TITLE:
Women’s Experiences with Gender Violence and the Mental Health Impact: Qualitative Findings
AUTHORS:
Venus Medina Maldonado, Margarete Landenberger, Marbella Camacaro Cuevas
KEYWORDS:
Violence against Women, Mental Health, Primary Health Care
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Nursing,
Vol.5 No.2,
February
6,
2015
ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study was to describe women’s experiences with gender violence and the impact on mental health. The research was a qualitative observational study. Participants were n = 72 women clients of (02) Primary Health Centers at the University of Carabobo-Venezuela. The technique to gather the information was focus group discussion (FGD). The interpretation of data was an analytical process based on Mayring’s approach. The principal findings showed that, women clients of primary health centers experienced different levels of violence in everyday life. Physical violence was the most frequent abuse reported by victims. Death threats were the most frequent conduct used by the partners in terms of psychological violence. Women expressed being under the control of a dominant partner without physical aggression or threats, but they felt a lack of autonomy. Additionally, women who experienced different levels of abuse specified some symptoms that could suggest an impact on mental health. In conclusion, women naturalized dominance and control because they understood this kind of abuse as normal behavior between relationship partners.