Depression and Social Support Among Women Living with the Substance Abuse,Violence, and HIV/AIDS Syndemic: A Qualitative Exploration

BackgroundIntimate partner violence (IPV), HIV/AIDS, and substance use are described as the SAVA “syndemic” among low-income urban women because of their intersecting and synergistic presence in these women's lives. Depressive symptoms are significantly associated with these SAVA factors and although social support is potentially protective for depression, little is understood about its impact on depression associated with the SAVA syndemic.MethodsThis paper investigates how women living with SAVA experience and describe depressive symptoms, and examines how the types of social support they access impact their experiences of SAVA and depressive symptoms. Qualitative, in-depth interviews were conducted with 24 HIV-positive, low-income, urban women who experienced IPV and used cocaine or heroin in their lifetime. Interviews were analyzed based on study aims, principles of thematic content analysis, and grounded theory.ResultsWomen identified multiple SAVA factors as catalysts for depression and noted their synergistic effect on depressive symptoms, which were both a trigger for and a result of drug use. Women accessed varying sources of social support to address their SAVA factors and associated symptoms of depression, relying on informal sources for instrumental support related to IPV and formal sources for support related to HIV, drug use, and depression.ConclusionsThese findings have important implications for health providers who serve SAVA-affected women, and suggest that comprehensively addressing all SAVA factors (and IPV in particular) and improving their access to quality social support at critical times is essential to improve their mental health.     

The Syndemic Effects of Intimate Partner Violence, HIV/AIDS, and Substance Abuse on Depression among Low-Income Urban Women

Intimate partner violence (IPV), HIV/AIDS, and substance use are epidemics among low-income urban women that have been described together as the “SAVA syndemic” because of their co-occurring nature. This study examines the synergistic or “syndemic” effect of these three health issues on depression among urban women and evaluates social support as a protective factor that might reduce depressive symptoms associated with the Substance Abuse, Violence, and AIDS (SAVA) syndemic. Data from 445 urban women were collected through in-person interviews. All women were over the age of 18, not pregnant, English speaking, and reported having a main partner in the past year. Twenty-five percent had experienced all three factors of the SAVA syndemic (were HIV-positive, had experienced IPV in the past year, and had used cocaine or heroin in their lifetime). HIV-positive status, hard drug use, IPV, and low levels of social support were all individually associated with greater depressive symptoms. When controlling for demographics and other SAVA factors, IPV and hard drug use in the past 30 days remained associated with depressive symptoms, as did low social support. However, social support did not modify the effect of the SAVA factors on depression. Compared to women who experienced no SAVA factors, women who had experienced all three factors were 6.77 times more likely to have depressive symptoms. These findings confirm that IPV is significantly associated with depressive symptoms and that the syndemic impact of IPV, substance use, and HIV could have even more extreme effects on depression outcomes.     

Intimate partner violence and women's physical, mental, and social functioning

OBJECTIVE: To describe the relationship between women's health and the timing, type, and duration of intimate partner violence (IPV) exposure. METHODS: A telephone interview was completed by 3429 women aged 18 to 64 randomly selected from a large health plan, to assess IPV exposure and heath status (response rate 56.4%). Questions from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and the Women's Experience with Battering scale were used to construct IPV exposures: (1) recent (past 5 years) and remote (before past 5 years only) IPV exposure of any type (physical, sexual, or non-physical); (2) recent (past 5 years) IPV exposure to physical and/or sexual or non-physical only; and (3) IPV duration (0 to 2 years, 3 to 10 years, and >10 years). Health outcomes were measured using the Short Form-36 survey (SF-36), the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale, and the National Institute of Mental Health Presence of Symptoms survey. RESULTS: In adjusted models, compared to women with no IPV in their adult lifetime, more-pronounced adverse health effects were observed for women with recent (vs remote) IPV; for physical and/or sexual (vs non-physical) IPV; and for longer IPV exposure. Compared to women who never experienced IPV, women with any recent IPV (physical, sexual, or non-physical) had higher rates of severe (prevalence ratio [PR]=2.6; 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.9-3.6) and minor depressive symptoms (PR=2.3; 95% CI=1.9-2.8); higher number of physical symptoms (mean, 1.0; 95% CI=0.7-1.2); and lower SF-36 mental and social functioning scores (range, 4.3-5.5 points lower across subscales). Women with recent physical and/or sexual IPV were 2.8 times as likely to report fair/poor health, and had SF-36 scores that ranged from 5.3 to 7.8 points lower, increased risk of depressive symptoms (PR=2.6) and severe depressive symptoms (PR=4.0), and more than one additional symptom. Longer duration of IPV was associated with incrementally worse health. CONCLUSIONS: Women's health was adversely affected by the proximity, type, and duration of IPV exposure.     

