Long-term Health Effects Linked With Relationship Violence In Women's Adulthood

Main Category: Pediatrics / Children's Health
Article Date: 19 Jul 2009 - 0:00 PST

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Experiences with relationship violence beyond the formative and developmental years of childhood and adolescence can have far-reaching effects on the health status of disadvantaged urban women, a new study shows.

The researchers use data from the Welfare, Children, and Families project (1999 and 2001), a probability sample of 2402 low-income women with children living in disadvantaged neighborhoods in Boston, Chicago and San Antonio, to examine the long-term health consequences of relationship violence in adulthood. The results of the study demonstrate that psychological aggression predicted increases in psychological distress, whereas minor physical assault and sexual coercion predicted increases in the frequency of intoxication.

The study's authors conclude, "Future research must consider the mechanisms through which relationship violence in adulthood might lead to changes in health status. If we are going to develop effective strategies for recognizing and treating women who have experienced relationship violence, we need to know as much as possible about how these experiences undermine health." [From: "The Long-Term Health Consequences of Relationship Violence in Adulthood: An Examination of Low-Income Women from Boston, Chicago, and San Antonio."

Source
American Journal of Public Health