MENTAL HEALTH AND SOME SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC DETERMINANTS IN WOMEN WITH DOMESTIC VIOLENCE EXPERIENCE

Domestic violence is a risk factor for a wide range of health problems. This study
aimed to evaluate the mental health status and some socio-demographic determinants in women
experiencing domestic violence.
Material & Methods: This cross-sectional study was done on 196 women referred to a forensic
medicine center in Tehran during 2013.
Data collected with demographic questionnaire and General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ - 28) and
then analyzed using SPSS-PC (v. 16). The value of p<0.05 was considered as significant level.
Results: The mean (SD) age of the women was 30.02 (6.35) years. 99% of the subjects had an
abnormal GHQ total score. Regarding to GHQ subscales, 99% of participants obtained abnormal
score in the social functioning subscale, 99% in anxiety subscale, 92/9 in somatic symptoms, and
88.8% in the depression subscale. Results also showed there were significant correlation between
economic status with social functioning; and between husband's age and duration of marriage with
depression. But the subscales of physical symptoms and anxiety symptoms were not significantly
associated with any of these characteristics.
Conclusion: The results indicate that victims of domestic violence are in a huge risk of mental
disorders, and they need special attentions in this field. So caregivers should pay more attention to
these women and refer them to counselors and specialists if necessary