Associations of Drug Use,Violence, and Depressive Symptoms with Sexual Risk Behaviors Among Women with Alcohol Misuse

Background

Alcohol misuse is associated with increased human immunodeficiency virus sexual risk behaviors by women. Drug use, intimate partner violence (IPV), and depressive symptoms frequently co-occur, are well-recognized alcohol misuse comorbidities, and may interact to increase risk behaviors. Using a syndemic framework we examined associations between drug use, IPV, and depressive symptoms and sexual risk behaviors by 400 women with alcohol misuse attending an urban sexually transmitted infections clinic.

Pathways and trajectories linking housing instability and poor health among low-income women experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV): Toward a conceptual framework

ABSTRACT

We used grounded theory to understand pathways and trajectories to housing instability (HI) and poor health among low-income women with experiences of intimate partner violence (IPV). We conducted in-depth interviews during 2010–11 with forty-one women (ages 18–45 years) living in Ontario, Canada. All women reported depressive symptoms in combination with other health problems. In addition to the direct pathway of IPV to poor health, thematic analysis revealed an indirect multi-tiered pathway with complex trajectories among IPV, HI, and poor health. These trajectories included material HI (homelessness, high mobility, evictions, problems paying rent, hiding, and landlord discrimination), psychological HI (feeling unsafe, low self-esteem, and poor control), and social trajectories (financial problems, loss of employment, income, or social networks, and leaving school). These trajectories elevated stress and decreased self-care (unhealthy behaviors, substance abuse, and reduced medical compliance) and exacerbated poor health already compromised by IPV. Depending on her specific context, each woman experienced these pathways and trajectories differently. Moreover, the women’s experiences differed across three time periods: before, immediately after, and long after leaving an abusive relationship. Finally, we found that for these women, achieving stable housing was crucial for stabilizing their health.     

Common symptoms in middle aged women: their relation to employment status, psychosocial work conditions and social support in a Swedish setting

STUDY OBJECTIVE: Over the past few decades there has been a growing interest among researchers, in women's overall life circumstances and their relation to women's health status. For example, paid employment has been considered an important part of women's living conditions in Western societies as the number of women entering the labour market has grown constantly over the past decades. When comparing men's and women's health, one of the most consistent findings is a higher rate of symptoms among women. The most commonly reported symptoms in women are depressive symptoms, symptoms of bodily tension and chronic pain from muscles and joints. The aim of this study was to investigate whether socioeconomic factors, employment status, psychosocial work conditions and social network/support are associated with middle aged women's health status in terms of common symptoms. DESIGN: A mailed questionnaire was used in a cross sectional design assessing socioeconomic factors, employment status, psychosocial work conditions according to the demand/control model, social network/support and an index based on the 15 most frequent symptoms presented by middle aged women when seeking health care. SETTING: A rural community with 13,200 inhabitants in the western part of Sweden. PARTICIPANTS: Women were randomly selected from the general population in the study area, 40 to 50 years of age. The response rate was 81.7 per cent. MAIN RESULTS: Women who were non-employed had a significantly increased odds of a high level of common symptoms (OR = 2.82; 95% confidence intervals 1.69, 4.70), as well as women exposed to job strain (OR = 3.27; 1.92, 5.57), independently of the level of social network/support. Furthermore, exposure to low social support, low social anchorage or low social participation independently showed significantly increased odds of a high level of common symptoms (OR = 2.75; 1.71, 4.42; OR = 2.91; 1.81, 4.69 and OR = 1.69; 1.10, 2.61, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Work related factors, such as non-employment and job strain, and circumstances within the private sphere, such as social network/support, seem equally important for middle aged women's health status. These findings ought to have important policy implications and also to be of major importance in a primary health care setting when meeting women who seek health care because of common symptoms.     

