MENTAL HEALTH OUTCOMES ASSOCIATED WITH INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE AMONG REPRODUCTIVE-AGE WOMEN: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a major determinant of psychological morbidity among women during the reproductive years. Its consequences extend beyond depression to anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), psychological distress, perceived stress, suicidal ideation, and impaired wellbeing. This systematic review synthesized contemporary evidence on the spectrum of mental-health outcomes associated with IPV among reproductive-age women. Materials and Methods: PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science Core Collection, PsycINFO, and Google Scholar were searched for quantitative observational studies published from January 2015 to January 2026. Eligible studies predominantly included women aged 15–49 years, measured IPV perpetrated by a current or former intimate partner, and reported at least one mental-health outcome. The search yielded 1,782 records. After removing 486 duplicates and 29 other pre-screening records, 1,267 records underwent title/abstract screening. Two hundred and five full texts were assessed and 24 studies were included in the qualitative synthesis. Results: Across community, population-based, antenatal, postpartum, and nationally representative samples, IPV was consistently associated with poorer mental health. A study of 820 perinatal women showed progressively higher odds of anxiety with increasing IPV-risk scores, reaching an adjusted odd ratio (aOR) of 4.74 (95% CI 2.24–10.04). A nationally representative Salvadoran study of 3,074 women linked IPV polyvictimization with greater suicidality. A US multisite postpartum cohort of 2,018 women associated IPV with maternal depression and perceived stress. An Australian pregnancy cohort of 505 women found significantly higher depressive symptom scores among women exposed to IPV across pregnancy and postpartum. Community evidence also linked IPV with depression, anxiety, stress, PTSD symptoms, and reduced life satisfaction. Conclusion: IPV is associated with multidimensional psychological morbidity among reproductive-age women. The mental-health burden appears particularly pronounced with repeated exposure, polyvictimization, coercive control, and perinatal IPV. Clinical and public-health responses should integrate trauma-informed assessment for depression, anxiety, PTSD, psychological distress, and suicidality together with appropriate safety and referral pathways.