Depression and post-traumatic stress disorder in females exposed to intimate partner violence

Abstract

Abstract Background United Nations considered intimate partner violence (IPV) as a serious problem affecting 35% of females all over the world requesting action to face this problem. There is strong evidence that the effect of violence against women has short-term and long-term negative outcomes on women physical health such as pain, wounds, fractures or even death in addition to serious psychiatric disorders for example anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The study aims to evaluate the prevalence of different subtypes of (IPV) in a group sample of married females. Also, the current study will examine the relation of intimate partner violence with subsequent depression and post-traumatic stress disorder disorders among those females. Results This study highlights subtypes of intimate partner violence among the studied females according to the Composite Abuse Scale (CAS); the highest prevalence type of violence is harassment (72.2%) followed by physical violence (57.8%), severe combined violence (54.4%), emotional violence (53.3%), and finally the last one is sexual abuse (7.8%). Post-traumatic stress disorder distribution among studied females; the highest prevalence (n = 37, 41.1%) had mild PTSD, followed by 23 (25.6%) who were normal, and then n = 20 (22.2%) who had severe PTSD, while the least prevalence (n = 10, 11.1%) had moderate PTSD. In concern to depressive disorder distribution among studied females, the highest prevalence (n = 33, 36.7%) were normal, followed by 29 (32.2%) who had moderate depression, and then n = 12 (1.3%) who had severe depression, n = 9 (10.0%) who had mild depression, while the least prevalence (n = 7, 7.8%) had very severe depressive symptoms. Conclusions This study found that the prevalence of intimate partner violence among the studied females is high. In addition, the presence of a strong relationship between all subtypes of intimate partner violence and the diagnosis of PTSD and depressive disorder among studied females. Potential implications; these results can be applied clinically as females are exposed to the burden of IPV and should be helped empowered in various ways such as providing psychiatric counselling for those females.