The Effects of Cumulative Violence Exposure on Help Seeking Among Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence

Background

Intimate partner violence (IPV) results in numerous physical and mental health consequences that the survivors need to seek help to address. However, research shows that some survivors do not seek help critically needed and that their help seeking is affected by many factors, including childhood experiences. Although some studies examined the effect of childhood abuse on the relationship between IPV and help-seeking, few have focused on cumulative violence experiences over the life course. It has been suggested that the previous experiences of multiple types of violence might affect the current and future patterns of help seeking. But little research empirically examined it. A close examination of such relationships will enhance not only our understanding of IPV survivors’ help seeking behaviors, but also the development of effective interventions. 

Purpose

The main objective of this study was to analyze the effects of cumulative violence experiences on help seeking among IPV survivors. We hypothesized that cumulative violence experiences would be associated with the survivors’ seeking help, specifically mental health services. In addition, we hypothesized that the severity of IPV in the current relationship would affect the IPV survivors’ help-seeking behaviors.

Methods

We used the Collaborative Psychiatric Epidemiology Survey collected in 2001 through 2003 to find 416 individuals who experienced IPV in the current relationship and provided information regarding major study variables. The dependent variable was whether or not the respondents used mental health services in the past 12 months. Independent variables consisted of mental health concerns, such as depression, anxiety, and PTSD; the severity of IPV in the current relationship; and cumulative violence experiences, including childhood abuse, witness of parental violence, and IPV in the previous relationships. Hierarchical logistic regression analysis was conducted. Control variables, such as age, race, gender, SES, and health insurance, were entered first in the model along with mental health concerns. The severity of IPV was added to the second model; Cumulative violence experiences were added to the final model.

Results

The results demonstrated that those who experienced cumulative violence were more likely to seek help than those who did not, controlling for all other variables. In the initial model, the older and more educated survivors were less likely to use mental health services. But those effects disappeared when cumulative violence experiences were added to the model. The severity of IPV was not a significant predictor. Understandably, those who reported mental health concerns were more likely to use mental health services than those who did not.

Conclusion

The results suggest that service providers for IPV survivors, including mental health services, will be better informed by paying more attention to cumulative violence experiences than focusing only on the consequences and severity of the current IPV incidents. This study focused on mental health services only; future research is needed to examine these relationships with regard to other help sources, such as police and doctors, which will contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the patterns of help seeking that utilizes multiple different types of help sources.