Background: Childhood violence is one of the common types of domestic violence Experienced by families worldwide. Childhood violence is inherited in families and is mainly associated with poor physical and mental health. A number of studies in Jordanian women revealed that mental health problems are obviously presented in these women. However, the association between mental health problems and childhood violence in women is not yet well investigated. The aim of the study was to examine the association between history of domestic violence in childhood and Women’s complaints of mental health problems in adulthood. The main objectives where: (1) to assess the prevalence of women's experiences of childhood violence and (2) to examine differences in mental health problems based on type of childhood Domestic violence.
Materials & Methods: 409 women attending primary healthcare centers in three major Jordanian cities were approached and provided data. Women were asked to provide information about their experiences of childhood domestic violence including physical violence, sexual violence, emotional violence, and neglect. Further, information about women's mental health problems including depressive symptoms, stress, anxiety, and self-esteem were collected. Valid and reliable measures were used to collect required data. Data was coded and entered into the statistical analysis program for analysis. Descriptive and inferential analyses were used to meet the objectives of the study. The one-way between-groups multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was implemented to explore the relationship between mental health and childhood violence experiences.
Results: Women reported all four types of childhood domestic violence experiences. However, emotional violence (47.1%) was the most-reported type of violence by the participants. Statistically significant differences in mental health problems between women who experienced emotional abuse and childhood neglect and their counterparts were found (p values for Wilks' Lambda for emotional violence and neglect were highly significant (p < .0001)). In the meantime, there were no significant differences between women who were physically and sexually abused in childhood and their counterparts.
Conclusion: Mental health problems are general complaints in women. These complaints are anchored to the experience childhood violence. Specifically stated, childhood emotional violence and neglect are highly influential in shaping women's complaints of mental health problems compared to other types of violence. Women with mental health problems are subject to a variety of problems beyond mental health problems. These consequences may include altered family functioning, altered work obligations, and poor physical health. Therefore, screening is a gold standard practice that should be fostered in different healthcare settings. Specifically stated, screening women for their complaints of mental health problems should be accepted as a standardized practice in different healthcare settings.
Biography: Dr. Hanan Al-Modallal received her PhD from the University of Kentucky, USA in emphasis on women's health/domestic violence. She is an associate professor working in the department of community and mental health nursing at The Hashemite University, Jordan. She continued her research with women who have experienced intimate partner violence with a focus on refugee populations and college women and on abused women’s vulnerability to mental health problems. Currently, she started working on workplace violence with emphasis on partner violence against working women.
