Domestic Violence and Suicide

A 5-year follow-up study of 117 battered women.
Bergman, Bo., Brismar, Bo
American Journal of Public Health, Vol 81(11), Nov, 1991. pp. 1486-1489.
Abstract:
Investigated the use of somatic and psychiatric hospital care by 117 battered women (aged 16–75 yrs) who were identified in a surgical emergency department and offered a treatment program. Data were collected from 10 yrs before to 5 yrs after the battering in question. Battered Ss sought hospital care much more than members of a control group matched for age and geographic area. However, it was not only traumatic injuries that brought battered Ss to the hospital, but also medical, gynecological, psychiatric, and unspecified disorders and suicide attempts. This overuse of hospital care may reflect the situation at home characterized by ongoing battering and other psychosocial problems. During the 5 yrs following the battering, Ss who joined the treatment program did not show any signs of reducing their use of either somatic or psychiatric hospital care.

Correlates of depressive symptoms among batteredwomen.
Sato, Robin A., Heiby, Elaine M.
Journal of Family Violence, Vol 7(3), Sep, 1992. pp. 229-245.
Abstract:
Examined 10 environmental and behavioral skills correlates of depressive symptoms in 136 battered women(mean age 31 yrs). 46% of the variance in Self-Rating Depression Scale scores was accounted for by scores on measures of these 10 variables. Four variables were uniquely and significantly associated with depressivesymptoms: deficient self-reinforcement, loss of sources of potential reinforcement, realistic assessment, and a history of depression. Results suggest that battered women who realistically assess their battering relationship and who report poor self-reinforcement skills, losses, and histories of depression are at risk for depression.

Domestic violence in the emergency department: I. Two case-control studies of victims.
Roberts, Gwenneth Lilian, et al.
General Hospital Psychiatry, Vol 19(1), Jan, 1997. pp. 5-11.
Abstract:
Compared the diagnoses and characteristics of self-reported domestic violence (DV) victims with a random sample of nonvictim controls who were selected from attendees at the Emergency Department (ED) of a major public hospital in Australia. Comparisons were made at index presentation (IP) and for the 5 yrs prior to IP. A total of 324 Ss participated. Ss were drawn from 2 screening studies carried out 1 yr apart that were conducted to assess the prevalence of DV among attendees at the ED. From these groups, the medical records of all individuals who had disclosed DV were examined and compared with the medical records of a random sample of nondisclosers, matched for age (+10 yrs), sex, and type of entry into the ED. The 2 case-control studies, conducted 12 mo apart, showed that victims made more visits to the ED and outpatients’ department than nonvictims; victims had more psychiatric IPs; more victims had evidence of treatment of psychiatric conditions, both as inpatients and outpatients, in the previous 5 yrs; victims had greater rates of attempted suicide and alcohol problems than nonvictims at IP and for the previous 5 yrs.

The interconnectedness and causes of female suicidal ideation with domestic violence.
Guggisberg, Marika.
AeJAMH (Australian e-Journal for the Advancement of Mental Health), Vol 5(1), May, 2006.
Abstract:
Although there is a significant body of knowledge about suicide, in particular male suicide, very limited empirical data exist about female suicidal ideation. This theoretical analysis considers the extent to which domestic violencemay constitute an underlying cause of female suicidality by examining published literature mainly from Australia. It explores major effects of domestic violence, investigates the prevalence of suicide in women, and then considers the relationships between domestic violence, mental disorders in women, victim-blaming attitudes and female suicidality. The paper suggests that a traditional victim-blaming attitude towards abused women is considerably interrelated with female suicide. It is recommended that female suicidal ideation, which may be caused by domestic violence, needs to be recognized as an important women’s and public health issue.

Domestic violence victims in shelters: What do we know about their mental health?
Akyazi, Senem, et al.
Community Mental Health Journal, Feb 5, 2018.
Abstract:
In this study, the relationship between mental disorders, childhood trauma and sociodemographic characteristics was evaluated in women staying in shelters due to domestic violence. The study comprised 59 volunteers, staying in women’s shelters in Istanbul due to domestic violence. The structured clinical interview for DSM-IV TR axis 1 disorders (SCID-I), Domestic Violence Data Form, Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, Beck Anxiety Inventory and Childhood Trauma Questionnaire were applied by a psychiatric expert in face-to-face interviews. Of the cases 76.3% were diagnosed with at least one psychiatric disorder. Post-traumatic stress disorder was the most common diagnosis (50.8%). In our study 59% of women had attempted suicide at least once, and 66% of these were found to have attempted suicide after violence started. Previous psychiatric diagnosis and exposure to childhood abuse were observed to be risk factors for suicide attempts. Psychiatric disease comorbidities and suicide attempt were identified at high rates in women exposed to domestic violence.