Actions Taken by Women in Response to Intimate Partner Violence and Intimate Partner Violence Status at 1-Year Follow-Up

BackgroundIntimate partner violence (IPV) is a pervasive public health issue with significant physical and mental health sequelae. A longer duration and greater severity of abuse are associated with adverse health outcomes and increased risk of revictimization. Current research has identified a variety of strategies used by women in response to abuse, but has not established whether the use of these strategies is associated with decreased IPV over time. For this study, we analyzed the associations between the use of specific actions in response to abuse—placating, resistance, informal or formal network help-seeking, safety planning, and substance use—and IPV victimization at the 1-year follow-up.MethodsNinety-five women with past-year IPV at baseline participated in a 1-year follow-up survey measuring their use of specific actions in response to IPV and subsequent IPV status. IPV victimization at the 1-year follow-up was analyzed as a function of types of actions taken and sociodemographic variables.ResultsAmong women with past-year IPV at baseline (N = 95), 53% reported no further IPV victimization at the 1-year follow-up. In bivariate analysis, social support was associated with decreased risk of IPV victimization (odds ratio, 0.43; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.18–0.99). In multivariable analyses, high use of placating (adjusted odds ratio, 9.40; 95% CI, 2.53–34.9), formal network help-seeking (adjusted odds ratio, 7.26; 95% CI, 1.97–26.74), and safety planning (adjusted odds ratio, 2.98; 95% CI, 1.02–8.69) strategies were associated with an increased risk of IPV victimization at the 1-year follow-up.ConclusionsOur data demonstrate that IPV exposure can change over time and that the use of specific actions in response to IPV can be indicators of risk of subsequent victimization. Abuse severity is an important potential confounder of action efficacy.     

Demographic factors,mental health problems,and psychosocial resources influence women's AIDS risk

The aim of this study was to examine how depressive mood, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, self-efficacy, and social support are associated with HIV risk behaviors. Participants were sexually active women (N = 1488) recruited when attending gynecological consultations in primary care settings. Standardized questionnaires were administered to assess for depressive mood, abuse/assault-related PTSD, social support, self-efficacy, stress, and sexual risk behavior. The resulting association models showed that demographic factors, mental health problems, and resources are associated with sexual risk behavior. Detecting and treating mental health problems and interventions that bolster women's psychosocial resources are warranted.     

Intimate partner violence and postpartum emotional distress among South African women: Moderating effects of resilience and vulnerability factors

ABSTRACT

In this study we aimed to identify factors that condition (i.e. buffer or exacerbate) the impact of exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV) on postpartum emotional distress among South African women. Hypothesised buffering factors included: socioeconomic status, family social support, and religiosity. Hypothesised exacerbating factors included: baseline distress, HIV status, and childhood abuse. Longitudinal analyses examined interactions between putative buffering and exacerbating factors and exposure to physical or sexual IPV, assessed during pregnancy (T1), as predictors of emotional distress, measured at 14 weeks (T2) and 9 months postpartum (T3). Consistent with hypotheses, at both T2 and T3 the impact of IPV exposure on emotional distress was significantly stronger among women who reported greater baseline distress and weaker among women of greater socioeconomic status. At T3, an interaction emerged with HIV status; the impact of IPV exposure on emotional distress was stronger for women who were diagnosed as HIV-positive during pregnancy. Findings support the need for targeted mental health promotion interventions for IPV-exposed women who are newly diagnosed with HIV and/or report high levels of emotional distress during pregnancy. Although more research is needed, findings also suggest that strengthening socioeconomic supports for IPV-exposed women may buffer impacts on postpartum mental health.     

Psychosocial working characteristics before retirement and depressive symptoms across the retirement transition: a longitudinal latent class analysis

Objectives:Retirement is a major life transition. However, previous evidence on its mental health effects has been inconclusive. Whether retirement is desirable or not may depend on pre-retirement work characteristics. We investigated trajectories of depressive symptoms across retirement and how a number of psychosocial working characteristics influenced these trajectories.Methods:We included 1735 respondents from the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health (SLOSH), retiring during 2008–2016 (mean retirement age 66 years). They had completed biennial questionnaires reporting job demands, decision authority, workplace social support, efforts, rewards, procedural justice and depressive symptoms. We applied group-based trajectory modelling to model trajectories of depressive symptoms across retirement. Multinomial logistic regression analyses estimated the associations between ­psychosocial working characteristics and depressive symptom trajectories.Results:We identified five depression trajectories. In four of them, depressive symptoms decreased slightly around retirement. In one, the symptom level was initially high, then decreased markedly across retirement. Perceptions of job demands, job strain, workplace social support, rewards, effort–reward imbalance and procedural justice were associated with the trajectories, while perceptions of decision authority and work efforts were only partly related to the trajectories.Conclusions:We observed a rather positive development of depressive symptoms across retirement in a sample of Swedish retirees. For a small group with poor psychosocial working characteristics, symptoms clearly decreased, which may indicate that a relief from poor working characteristics is associated with an improvement for some retirees. However, for other retirees poor working characteristics were associated with persistent symptoms, suggesting a long-term effect of these work stressors.     

