Patterns of Medication Use Among Women Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence

Abstract

Objective: Our objective was to describe patterns of medication use in a convenience sample of 309 women with a history of intimate partner violence (IPV) participating in a study of women's health after leaving an abusive partner (WHES). Methods: Using data collected through interviews and health assessments, frequencies of past-month use of medications; abuse experienced, health problems and medical diagnoses; and selected demographics were calculated. Associations among abuse history, employment status, health problems, diagnoses, and medications were explored. Comparisons of rates of medication use in women in the WHES and the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) 2.1 were calculated. Findings: Almost half of participants were taking pain and/or psychotropic medications, with almost one third taking antidepressants. Child abuse history, adult sexual assault history and unemployment were associated with taking psychotropic medications. Overall rates of medication use were similar to those of Canadian women of similar age in the CCHS 2.1. However, women in the WHES were more likely to be taking antidepressants, anxiolytics and inhalants, and less likely to be taking oral contraceptives, over-the counter (OTC) pain relievers, and OTC cough and cold medications. Conclusion: The pattern of medication use in women who have experienced IPV differs from that in the general population. The complex associations found among health problems, employment, diagnoses, and medication use highlight the need to consider treatment patterns within the context of the impact of lifetime abuse, economic survival, and parenting demands. Medication use must be understood as only one of a range of health interventions available to assist abused women to promote their health.

Intimate partner violence and prescription of potentially addictive drugs: prospective cohort study of women in the Oslo Health Study

“…It substantiates previous cross-sectional findings of increased medication use among women exposed to IPV5 6 11 14 and adds new evidence about restricted drugs with verified addictive potential. Our sample was enrolled from a large-scale survey with consent to link information to health registers.…”

Mental and Physical Health and Intimate Partner Violence against Women: A Review of the Literature

“…Depression was the most commonly researched aspect of mental health in relation to intimate partner violence, being reported on in 42 of the reviewed articles [10, 13–53]. The high relative importance of depression in its impact on health, as a result of IPV, is shown by the burden of disease figures given in the study by Vos et al [46] who found that 34.7% of the total IPV disease burden was attributable to depression.…”

“…In this review, anxiety was investigated as a part of sixteen studies [13–15, 20, 22, 25, 28, 31, 37, 39, 40, 43, 46, 50, 51, 53], but it was not the exclusive focus of any of these studies, usually being reported along with other common mental disorders, most often depression. In the study on burden of disease associated with IPV, Vos et al [46] found that 27.3% of the total IPV burden of disease was attributable to anxiety, making it the second highest contributing factor, with only depression having a higher percentage score.…”

“…Chronic pain was reported as being significantly associated with a history of IPV in nine reviewed studies [8, 33, 34, 41, 47, 53, 56, 74, 75] and investigated, but reported as nonsignificant in four additional studies [19, 26, 60, 76]. Loxton et al [74] reported that pain had one of the highest associations with IPV of all the studied physical symptoms.…”

Identifying Factors that Predict Women's Inability to Maintain Separation from an Abusive Partner

“…In the aftermath of IPV, women continue to suffer from disabling mental and physical health problems related to IPV, such as PTSD, depression, sleep disturbances, fatigue, gastrointestinal disorders, chronic pain, and hypertension (Adkins & Kamp Dush, 2010;Fishman, Bonomi, Anderson, Reid, & Rivara, 2010;Humphreys & Lee, 2005;Wuest et al, 2007). Based on a review of the published literature, D. Anderson and Saunders (2003) concluded that, after separation, women's mental health problems, particularly depression and PTSD, might be equal to or exceed the problems they experience before leaving the relationship.…”