Effects of spouse abuse and/or sexual abuse in the development and maintenance of chronic pain in women

Lifetime physical and sexual abuse in chronic pain patients: psychosocial correlates and treatment outcomes

“…This is consistent with the frequency rates (56% to 66%) for abuse among chronic pain clinic patients reported in the literature. 28,31,47 The sole demographic variable significantly differentiating abused patients from those without a history of abuse was gender. Sixty-six per cent of female patients in this study reported a history of abuse, while 48% of males reported such a history.…”

Intimate partner violence and women’s health and wellbeing: Impacts, risk factors and responses

“…Several large studies found a greater prevalence of chronic pain conditions among women with a past and/or current history of IPV (Campbell, 2002;Weinbaum et al, 2001). Smaller studies have also found a consistent positive relationship between chronic pain and IPV (Dienemann et al, 2000;Haber & Roos, 1985;Wuest et al, 2008). Wuest et al (2008) examined the physical and mental health patterns of 292 women in the early years after leaving an abusive relationship.…”

Lowering the Threshold for Discussions of Domestic Violence

“…[1][2][3][4] While evidence-based reviews do not support routine screening, [5][6][7] there is qualitative evidence from abuse survivors that identification by health care providers is both desirable and helpful. [8][9][10][11] Indeed, failure to recognize DV may result in missed diagnoses, unnecessary testing, 12,13 and high rates of health care utilization. [14][15][16] However, these potential opportunities to intervene are frequently missed owing to health care provider reluctance to initiate discussions about sensitive issues.…”