Domestic Abuse and Health in Palestine: Chronic Stress, Trauma, and Cardiovascular Risk among Women

Intimate partner abuse is a major public health driver of mental and physical morbidity in Palestine. This qualitative study examines how domestic violence becomes biologically embedded through chronic stress and cardiometabolic risk. We thematically analyzed 30 testimonies posted by Palestinian women in two large Facebook groups between January and March 2023, purposively sampling accounts that described health sequelae. Texts were coded in MAXQDA using Braun and Clarke’s framework, with deidentification, moderator permission, and institutional ethical approval (Braun and Clarke, 2006 ). Six interlinked themes traced a stress-to-illness cascade: persistent strain that pervades daily life; physiological pathways involving sleep disruption, palpitations, tremors, and elevated blood pressure; emotional trauma with somatic pain; intergenerational effects on children’s fear, school performance, and caregiving roles; scarcity of support and escalating harm; and breaking points that compel help seeking. The findings suggest that abuse in the West Bank functions as a chronic stress condition that reorganizes family life and accelerates cardiometabolic vulnerability. Integrated trauma-informed primary care, confidential referral pathways, childcare supports, and school-based buffers are required.