Exploring the relationship between mental health and neuropsychological functioning in female survivors of IPV

Abstract

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) refers to a series of physical, psychological, and/or sexual abuses exercised over another individual during an intimate relationship. Several mental health difficulties have been reported related to IPV, and recently neuropsychological alterations have been also described in this population. This study has three aims: first, to explore the existence of mental health-based groups in women with and without a history of IPV; second, to establish whether belonging to the IPV group is related to having a poorer mental health and finally, to establish if women with mental health has a lower neuropsychological functioning. Fourteen female survivors of physical and psychological IPV, and 14 matched control women (CG) were assessed for their mental health and neuropsychological functions. A mental health protocol was used to evaluate the variables of anxiety, depression, and perception of stress. In addition, a protocol of neuropsychological tests evaluated alternating attention, long-term memory, abstract thinking, learning, and interference control. Results showed that (1) participants were grouped into two clusters: better mental health and poorer mental health. The main grouping variable was anxiety. (2) Women with a history of IPV had poorer mental health, and (3) women with poorer mental health had lower attentional ability, long-term memory, abstract thinking and working memory. These findings show the importance of assessing anxiety, which is one of the predictors of mental health problems in victims of IPV. Furthermore, it is important to protocolize a form of assessment including neuropsychological variables.