Domestic violence in women with mental disorders

Violence is defined as the intentional use of physical force or power, real or threatened, against oneself, another person, a group or a community, which results in, or has a high likelihood of resulting in, injury, death, psychological harm, developmental disability or deprivation. One of the types of violence that has been studied the most is domestic violence, which is practiced in the private sphere, caused by a family member who lives with the victim or has an emotional relationship with her. The aim of this study was to find out the meaning of the experience of domestic violence among women admitted to a psychiatric hospital for treatment of some kind of mental disorder. As a result, it was identified that the experience of violence exposes women to a higher risk of suffering from mental problems. Factors such as social vulnerability, emotional dependency, alcoholism, chemical dependency and the repetition of abusive relationships over generations appear to be associated with the dynamics of victims of domestic violence.