Study on the health status of women who separate because of intimate partner's violence and the long-term influence of violence

2005 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 15592321
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Community health/Gerontological nurisng
• Research Institution: Sapporo Medical University
• Principal Investigator: SAWADA Izumi Sapporo Medical University, School of Health Sciences, Assistant Professor, 保健医療学部, 講師 (50285011)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): MARUYAMA Tomoko Sapporo Medical University, School of Health Sciences, Professor, 保健医療学部, 教授 (80165951) ; YOSHINO Junichi Sapporo Medical University, School of Health Sciences, Associate Professor, 保健医療学部, 助教授 (80305242) ; KONNO Miki Sapporo Medical University, School of Health Sciences, Associate Professor, 保健医療学部, 助教授 (00264531) ; KATAKURA Yoko Sapporo Medical University, School of Health Sciences, Associate Professor, 保健医療学部, 助教授 (80363711)
• Project Period (FY): 2003 – 2005
• Keywords: intimate partner's violence / women's health / PTSD / depression / depression symptom

Research Abstract

Purpose
The purpose of this research was to determine the health status of women who separated because of their intimate partner's violence and the long-term influence of violence.
Method
The primary investigation was conducted on one-hundred women who had fled to private shelters because of their intimate partner's violence and had separated. Self-administrated questionnaires included inquiries about the frequency of 32 physical and mental symptoms, the IES-R22 (The Impact of Event Scale), Zung questionnaire (depression self-test), medical services received or demanded, the kinds and frequency of the partner's violence, status of life habits and demographic factors. There were 67 respondents (67.0%) and 50 of them agreed to a secondary investigation.
The secondary investigation was performed via a semi-structured interview about health history during living with the partner and after the separation. For 14 of the women interviewed, more than three years had passed after the separation.
Res ults
In the primary investigation, the results about heath problems while living with the partner suggested that about 80% of the women had felt depressed and most women had had limited contact with society, including medical services. After separation, about 50% of them suffered from moderate to severe depression, sleeplessness and fatigue. Of the women who were aware of health problems, 50% recognized the relation between the partner's violence and health. Some physical and mental symptoms moderated as time passed, but some women felt severe symptoms of depression or PTSD even over five years after separation. The secondary interview investigation showed that lack of social support, poverty and adjustment disorders of children as a result of the partner's violence influenced the process of recovery of women's health. Intimate-partner violence seemed to have a long-term influence on the women's health. Thus, a comprehensive support system should be organized for such women and their children.