Intimate partner violence and common mental disorders in Indianwomen – effects of autonomy, social support and spirituality

Abstract

This study investigated the relationship between intimate partner violence (IPV) and common mental disorders (CMD) and the effects of autonomy, experience of social support and spirituality on CMD outcomes in women from a low socio-economic area of Mumbai, India. Twenty eight percent of women reported IPV and had a CMD. Rates of CMD increased with co-prevalence of emotional IPV, physical IPV and sexual IPV in that particular order. The study proposes the use of a community framework that engages the men and family in interventions.