Heterogeneity Among Violence-Exposed Women

“…Woods, 2000). However, findings also indicate that a singular linear trend (as the level of exposure increases, the negativity of outcomes uniformly increases) does not appropriately represent variability among victims' experiences and outcomes (see, e.g., Carlson, McNutt, Choi, & Rose, 2002;Messman-Moore & Long, 2002). Not all victims exhibit negative biopsychosocial outcomes Johnson, 1995), nor is the same violence inherently appraised and experienced in the same way by all victims (Lindhorst, Nurius, & Macy, 2005;Smith, Smith, & Earp, 1999).…”

Mothers Affected by Domestic Violence: Intersections and Opportunities with the Justice System

“…Leading conceptual frameworks advanced by Stewart (2000) and by Cohen and Wills (1985) have suggested that social support has a positive effect on psychological wellbeing (Dennis 2003;Ritchie et al 2000;Stewart et al 2001) and that deficiencies in social support and social isolation predict poor mental health (Chung and Yue 1999;Seguin et al 1999a;Stuchbery et al 1998), chronic illness (Cohen and Wills 1985), and women's return to the abusive partner (Carlson, et al 2002). In this light, the justice system provides a source of formal social support for mothers affected by IPV.…”