Depressed women are more likely to suffer physical, emotional or sexual abuse at the hands of a loved one

Jun 22 2004

Depressed women are more likely to suffer physical, emotional or sexual abuse at the hands of a loved one, the first study to measure a link between partner abuse and depression has found.

Lead researcher, Dr. Kelsey Hegarty from the Department of General Practice at the University of Melbourne, says that abuse by a partner is a major contributing factor to depression in women.

“Even when other factors such as socio-demographic background and physical health were taken into account, partner abuse remained highly associated with probable depression,” she says.

The report, recently published in the British Medical Journal, examined the associations between women classed as probably depressed or not depressed with reports of abuse by a partner and abuse as a child.

The researchers found that one third of all women included in the study had experienced some form of partner abuse at one point in their lives.

One quarter of women had experienced abuse by a partner in the past twelve months.

The researchers found that women classed as probably depressed were much more likely than non-depressed women to have experienced some form of physical, emotional or sexual abuse as a child.

They were also six to seven time more likely to have experienced partner abuse, particularly severe combined physical, emotional and/or sexual abuse or harassment.

Dr. Hegarty says, “Depression researchers have largely ignored the role of partner abuse as a contributing factor in the persistence or relapsing of depression.”

“This study highlights the importance of considering partner abuse in future depression research.”

Dr. Hegarty says it is also now critical for doctors to consider the possibility of partner abuse in treating depressed patients.

There has been considerable controversy about effective management of depression in the general practice setting, with the rate of persistent and relapsing depression in patients treated for the condition at very high levels, she says.

“Our research shows that in treating women who are depressed, doctors should be alert to the possibility of abuse and the lack of evidence about the effectiveness of depression interventions for women experiencing abuse.”

“Ignoring the part that partner abuse plays in depression reinforces the hidden nature of this issue for women,” she says.