Employment status,depressive symptoms,and waist circumference change in midlife women: the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN)

PurposeChanges in employment status have shown inconsistent associations with adiposity. This study tested whether the presence of elevated depressive symptoms explains variability in the time-varying association between employment status and central adiposity.MethodEmployment status, depressive symptoms, and waist circumference (WC) were assessed annually over 10 years in a multiethnic sample of 3220 midlife women enrolled in the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation. Linear mixed-effects models tested time-varying associations of employment status, depressive symptoms, and their interaction with WC.ResultsWC increases were greatest during the years of combined nonemployment and elevated depressive symptoms (1.00 cm/y) and lowest in the years of full-time employment and elevated depressive symptoms (0.25 cm/y), compared with the years of full-time employment and nonelevated depressive symptoms (0.51 cm/y). Employment status was unrelated to WC in years without elevated depressive symptoms. The pattern of results was unchanged when analyses were restricted to preretirement observations and did not vary according to WC at baseline or ethnicity/race.ConclusionsIdentifying and managing depressive symptoms in midlife women who are not working may help prevent increases in central adiposity.     

A syndemic of psychosocial and mental health problems in Liberia: Examining the link to transactional sex among young pregnant women

ABSTRACT

Transactional sex may be a driver of the rising HIV epidemic in Liberia, especially among young women. The goal of this study was to explore the independent and additive effects of psychosocial conditions on engagement in transactional sex among 191 pregnant women in Monrovia, Liberia. Between March and August 2016, women receiving prenatal services completed a cross-sectional structured questionnaire. These data were used to examine the independent and additive effects of exposure to trauma, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms, and intimate partner violence on transactional sex. Overall, the results are in support of our hypothesis that these psychosocial conditions cluster together and are independently associated with transactional sex. Multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated an additive effect of the number of psychosocial conditions experienced on transactional sex. Women experiencing 2 psychosocial conditions had 5.96 greater odds of engaging in transactional sex compared to women reporting 0 conditions (AOR: 5.96, 95% CI: 2.22–15.99), and women experiencing 3 or 4 psychosocial conditions had 11.91 greater odds of engaging in transactional sex compared to women report 0 conditions (AOR: 11.91, 95% CI: 4.12–34.45). Our results demonstrate the need for comprehensive HIV prevention programming inclusive of mental health support and IPV prevention for Liberian women.     

Psychopathology Symptoms are Associated with Prenatal Health Practices in Pregnant Women with Heavy Smoking Levels

Purpose

Smoking during pregnancy may be linked to other problematic prenatal health behaviors in women. We examined interrelationships among prenatal smoking, prenatal health behaviors and mental health. The objective of this study was to examine factors that may contribute to variations in prenatal health practices among women who smoke during pregnancy.

Methods

Birth mothers from an adoption study (N?=?912) were interviewed about prenatal smoking, health behaviors, and mental health symptoms at 5 months postpartum.

Results

One-quarter of participants (N?=?222) reported smoking 6 or more cigarettes daily for at least 1 trimester. For mothers who smoked more than 6 cigarettes daily, higher levels of antisocial behaviors (β?=????.14, p?=?.03) and depressive symptoms (β?=????.17, p?=?.03) were associated with less frequent prenatal folate use; antisocial behaviors and depressive symptoms were not associated for prenatal folate use among women who did not smoke more than 6 cigarettes daily. For mothers who did not smoke more than 6 cigarettes daily, more depressive symptoms were associated with fewer prenatal care visits (β?=?.12, p?=?.01). Antisocial behaviors and anxiety symptoms were not associated with prenatal care visits in either group of mothers.

