Women's Mental Health and Domestic Violence: Research Review

Introduction to Domestic Violence and Women's Mental Health

Domestic violence is recognized globally as both a human rights violation and a significant public health problem. It occurs in multiple forms — physical, psychological, sexual, and economic — and affects women across every demographic, culture, and income level. The nine studies reviewed below collectively examine how various forms of domestic violence contribute to adverse mental health outcomes in women, including depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), postpartum depression, and suicidal ideation. Each article is analyzed according to its relevant social science discipline, its primary findings, and its implications for healthcare providers, mental health professionals, and policymakers.

Community-Based and Survey Studies

Social science disciplines represented: Psychology and Sociology. This article represents psychology because it focuses on mental health processes. It represents sociology because it examines women's experiences of domestic violence within a community context.

Domestic violence is a pervasive public health problem, affecting over one-third of women across the globe. It occurs in various forms, including physical, psychological, and sexual violence, and has varying impacts on the health and wellbeing of women — and even male victims (Sharma et al., 2019). This community-based study, carried out among 827 ever-married women in Delhi, shows that female victims of domestic violence have poor mental health status and heightened suicidal tendencies. The researchers conclude that domestic violence is inversely linked to women's mental health.

The implications of this article are significant for healthcare service providers and community health workers. These professionals should work toward identifying, intervening, and supporting female victims of domestic violence, since victimized women tend to visit healthcare settings at some point in their lifetime. Additionally, these professionals should be sensitized to issues of domestic violence and trained adequately on how to handle victims.

Social science discipline represented: Psychology. This article represents psychology because it focuses on the mental health of female survivors of domestic violence.

Physical and sexual abuse are the most common forms of domestic violence, with a reported lifetime prevalence of between 15 and 71% worldwide. Violence against women is strongly associated with an increased risk of mental disorders. However, there is limited evidence regarding the mental health of female survivors who seek support from domestic violence services. Through a randomized controlled trial conducted among 260 women, Ferrari et al. (2016) found that female survivors of domestic violence exhibit high levels of anxiety and depression, especially PTSD. They also found that mental illness symptoms increase with the severity of domestic violence.

These findings carry significant implications for mental health professionals and psychiatrists, who need to recognize that patients presenting with mental health problems may also be victims of domestic violence. Accordingly, they should provide trauma-informed psychological support services to survivors seeking help from domestic violence services.

Social science discipline represented: Psychology. This article represents psychology because it focuses on identifying the perceptions of domestic violence survivors regarding mental healthcare.

Domestic violence affects approximately 35% of women globally, making it a universal problem. The prevalence of mental health conditions increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, as many people were confined to their homes. This cross-sectional web-based study sought to determine the perceptions of victimized women in Bangladesh regarding mental healthcare. The study found that psychological abuse is the most common form of domestic violence, followed by economic abuse. It also found that while 96.3% of victimized women need mental health support, only 25% are aware of the available mental health services (Soron et al., 2021). These findings underscore the urgent need to increase awareness of available mental health services for victimized women.

Mental health professionals and public health workers should work toward increasing awareness of support services for female victims of domestic violence. Such efforts could include the use of telepsychiatry to provide immediate mental health support to this population.

Qualitative and Mixed-Methods Research

Social science disciplines represented: Psychology and Sociology. This article represents psychology because it examines mental health processes in relation to the experience of domestic violence. It represents sociology because it focuses on women's lived experiences of domestic violence.

Domestic violence affects between 15% and 75% of women worldwide and has a significant impact on their rights, health, and wellbeing. While quantitative studies link domestic violence to poor mental health, there remains a lack of qualitative research on women's experience of domestic violence and its mental health consequences. This phenomenological study was conducted with a sample of 25 participants, including victimized women, mental health professionals, and a key informant. The study found that victimized women with mental health disorders had typically experienced more than one form of domestic abuse (Islam, Jahan & Hossain, 2018). Domestic violence was found to predispose, precipitate, maintain, or directly cause mental health problems among female victims. However, the type and severity of mental disorder depended on the nature and intensity of the domestic violence experienced. In some cases, mental health disorders were identified as a contributing cause of domestic violence rather than a consequence.

The findings of this article have significant implications for healthcare policy. Public health policies should incorporate culturally appropriate programs that seek to reduce domestic violence and its associated mental health consequences.

Social science discipline represented: Psychology. This article represents psychology because it examines the role mental health professionals can play in identifying and responding to domestic violence against women.

Domestic violence is recognized globally as both a human rights violation and a public health issue. This study argues that it is also a mental health problem and that mental health professionals have a critical role to play in identifying and responding to it effectively. Although clinical guidance exists to support this role, mental health professionals remain largely unable to identify and respond to violence against women in practice. The study found that poor identification of domestic violence cases persists, resulting in non-engagement with mental health services and poor treatment outcomes (Oram, Khalifeh & Howard, 2016).

These findings demonstrate a strong and well-documented link between domestic violence and mental health problems, highlighting the need for improvements in identification and treatment by mental health professionals. Mental health services should be integrated into primary and secondary prevention measures targeting domestic violence.

Conclusion

Across all nine studies reviewed, a consistent and well-documented relationship emerges between domestic violence and adverse mental health outcomes in women. Depression, anxiety, PTSD, and postpartum depression are among the most frequently identified consequences, and their severity tends to increase with the intensity and duration of abuse. Coping strategies and social support serve as mediating factors that can meaningfully reduce psychological harm. The studies collectively call on mental health professionals, healthcare providers, law enforcement agencies, and policymakers to collaborate in identifying, supporting, and empowering female victims of domestic violence. Culturally appropriate programs, trauma-informed care, and policy reforms that target underlying risk factors — such as poverty and limited access to services — are essential to reducing the mental health burden that domestic violence places on women worldwide.