Type:	Report
Title:	Battle-scars : long-term effects of prior domestic violence
Authors:	Evans, Ilsa
Keywords:	Sexual assault;Health;Post-separation violence;Family law;Psychological abuse
Topic:	Sexual violence
Year:	2007
Publisher:	Centre for Women's Studies and Gender Research, Monash University
Notes:	General Overview: This document reports on an Australia study of women who have experienced domestic violence, revealing that many women do not recover from the abuse but are affected for the remainder of their lives. Methods: A questionnaire and semi-structured interview were used with 134 women who had experienced domestic violence in a relationship, which had ended at least twelve months before participating in the research. Results: Women participating in the study reported that the abuse they had endured affected them far reaching ways. The average time since ending the relationship with the violent person was nine years. Almost all participants continued to experience some Post Traumatic Stress Disorder symptoms, including flashbacks and sleep difficulties. Only 12% reported being in good health, with others reporting anxiety, depression and other mental health problems, which caused or exacerbated physical illnesses, such as headaches and arthritis. Abuse and intimidation do not end with the ending of the relationship. Instead, abusers use the legal system and negotiations over child contact and child support to continue to harass. Participants reported that aggressive and abusive tactics were advantageous in adversarial court proceedings. For some women, the violence has a long term impact on their relationship with their children, with some perpetrators deliberately turning the children against the non-abusive parent, and some women having been assaulted by their children. Divorce has a long term economic impact for women, particularly women with children. The situation is exacerbated for survivors of domestic violence, as they are more likely to have left the marital home, tend to receive a smaller proportion of the marital property, have fewer financial skills as a result of financial abuse and are more likely to have physical and psychological health problems. However many relished the freedom to undertake education and employment. Conclusion: The author makes a number of recommendations regarding the role of health care workers, clergy, Family Court, Child Support Agency, exclusion orders and education and training for survivors. She advocates for the use of the term “survivor”, comparing women who have survived domestic violence with men who have survived war. She suggests that the term “recovery” creates false expectations that a woman can or should return to her former state of health and financial wellbeing. The impacts of domestic violence do not cease at the end of the relationship.
URI:	https://anrows.intersearch.com.au/anrowsjspui/handle/1/19216
ISBN:	9780975682227
Physical description:	60 p. : ill. ; 30 cm.
Appears in Collections:	Reports

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