Conclusions for Practice

Maternal antisocial behaviors and depressive symptoms during pregnancy may be markers for poorer adherence to recommendations for folate supplementation among women who smoke 6 or more cigarettes daily during pregnancy, independent of adequacy of prenatal care.

     

Prevalence and Factors Associated with Depressive Symptoms in Malay Women

Background: Due to a dearth of research on depressive symptoms in Malaysia, particularly in Malay women, a community study was conducted to examine the prevalence and factors associated with current depressive symptoms in rural and urban Malay women with low socioeconomic status.

Method: Four hundred eighty-seven women (N rural = 242, N urban = 245) were interviewed. Information on socio-demographic variables, potential risk factors (family history of mental health problems, lifetime major depressive symptoms, and current life stressors), and current depressive symptoms (measured by the Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, CES-D) was collected.

Results: The prevalence of current depressive symptoms (CES-D scores ≥ 16) reported was 34.5%, while the prevalence of lifetime major depressive symptoms was 27.5%. A significantly higher rate of current depressive symptoms was observed in urban women compared to rural women, χ² (1, N = 487) = 3.99, p < .05. However, no significant difference was found in the two groups of women in the prevalence of lifetime major depressive symptoms. The results of the multiple hierarchical regression analysis indicated that three potential factors (family history of mental health problems, lifetime major depressive symptoms, and current life stressors) were positively associated with current depressive symptoms, accounting for 17.8% of the variance, over and above the socio-demographic variables.

Conclusion: The prevalence of depressive symptoms reported in the study was comparable to past studies. Among the factors associated with current depressive symptoms, the single most important was lifetime major depressive symptoms, followed by current life stressors, and family history of mental health problems. Among the socio-demographic variables used, perceived health status was the most important. The factors associated with depressive symptoms found in this study are consistent with past findings in the West, implying the universality of the phenomenon and common factors related to depressive symptoms in women.     

Psychosocial factors associated with frailty in the community-dwelling aged population with depression. A cross-sectional study

ObjectiveThere is a two-way relationship between frailty and depression, but the mechanisms by which one may influence the other are not well understood. The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between psychosocial factors and frailty in community-dwelling aged populations with depression.DesignObservational cross-sectional study.Site5 primary care centres.ParticipantsCommunity-dwelling subjects with depression aged ≥70 years.Main measurementsFrailty status was established according to Fried criteria, depression and depression severity were evaluated by DSM-IV criteria and the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, respectively, and psychosocial factors were assessed using the Gijón Social-Familial Evaluation Scale and ad hoc questionnaires.ResultsRecruited were 338 subjects (mean age 77.2 years), 82% women and 36.1% rated as frail. A dose–response relationship was observed between depression severity and frailty risk. Widowhood was a risk factor for frailty, while a higher educational level, home internet, stairs in the home, and an active social life had a protective effect. A multivariate analysis showed that age, number of drugs, and depression severity were independent risk factors for frailty, while an active social life was a protective factor. The severity of depressive symptoms showed higher association with frailty than other clinical and socio-demographic characteristics.ConclusionsIn depressed elderly subjects, frailty is associated with psychologiocal factors such as the intensity of depressive symptoms and with social factors such as education level, widowhood, loneliness, and limited social life. More research is required to better understand the modifiable psychological risk factors for frailty.     

The role of intimate partner violence, race, and ethnicity in help-seeking behaviors

Objective . Women experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV) have multiple health and social service needs but many, especially Hispanic, women may not access these resources. This research sought to examine the relationship between IPV and health and social services utilization (help-seeking behaviors), with a focus on racial and ethnic disparities.

Design . Case-control study from an urban US emergency department population in which cases (women with IPV) and controls (women without IPV) were frequency matched by age group and race/ethnicity. Logistic regression analyses were performed to examine the relationship between IPV and help-seeking behaviors and between help-seeking behaviors and race/ethnicity among abused women. In addition, a stratified analysis was conducted to examine the relationship between acculturation and help-seeking behaviors among Hispanic women.

Results . The sample included 182 cases and 147 controls. Among the health services, alcohol program, emergency department, and hospital utilization were significantly increased among IPV victims compared to non-victims after taking demographic and substance use factors into account. Similarly, IPV victims were more likely to access social/case worker services and housing assistance compared to non-victims. Specific help-seeking behaviors were significantly associated with race and ethnicity among IPV victims, with non-Hispanic white and black women more likely to use housing assistance and emergency department services and black women more likely to use police assistance compared to Hispanic women. Among all Hispanic women, low acculturation was associated with decreased utilization of social services overall and with any healthcare utilization, particularly among abused women.

