TY - JOUR
PY - 2007//
TI - Domestic violence and abuse, health status, and social functioning
JO - Women and health
A1 - McCaw, Brigid
A1 - Golding, J. M.
A1 - Farley, Melissa
A1 - Minkoff, Jerome R.
SP - 1
EP - 23
VL - 45
IS - 2
N2 - BACKGROUND: Current and past history of domestic violence (DV), including physical, sexual, and emotional abuse is common among women patients seen in health care settings and is associated with a higher frequency of many health problems. However, the association of DV with self-assessed social functioning is less well known. METHODS: We administered a telephone survey to a random sample of 391 women HMO members seen for a routine annual check-up. The survey included questions about current and past physical, sexual, and emotional violence and self-assessed social functioning and health status from the SF-36. We included questions about attitudes toward routine DV screening, likelihood of disclosure, and the health care setting as a resource. RESULTS: Seven percent of the women reported recent DV and 34% reported lifetime abuse. Abuse was related to limitations in social functioning (adjusted OR = 2.26). Among women with no recent history of abuse, those with a history of past physical (adjusted OR = 1.90), sexual (adjusted OR = 2.04), or emotional (adjusted OR = 2.20) abuse reported significantly poorer social functioning. Emotional abuse, even in the absence of a history of physical or sexual abuse, was strongly associated with limitations in social functioning (adjusted OR = 4.95). Most women believed it appropriate for clinicians to inquire routinely about DV (87%) and 83% believed that the health care setting was a source of help. CONCLUSIONS: Current and past DV, including emotional abuse, adversely affect social functioning. Therefore, clinicians in the health care setting have a unique and important opportunity to assist women victims of DV and abuse. Language: en
LA - en
SN - 0363-0242
UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1300/J013v45n02_01
ID - ref1
ER -