Department of Psychobiology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Valencia, Avda Blasco Ibañez 21, Valencia, Spain.
Womens Health Issues. 2012 Sep;22(5):e491-500. doi: 10.1016/j.whi.2012.07.003.
Several cross-sectional studies have demonstrated the negative impact that intimate partner violence (IPV) has on the physical health of women. However, longitudinal studies are needed to establish the time course of this effect. This study assessed the physical health course of female IPV victims and established the factors that enhance or impede their recovery.
Women (n = 91) who participated in a previous cross-sectional study (T-1) and were either victims of physical/psychological IPV (n = 33) or psychological IPV (n = 23) were evaluated 3 years later (T-2). A control group of women (n = 35) was included for comparison. Structured interviews provided information regarding IPV characteristics, physical health, and lifestyle.
Physical symptoms decreased over time for both groups of abused women. Factors that contributed to this improvement were perception of social support and the cessation of physical IPV. Factors that impaired recovery included cohabitation with the aggressor, victimization experiences at T-2, negative perceptions of life events, and continuing psychological IPV.
This study shows that physical health improvement is possible in female victims of IPV, but that continuing psychological IPV hinders recovery. Additional longitudinal studies are needed to investigate the factors that best predict health recovery in female IPV victims to design effective intervention programs.
几项横断面研究表明，亲密伴侣暴力（IPV）对女性的身体健康有负面影响。然而，需要进行纵向研究来确定这种影响的时间进程。本研究评估了女性 IPV 受害者的身体健康状况，并确定了促进或阻碍其康复的因素。
本研究纳入了先前一项横断面研究（T-1）中的女性（n=91），她们要么是身体/心理 IPV 的受害者（n=33），要么是心理 IPV 的受害者（n=23），并在 3 年后（T-2）进行了评估。纳入了一组对照组女性（n=35）进行比较。结构访谈提供了有关 IPV 特征、身体健康和生活方式的信息。
两组受虐待的女性的身体症状随着时间的推移而减轻。有助于改善的因素包括感知到的社会支持和停止身体 IPV。阻碍康复的因素包括与施虐者同居、T-2 时的受害经历、对生活事件的负面看法以及持续的心理 IPV。
本研究表明，IPV 女性受害者的身体健康改善是可能的，但持续的心理 IPV 会阻碍康复。需要进行更多的纵向研究，以调查最能预测女性 IPV 受害者健康恢复的因素，从而设计有效的干预计划。