Conclusions . Social service and healthcare workers should be alerted to and screen for IPV among all clients. The need for increased outreach and accessibility of services for abused women in Hispanic communities in the USA should be addressed, with cultural and language relevance a key component of these efforts.     

Estado de salud y violencia contra la mujer en la pareja

Objective

To describe the prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV) in Spain in the last year and at some point during the lifetime, to determine health status in women according to whether they had experienced IPV or not, and to analyze the individual variables associated with IPV in Spain.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was performed of the database, Macrosurvey on Gender Violence in Spain 2011. This database includes data on 7,898 women older than 18 years old. The dependent variables were IPV-last year, IPV-ever in life. Covariates consisted of sociodemographic characteristics, socioeconomic status, maternal experience of IPV, social support, and self-care. The measure of association used was the OR with its 95% confidence interval (95% CI).

Results

A total of 3.6% of women had experienced IPV-last year and 12.2% ever in life. Female victims of IPV had poorer health than women who had not experienced IPV. Immigrant women living in Spain for 6 years or more were more likely to experience IPV-ever in life than Spanish women [OR (95% CI): 1.95 (1.50, 2.53)]. An interaction was found between nationality and the existence of children under 18 years old. Among women with children under 18 years old, immigrant women were more likely to experience IPV-last year than Spanish women [OR (95% CI): 1.99 (1.25, 3.17)]. Other variables associated with IPV were age, low socioeconomic status, low social support and having a mother who had experienced IPV.

Conclusions

In Spain, some women have a higher probability of experiencing IPV. The variables associated with greater vulnerability to IPV should be taken into account when implementing measures to prevent or alleviate IPV.     

‘I think my future will be better than my past’: Examining support group influence on the mental health of HIV-infected Rwandan women

Abstract

Urgent need exists for improved psychological services among HIV-infected women in post-genocide Rwanda. Psychological problems associated with trauma and sexual violence (i.e., depression, posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD]) place women at increased risk for sexual risk behaviour, low health-seeking behaviour, delay of antiretroviral therapy (ART) and reduced ART adherence. We explored experiences of HIV-infected Rwandan women attending psychosocial support groups and their narratives about how participation affected their mental health and HIV treatment. Focus group discussions examined participants' reasons for support group attendance, perceived psychological benefit of support groups, influence on ART adherence, and other influences on health behaviors and attitudes. Rwandan women (aged 18–65) were randomly selected from 10 health clinic-facilitated support groups for HIV-infected trauma survivors in Kigali. Results identified positive psychological and physical changes as well as behaviour changes in relationships with men, which participants attributed to support group attendance. Data showed significant improvement in mental health, ART adherence and HIV serostatus disclosure resulting from group attendance. Participants acknowledged limitations of support groups with respect to addressing poverty and hunger. Implementing psychosocial support groups may leverage clinical outcomes and rejuvenate the well-being of HIV-infected women with interpersonal trauma and/or PTSD and depressive symptoms, particularly those from post-conflict countries.     

Health Indicators,Social Support,and Intimate Partner Violence Among Women Utilizing Services at a Community Organization

PurposeIntimate partner violence (IPV) against women is a significant public health concern. This study examines the physical and mental health status and relationship to social support for women seeking services to end IPV at a walk-in community organization that serves the community at large, including a shelter for abused women.MethodsOne hundred seventeen (117) English-speaking women between the ages of 18 and 61 years participated in a self-administered survey. Physical, mental, and oral health, social support, and IPV homicide lethality were measured using standardized instruments.ResultsSocial support was the most important factor related to better health. The participants who had more social support reported better physical (p < .05), mental (p < .01), and oral health (p < .05), and a lower level of psychological distress (p < .01) and depression (p < .01) compared with participants who reported less social support. The participants living in the shelter reported worse physical health (p < .05) but better mental health (p < .05) than the participants not living in a shelter. Older age and low income were related to oral health problems, whereas older age, low education level, and unemployment were related to poor mental health.ConclusionThe present study adds to the evidence that social support contributes to improving physical and mental health for women who experience IPV. The findings also suggest the importance of providing or referring women to mental health services.