Domestic violence and women with learning disabilities

Authors:
McCARTHY Michelle, HUNT Siobhan, MILNE-SKILLMAN Karen
Publisher:
NIHR School for Social Care Research
Publication year:
2015
Pagination:
4

Summarises the findings of a study on women’s experience of domestic violence. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 15 women with mild and moderate learning disabilities who had experienced domestic violence in the previous five years, and had left the violent relationship. The study also draws on an online nationwide survey of care practitioners and police across the UK, exploring their experience of working with women with learning disabilities who had lived with domestic violence, their views on the women’s vulnerability and their reasons for leaving/staying in a violent relationship. The women interviewed reported that the domestic violence they experienced was often severe (including the use of weapons, and violence during pregnancy), frequent and over long periods of time. All forms of domestic violence were reported – physical, sexual, emotional, psychological, financial, coercive control- and typically women would experience multiple forms at the same time. The psychological impact on the women was considerable. All reported low self-esteem and self-worth and many reported developing mental health problems (most commonly anxiety and depression). Some began to self-harm and a minority had had suicidal thoughts and/or had attempted suicide. The husbands or boyfriends of the women in the study did not usually have learning disabilities themselves, but did tend to have other problems such as mental health difficulties, drug and alcohol problems, be unemployed and/or have criminal records. (Edited publisher abstract)

Subject terms:
domestic violence, women, learning disabilities, interviewing, physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse;
Content type:
research
Location(s):
England
Link:
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Series name:
Research findings

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