Psychologist explains domestic violence, caregiver stress impact women's mental health: Here's how to help them heal

Women often experience mental health issues due to specific stressors they face. Common triggers include domestic violence, and the stress of caring for others.

Violence against women, including intimate partner violence and sexual violence, is a pressing global health concern. According to World Health Organization (WHO) estimates, approximately 30 percent of women worldwide have experienced physical and/or sexual violence at the hands of an intimate partner or non-partner. This violence can have severe and long-lasting impacts on women's physical, mental, sexual, and reproductive well-being. Also read | Bengaluru tops nation in dowry harassment cases in 2023, says NCRB data: Report

Here's why women-centric psychiatric wards can provide safe, dignified, and effective care.(HT_PRINT)

The good news is that violence against women is preventable – and the healthcare sector plays a vital role in addressing this issue by providing comprehensive care to women who have experienced violence and connecting them with essential support services. In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Shruti Padhye, senior psychologist, Mpower, Aditya Birla Education Initiative, highlighted some of the most common psychiatric triggers women face, such as domestic violence.

Domestic violence: a major contributor to trauma

She said, “In clinical practice, women constantly present with psychiatric symptoms embedded in gender-specific stressors. Among the most common triggers are domestic violence (DV), perinatal psychiatric diseases, caregiving burden, and habitual relational trauma.”

“Domestic violence, both physical and emotional, is a crucial contributing factor for complex PTSD, dissociative disorders, and major depressive disorder (MDD). Numerous survivors present with non-specific physical complaints — migraines, gastrointestinal torture, or habitual pain which frequently mask underpinning trauma. Clinicians must maintain a high indicator of habitation and use trauma-informed assessment tools such as the DAYS- 21, HTQ, or ACE scores to identify covert torture,” Shruti explained.

Women often experience mental health issues due to specific stressors they face. Common triggers include domestic violence. (Made using AI)

Perinatal psychiatric conditions: a special concern

According to her, cultural and social stigmas significantly impact women's willingness to seek psychiatric help, particularly during perinatal periods. Conditions like postpartum depression, anxiety, and psychosis require specialised attention, with risk factors including previous psychiatric history, lack of social support, traumatic experiences, and hormonal fluctuations.

“Perinatal psychiatric conditions — particularly postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety, and postpartum psychosis — bear specialised attention. Threat factors include previous psychiatric history, lack of social support, traumatic personality, and hormonal oscillations. Screening with tools like the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (ENDS) is essential for early identification,” Shruti said.

Caregiver stress: a growing risk

Moreover, caregiver stress, especially among 'sandwich generation' women caring for both seniors and children, increases the risk of depression, burnout, and generalised anxiety disorder (GAD), she said. “Caregiver stress, particularly in sandwich-generation women managing both senior and child care, leads to an increased threat of adaptation diseases, collapse pattern, and generalised anxiety disorder (GAD). Dragged stress without rest frequently results in disabled functioning and cognitive fatigue,” Shruti said.

She added that stigma remains a significant barrier, with women often internalising trauma due to fear of being labelled 'unstable' or losing child custody. This results in delayed help-seeking and more severe symptoms at presentation. “Artistic strategy continues to be a hedge to watch. Women frequently internalise torture due to intergenerational exertion, fear of being labelled 'unstable,' or losing guardianship of children. This leads to delayed help-seeking and more severe donations at the point of care,” Shruti said.

Key features of women-centric care

To ensure safety, dignity, and recovery, women-centric psychiatric wards should incorporate several essential features, she said. “To address these unique requirements, women-centric psychiatric wards must go beyond safety,” she said and added that clinically, they should include:

⦿ Gender-sensitive input protocols.

⦿ Routine trauma webbing and violence threat assessments.

⦿ Provision for mama - child cling in postpartum cases.

⦿ Multidisciplinary brigades (psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, legal lawyers)

To provide holistic care, women-centred psychiatric wards can offer a range of services beyond medication, Shruti shared. She explained: “Holistic recovery demands access to substantiation-grounded psychotherapies like CBT for trauma, DBT for emotion regulation, and EMDR for PTSD. Group curatives offer peer confirmation, while legal aid conventions, childcare services, and vocational recuperation help restore autonomy.”

The power of trauma-informed care

According to her, staff training in trauma-informed care, de-escalation techniques, and cultural competence is crucial, ensuring women receive compassionate, individualised care. She said, “Eventually, staff must be trained in trauma-informed care, de-escalation ways, and artistic capability, ensuring that women are treated not just as cases, but as individuals recovering from deeply unsexed injuries. Creating similar spaces is both a clinical necessity and a social responsibility.”

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition