Does a women's health improve after leaving an abusive partner?

Ford-Gilboe, Marilyn

Saturday, March 31, 2012: 2:10 PM-3:30 PM

Pacific H (San Francisco Marriott Marquis)

Speaker:
Marilyn Ford-Gilboe, RN, PhD, University of Western Ontario

Authors:
Colleen Varcoe, RN, BSN, MEd, MSN, PhD, University of British Columbia
Judith Wuest, RN, PhD, University of New Brunswick.
Piotr Wilk, PhD, The University of Western Ontario

Presentation Format:
Scientific Program Report

Learning Objectives:

Identify patterns of change in women's mental versus physical health over a 7 year period after separation from an abusive partner
Describe how past and ongoing child abuse and IPV abuse affects changes in women's health
Identify how knowledge of changes in women's health can be used to improve health care responses to women who have experienced IPV

Description:
Using data from a longitudinal study of 309 Canadian women who had separated from an abusive partner, this study examined trajectories of change in women's mental and physical health over a 7 year period. Women's mental health improved over time, but their physical health did not change. Moreover, a significant group of women continued to live with clinically significant health problems 7 years post-leaving.