Intimate partner violence, associations with perceived need for help and health care utilization: a population-based sample of women in Sweden

Abstract

Aim: To assess the association between physical intimate partner violence (physical IPV) in the past 5 years, perceived need for help and primary health care utilization due to mental health problems in a general population-based sample of women in Sweden. Methods: We performed structured follow-up interviews with 616 women between 1995 and 2015. Associations between physical IPV in the past 5 years and (i) perceived need for help and (ii) primary health care utilization due to mental health problems, were estimated by logistic regression analyses with crude and adjusted odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: Of the women who had experienced physical IPV in the past 5 years, 45.1% perceived a need for help but refrained from seeking care. After adjusting for sociodemographic factors, exposure to physical IPV in the past 5 years remained associated with perceived need for help (OR 3.54; CI 1.77–7.11). After adjusting for sociodemographic factors, the association between exposure to physical IPV and primary health care utilization did not remain statistically significant. Conclusions: Women exposed to physical IPV were more likely to perceive the need for help compared with unexposed women. A large proportion of IPV-exposed women in the general population may refrain from seeking care although they perceive a need for help. Future studies need to investigate potential barriers to mental health care seeking among women exposed to IPV. Routine questioning about IPV should be implemented in primary health care with improved referral to available support services.

On the Relationship Between Intimate Partner Violence and Quality of Life Among Menopausal Women

“…IPV has devastating effects on women's mental health. Women experiencing IPV are at risk for psychological trauma such as anxiety, depression, anxiety, and suicide (13). Evidence shows that many psychological problems women face in society directly result from IPV (11).…”

“…Women with IPV experience face many barriers to health care, such as financial pressure, instilling fear and control over their husbands, fear of being blamed, and feeling ashamed, and many women who seek treatment never experience IPV (13).…”

Using Mixed Methods Integration to Evaluate the Structure of Help-Seeking Barriers Scale: A Survivor-Centered Approach

“…Despite these adverse outcomes related to IPV, previous research has shown that help-seeking among survivors is low in most countries. Some never seek help, and those who do mainly choose informal sources of help, usually from their family or friends and are less likely to seek formal help, such as from shelters, healthcare services, or the police [ 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 ]. It should be noted that a significant body of literature suggests that women with a history of IPV use healthcare services more than non-abused women, especially primary care and emergency departments [ 26 , 27 , 28 ].…”

Understanding and Measuring Help-Seeking Barriers among Intimate Partner Violence Survivors: Mixed-Methods Validation Study of the Icelandic Barriers to Help-Seeking for Trauma (BHS-TR) Scale

“…Despite the high rates of adverse health outcomes, studies have shown that help-seeking among IPV survivors is low. Many survivors never disclose the violence to anyone, and those who do most often choose support from friends and family and are substantially less likely to seek help from formal sources, such as healthcare and social services, even despite their perceived need for such support [ 3 , 9 , 10 , 11 ]. These findings may reflect the limited availability or accessibility of services for abused women in some countries.…”