Domestic Abuse Against Women Suffering From Ambulatory Mental Disease

Abstract

Introduction: Domestic violence (DV) against women is recognized as one of the factors that triggers biomedical, psychological and social disorders. Studies carried out in Chile, have reported that women who live under sustained aggression present symptoms such as tension and distress, depression, insomnia and loss of concentration. Objectives, material and methods: An observational study of transverse type was carried out to measure VD in women with mental ambulatory pathology, to determine its characteristics-consequences and to prove the efficiency of a screening system. 59 women were controlled for depression and/or anxious disorder through the Mental Health Programme (MHP) at the Rural Health Center of San José de la Mariquina. Results: Nine out of every ten women with depression and/or anxious disorders recognized episodes of DV (86.4 %), a finding that confirms the link between DV and mental ambulatory morbidity. Also, the type of violence (specifically gender violence), intensity and corporal zones of maltreatment appear together with the description of variables mostly associated with depressive and anxious disorders. These findings confirmed that DV becomes visible when specific screening test are in use. Prevalence of DV was 1.5 times higher than that detected by the systems of the MHP and, twice higher than the one identified by the staff of the health center. Conclusion: The magnitude of DV in women with depression and/or anxious disorder makes it urgent to deepen in the diversity of contexts of domestic violence, so as to undertake interdisciplinary interventions.