Outcomes of trauma-informed care on the psychological health of women experiencing intimate partner violence: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and anxiety are considered intimate partner violence (IPV) comorbidities, especially among women. Trauma-informed care (TIC) is the most common element of IPV care. This study analysed the short-term (3 months) and medium-term (6 months) outcomes of TIC on PTSD, depression and anxiety in women experiencing IPV. The Preferred Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines were followed, and databases were searched from their inception to September 2022. Thirteen randomized controlled trials included 850 women randomly assigned to the TIC and usual care groups. Overall, TIC showed a superior psychological health-improving effect. Depression and anxiety significantly improved after treatment and at three and 6 months. No difference was observed in PTSD between the two groups at 3 and 6 months. The growing evidence demonstrates that the lack of IPV intervention effects reported by reviews may be due to the attributes of PTSD, heterogeneity of TIC intervention design and components of TIC. Therefore, its clinical efficacy remains inconclusive. We analysed studies by stratifying intervention frequencies of once or twice a week. Regardless of the intervention frequency, length and design, PTSD decreased immediately after the TIC intervention. However, a significant difference in depression was observed after a TIC intervention of above 9 weeks.