Intimate partner violence is the leading contributor to death, disability and illness in Australian women aged 18–44, and contributes an estimated 5.1 per cent of the burden of disease for women in this age group.
For First Nations women in this age group, intimate partner violence contributes to 10.9% of the burden of disease – more than any other risk factor.
The health impacts of violence can include:
- death
- physical injury
- disability and chronic health conditions
- pregnancy loss
- suicide and self-inflicted injury
- substance-use disorders
- anxiety, depression and PTSD.
Mental health impacts of violence
Depression is one of the most common conditions linked to sexual and physical violence against women.
Women who have experienced violence have higher levels of stress and anxiety and may develop post-traumatic stress disorder.
Other responses to fear, like phobias and disassociation, are also more common in women who experience family violence.
- the negative mental health impacts of violence can persist long after the abuse has stopped
- the more serious the abuse, the greater its impact on physical and mental health
- the impact over time of difference types and multiple episodes of abuse can accumulate, making recovery even harder.
Women experiencing family and sexual violence have poorer health than women who have not experienced this violence.
Recovery from the impacts of violence takes time, and women and children should be supported to heal with long-term, trauma-informed mental health support.
Acquired brain injury and family violence
In Victoria, 2 in 5 women and 1 in 4 children presenting to hospital for family violence sustain a brain injury. Rising rates of sexual violence and sexual strangulation are placing women at higher risk of brain injury.
Despite prevalence, brain injuries are under-diagnosed and under-reported in women. While 80% of women victims of family violence attending hospitals in Victoria having head or facial injuries, most of them aren’t screened for brain injury.
Women’s brain injury symptoms are often dismissed or wrongly attributed to mental health problems, alcohol or drugs. Racism in healthcare means First Nations women in particular aren’t properly treated.
An untreated brain injury can make negatively impact someone’s ability to recover and heal from family violence. Survivors may be re-victimised, and are vulnerable to losing their employment, their housing, even care of their children. They may struggle to navigate an already complex health and social welfare system with an invisible disability.
Greater awareness of the link between family violence and brain injury is critical to helping survivors recover and prevent further violence.
Get support
If you have experienced physical or mental health issues as a result of violence, talk to your GP. You can also speak to a qualified counsellor you can contact 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732.
If you or someone you know has an acquired brain injury, Brainlink supports people with brain injury and their carers. Call 1800 677 579.