Gender-based violence and its long-term impact on women’s mental health in Andalusia (Spain): risk and protective factors

The aim of this research was to examine the relationship between surviving gender-based violence (GBV) and the long-term presence of clinical symptoms and psychological distress. This was a cross-sectional study of 105 women, 54 of whom had experienced GBV more than three years prior to the study. Participants ranged in age from 24 to 73 years old. They were assessed using a semi-structured interview, instruments to assess self-esteem, maladjustment, perceived stress, social support and resilience, and the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-III (MCMI-III). Between-group differences and linear regression analyses were used to determine which variables had the greatest impact on the current psychological health status of women survivors of GBV. We found differences in levels of self-esteem, maladjustment, social support and perceived stress. There were also differences in most of the MCMI-III scales, indicating a pattern of depression and paranoid personality. Experiencing GBV in childhood was found to be predictive of increased pathology and emotional distress. Social support has been shown to be a protective factor for anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. GBV should be treated as a distinct form of violence that requires specific treatment, rather than as just another form of interpersonal violence.