Seattle University Collaborative Projects - International Academy of ...

Lyn Francis, University of Newcastle (lyn.francis@newcastle.edu.au)Women who have experienced domestic violence have higher prevalence rates of mental healthdisorders including depression, anxiety and post traumatic stress disorder than women who havenot experienced domestic violence. Social support has been associated with buffering orprotecting women who have experienced domestic violence from the long term mental healthimpacts of domestic violence. Social support may be informal including friends and family ormore formal helping services such as health or legal workers. This presentation explores somefindings from a narrative research project in Australia about women who have experienced andleft domestic violence. Interviews were undertaken with 12 women who have experienced andleft domestic violence as well as 3 focus group interviews with services whose work includes theprovision of legal support to women who have experienced domestic violence. The formal socialsupports including legal support that women found helpful, or not helpful, will be discussed. Therole of service providers, including the role of legal workers, in providing service to women whohave experienced domestic violence will be examined in light of findings from this researchproject. A discussion of how service provision from the legal and health sector may be enhancedin light of findings from this research will conclude the presentation.Violence Against Women: Examining the Intersection of Legal and MentalHealth IssuesRamona Alaggia, University of Toronto (ramona.alaggia@utoronto.ca)A significant body of research indicates that abused women suffer more negative mental healtheffects than non-abused women. Abused women face serious mental health risks such asdepression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, and substance abuse. Compounding their mentalhealth issues are legal and policy constraints that impact women's already very difficultsituations. This paper reports on a multi-stage, mixed-methods study utilizing grounded theory tounderstand factors in disclosing intimate partner violence and women's help-seeking actions.Important dilemmas for abused women were identified through an ecological analysis. Forexample, leaving an abusive relationship increases the likelihood that a woman will lose custodyof her children and experience seriously diminished financial stability. However, women whostay in abusive relationships are subjected to child welfare investigations for exposing theirchildren to intimate violence. Whether they stay or leave they are in a dilemma in terms offearing loss of their children. For immigrant women, immigration policies create systemicbarriers resulting in many immigrant women staying in abusive relationships for prolongedperiods of time – accruing serious negative mental health effects because of dependence on theirsponsors, who often are the abusive partner or employer. Discussion of relevant practicedynamics will be facilitated.127