Invisible Scars: A Population‐Based Study Examining Mental and Physical Health, Suicide Risk, and Family Well‐Being Among Women Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence

This research study used linked population-based administrative data to identify and analyze similarities and differences in several indicators of mental and physical health, suicide risk, and family well-being between two cohorts of women living in Central Canada, one including intimate partner violence (IPV) survivors (IPV cohort) and one including women who had never experienced IPV (non-IPV cohort). A population-based retrospective cohort study design was used to create the two study cohorts using linked administrative data on all residents of the Canadian Province of Manitoba over a 12-year period. Mental health, including suicide risk, physical health, and family well-being were compared in the two cohorts using Chi-square test, T-test, and Wilcoxon Mann-Whiney U-test analyses. The women survivors of IPV showed significantly higher rates of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnoses. Suicide risk was significantly elevated in women IPV survivors, with 3% of the IPV cohort having attempted suicide 1-7 times and 0.7% having died by suicide during the study period. All poor physical health indicators were significantly prominent in the IPV cohort, except for asthma diagnosis. Additionally, the IPV cohort showed poorer family well-being, as indicated by a significantly larger proportion of single-parent families (vs. dual-parent families) and contacts with the child welfare system. This investigation highlights the profound and lasting effects that IPV has on the mental and physical health of women in Manitoba, with significant implications for suicide risk and family well-being. There is a critical need for integrated, trauma-informed, and contextually sensitive support services tailored to the needs of IPV survivors, particularly in more socioeconomic disadvantaged communities.