Psychological partner violence and women's vulnerability to depression, stress, and anxiety

Abstract

Psychological partner violence is a considerable problem, despite its invisible outcomes on victims' physical health. Focusing on mental health, the present study looked at differences in mental illness, such as depression, stress, and anxiety, among victims and non-victims of psychological violence. A convenience sample of women (n = 267) visiting health-care centres in refugee camps in Jordan provided data about their experiences of psychological violence and their mental health status. The results indicated that, compared to their non-victimized counterparts, women reporting psychological violence had significantly higher mean scores of depression (t = -4.92), stress (t = -3.73), and anxiety (t = -4.22), with P < 0.0001 for all results. It was suggested that factors that have significant roles in determining poor mental health status included victims' low self-esteem; poor socioeconomic profile, in terms of education level and income; and responsibilities associated with child and family requirements. The impacts of these factors on victims' mental health status are discussed.