Research Topic · Peer-Reviewed

Domestic Violence and Mental Health

Domestic violence and mental health describes the strong and bidirectional relationship between abuse occurring within intimate or family relationships and psychological wellbeing. Domestic violence includes physical, sexual, emotional, and economic abuse as well as coercive control, and it disproportionately affect…

Curated from this journal's research 📚 2 peer-reviewed articles cited Cited 1× across the literature 🗓 Reviewed July 2026

Overview

Domestic violence and mental health describes the strong and bidirectional relationship between abuse occurring within intimate or family relationships and psychological wellbeing. Domestic violence includes physical, sexual, emotional, and economic abuse as well as coercive control, and it disproportionately affects women. Exposure to such violence is consistently associated with higher rates of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance use problems, sleep disturbance, and suicidal thoughts, and the effects can persist long after the abuse has ended. The relationship can also run in the other direction, as existing mental health difficulties may increase vulnerability and complicate a survivor's ability to seek help or leave a dangerous situation. Effective responses combine safety planning and protection with trauma-informed mental health care, recognizing the lasting psychological impact of abuse and the importance of validation, support, and access to appropriate services. Women's Mental Health, the OpenAccessPub journal hosting this page, publishes peer-reviewed, open-access research on psychological health and its social determinants in women. This page gathers open-access scholarship relevant to domestic violence and mental health, supporting clinicians, researchers, and advocates concerned with the mental health consequences of abuse.

Research published in this journal

2 peer-reviewed articles, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.

How this research is being cited

The 2 articles above have been cited 1 time in the scholarly literature. Citation data via OpenAlex and Crossref, updated Oct 2025.

A sample of recent works citing this journal's research on Domestic Violence and Mental Health, linking to each citing work.

Editorial oversight

Curated from peer-reviewed research published in Women's Mental Health.

This page summarises published research for orientation; it is not medical or professional advice.