Rethinking Women’s Mental Health After Intimate Partner Violence

Abstract

This article reports on mixed methods research into intimate partner violence (IPV) and women's mental health. Using an online national survey and life history interviews, quantitative and qualitative data analysis demonstrates how IPV negatively impacts women's sense of self, with other multiple losses in relation to income, work, housing, and social participation further undermining recovery into the long term. The feminist concept of sexual politics is used to critically examine current responses to mental health problems after IPV, and a feminist-informed response is outlined that addresses the gender inequalities underpinning IPV and the psychological distress it produces.