Population Sciences and Medical Education, University of Southampton, Southampton.
Centre for Primary Care, University of Manchester, Manchester.
Br J Gen Pract. 2021 Feb 25;71(704):e193-e200. doi: 10.3399/BJGP.2020.0795. Print 2021.
Doctors can be victim-survivors of domestic abuse (DA), but how this impacts their work and wellbeing, and whether they face barriers to seeking help is not well understood.
To understand single doctor mothers' lived experience of DA, barriers to seeking help, and impact on their work.
Individual qualitative interviews with female doctors in the UK who had left an abusive relationship. Interviews were conducted between August 2019 and March 2020.
Participants were invited via a closed online forum for female doctors who are single parents. In total, 114 females expressed interest. In-depth semi-structured telephone interviews were audiorecorded and transcribed. Transcripts were uploaded to NVivo and analysed using inductive thematic analysis.
A total of 21 participants were interviewed. The internalised stigma of DA affected participants' sense of identity and belonging as a doctor, causing social and professional isolation. Many participants felt that the acute stress of DA had an impact on their work, yet often felt unable to take time off. Barriers to seeking help included lack of confidentiality, especially where the abusive partner was also a doctor (sometimes accusing the victim-survivor of mental illness or threatening to report them to the General Medical Council). Participants found peer support helpful, as well as consulting health professionals who were empathic towards them. After they had left the abusive relationship victim-survivors felt better equipped to support patients going through DA.
Domestic abuse impacts on the work and wellbeing of female doctors, who face unique barriers to help seeking and reporting DA. An online peer support group can help to break the sense of isolation, but specialised confidential support services are also required to help doctors experiencing DA.
医生可能成为家庭暴力（DA）的受害幸存者，但这如何影响他们的工作和福祉，以及他们是否面临寻求帮助的障碍，这些都还没有得到很好的理解。
了解英国单身母亲医生遭受 DA 的经历、寻求帮助的障碍以及对其工作的影响。
对英国曾离开过虐待关系的单身母亲医生进行个体定性访谈。访谈于 2019 年 8 月至 2020 年 3 月之间进行。
通过一个面向单身父母女医生的封闭在线论坛邀请参与者。共有 114 名女性表示有兴趣。对深度半结构化电话访谈进行录音和转录。将转录本上传到 NVivo 并使用归纳主题分析进行分析。
共对 21 名参与者进行了访谈。DA 的内在污名影响了参与者作为医生的身份认同和归属感，导致社会和职业孤立。许多参与者认为 DA 的急性压力对他们的工作产生了影响，但往往觉得无法请假。寻求帮助的障碍包括缺乏保密性，特别是当虐待伴侣也是医生时（有时指责受害者幸存者患有精神疾病或威胁向医疗委员会报告他们）。参与者发现同伴支持很有帮助，向对他们有同理心的卫生专业人员咨询也很有帮助。在离开虐待关系后，幸存者们感到更有能力支持正在经历 DA 的患者。
家庭暴力对女性医生的工作和福祉产生影响，她们在寻求帮助和报告 DA 方面面临独特的障碍。在线同伴支持小组可以帮助打破孤立感，但也需要专门的保密支持服务来帮助遭受 DA 的医生。
