Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and the impact of violence on health and the role of trauma.

Gender-based violence (GBV) is a growing and pressing public health issue. Intimate partner violence (IPV), one kind of GBV, has been declared an epidemic locally in Windsor-Essex County, joining 96 other municipalities across Ontario who have recognized the severity of this concern. We conducted a scoping review (SR) to better understand the impact that trauma resulting from violence has on health outcomes of GBV survivors. Our SR serves to conceptualize the discussion of trauma as it relates to health and GBV in research contexts. Empirical research investigating trauma and health outcomes resulting from violence is lacking, which our SR seeks to address through improving the knowledge base and conceptualization of these topics from the literature. The literature search was completed in September 2024, where the key information sources included six academic databases (e.g. MEDLINE via Ovid, Scopus, etc.). Solely peer-reviewed studies published since 2010, that discuss GBV, women’s health, and trauma-related outcomes were included. Extracted data was tabulated and accompanied with descriptive qualitative data analysis. Emerging themes include but are not limited to: the role of trauma and violence being cyclical, various health consequences (e.g., reproductive health challenges, chronic pain, substance use, etc.), how survivors cope with adverse violence-induced outcomes. Findings will help inform policy and practice implications, such as a need for accessible mental health and medical care, trauma and violence informed care, and sensitivity training about women's lived experiences. Our SR emphasizes that health care professionals and organizations supporting survivors must be responsive to survivor’s needs.