DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND MENTAL HEALTH

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DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND MENTAL HEALTH

• Heather Nancarrow
• Director
• Queensland Centre for Domestic and Family
  Violence Research

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OVERVIEW OF PRESENTATION

• Nature and prevalence
• Impacts
• General
• Babies and toddlers
• Children 4 12 years
• Young people

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OVERVIEW OF PRESENTATION

• Key initiatives / responses
• Concluding comments

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NATURE

• Emotional
• Verbal
• Psychological / spiritual
• Financial abuse
• Sexual / Physical

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DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IS GENDERED

• Gender differences in
• motivation, frequency, severity , outcomes
• (Dobash, Dobash, Wilson and Daly, 1992 James
  ,1999

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DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IS GENDERED
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PREVALENCE

• Current relationships
• Mouzos Makkai, 2004
• Nancarrow, Lockie, Sharma, 2009

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NON-FATAL IMPACTS

• Physical injuries
• Fractures, lacerations, bruises
• Reproductive health
• STI, termination, birth complications,
  miscarriage
• Mental health
• Depression, anxiety , eating disorders traumatic
  and post-traumatic stress disorder, phobias

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NON-FATAL IMPACTS

• Unhealthy practices
• Harmful tobacco and alcohol use, illicit drugs
• Other
• Chronic pain, sleep disorders, homelessness /
  transience, poverty

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FATAL IMPACTS

• Homicide
• Suicide
• STIs
• Death during/following childbirth

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HOMICIDE
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HOMICIDE

• Homicide of children by parents
• Average 25 p.a.
• Killer 63 fathers
• Motives
• 3 of 5 cases unknown
• 21 - domestic altercation
• 9 - family breakdown
• Mouzos Rushforth, 2003

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MENTAL HEALTH IMPACTS

• Physical abuse

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MENTAL HEALTH IMPACTS

• Non-physical abuse

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CHILDRENS REACTIONS

• Tension, fear, aggression, uncertainty ?
  feelings
• Fear Terror Dread Worry Sadness
• Helplessness Numbness
• Anger Guilt Self-blame
• Shame

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IMPACTS BABIES TODDLERS

• Impaired brain development / social development
• Greater irritability
• Psychosomatic illness, sleep/eating disorders
• Aggression

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IMPACTS CHILDREN 4 12 YEARS

• Poor concentration
• Aggression, hyperactivity, disobedience
• Disturbed sleep, nightmares
• Withdrawal, low self-esteem
• Showing no emotion (spaced out)
• Always on edge, wary

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IMPACTS YOUNG PEOPLE

• Depression Suicide Aggression
• Sexual/physical violence
• Substance abuse
• Withdrawal Parental abuse

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OPPORTUNITIES

• Time for Action
• Qld Government strategy
• Coming attractions
• Battered persons defence draft bill
• Indigenous Family Violence Prevention Forum

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THANK YOU

• www.noviolence.com.au
• The Qld Department of Communities provides
  triennial funding for the Qld Centre for
  Domestic and Family Violence Research to
  undertake research, evaluation, sector
  development and community engagement on issues
  pertaining to domestic and family violence.