WUNRN
Violence Against Women Often Leads to More Mental
Illnesses - Study
By AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION - 08/09/2011
Women who
reported experiencing gender-based violence, such as rape, sexual assault,
intimate partner violence and stalking, had an associated higher lifetime
prevalence of mental health
disorders, dysfunction and disability, according to a study in the August 3
issue of JAMA, a theme issue on violence and human rights.
Violence against women is a major public health concern, contributing to high
levels of illness and death worldwide, according to background information in
the article. "In the
Susan Rees, Ph.D., of the
The researchers found that the lifetime prevalence for any mental disorder was
37.8 percent. A total of 1,218 women (27.4 percent) reported experiencing at least 1 of the types of GBV assessed in
this study. The lifetime prevalence rates were 14.7 percent for sexual assault,
10 percent for stalking, 8.1 percent for rape, and 7.8 percent for IPV. Women
who had been exposed to 1 form of GBV reported a high rate of lifetime mood
disorder (weighted, 30.7 percent), lifetime anxiety disorder (38.5 percent),
lifetime substance use disorder (23.0 percent), lifetime PTSD (15.2 percent),
and any lifetime mental disorder (57.3 percent).
"The association was
particularly strong for
exposure to 3 to 4 types of GBV (lifetime anxiety disorders: weighted, 77.3
percent; lifetime mood disorder: 52.5 percent; lifetime substance use disorder:
47.1 percent; lifetime PTSD: 56.2 percent; and any lifetime mental disorder:
89.4 percent). Women exposed to a single GBV reported increased rates of
suicide attempts (weighted, 6.6 percent), with the highest rate of suicide
attempts for those who reported exposure to 3 to 4 types of GBV (34.7
percent)" the authors write.
The researchers also found that gender-based violence was associated with more
severe current mental disorder, higher rates of 3 or more lifetime disorders,
physical disability, mental disability, impaired quality of life, an increase
in disability days, and overall disability.
"Our data underline the observation that mental health disorder in women
who have experienced GBV tends to be more severe and associated with
comorbidity, characteristics that require
expert and comprehensive approaches to treatment. Therefore, there is a need to
ensure that expert mental health care is a central component of GBV programs.
Similarly, psychiatric services need to be better equipped to assist women with
mental health disorders who have experienced GBV," the authors write.
"In general, renewed impetus is needed to develop an evidence base for
prevention and clinical interventions that reflect a comprehensive view of GBV
and its association with wide-ranging mental and psychosocial disabilities
among women."
This article was originally published by the American Medical Association.