long-term health consequences on abused women

Research Proposal
Long-Term Mental Health Consequences of Domestically Abused Women in Canada
***
Submitted to
***
*****
Dated (day. month. year)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TOC o “1-3” h z u 1.0: Abstract PAGEREF _Toc467232267 h 32.0: Introduction. PAGEREF _Toc467232268 h 43.0: Literature Review. PAGEREF _Toc467232269 h 54.0: Statement of the Problem. PAGEREF _Toc467232270 h 74.1: Research Questions. PAGEREF _Toc467232271 h 74.2: Research hypotheses. PAGEREF _Toc467232272 h 74.3: Objectives of the Study. PAGEREF _Toc467232273 h 85.0: Methodology PAGEREF _Toc467232274 h 85.1: Research Approach. PAGEREF _Toc467232275 h 85.2: Pilot Study. PAGEREF _Toc467232276 h 95.3: Data Collection and. PAGEREF _Toc467232277 h 95.4: Data Analysis. PAGEREF _Toc467232278 h 96.0: Structure. PAGEREF _Toc467232279 h 107.0: Conclusion. PAGEREF _Toc467232280 h 10References PAGEREF _Toc467232281 h 12Appendix: Consent form: PAGEREF _Toc467232282 h 13
1.0: AbstractAbuse of women has become a global concern in many regions of the world. This research will aim at providing insight into the long-term mental health impacts of abuse on women. In gathering the data for the research, three hospitals will be essential in providing the needed data to lay the foundation for the study. This hospital includes Lois Hole Hospital for Women, BC Women’s Hospital & Health Center and Women’s Health Clinic, Winnipeg. A sample of ten randomly selected abuse related cases will be examined and the necessary data extracted from it making the sample size of the research to be 30 cases.

Also for more information, there will be liaising with Canadian Institutes of Health Research and Ottawa Hospital Research Institute to reconcile any differences in the interpretation of diagnosis results. Data analysis will be done in qualitative approach by profiling the effects in the order of dominance. Additionally, thematic analysis of recent research in the related area will be used to provide more information on the research objectives. The primary aim of the study will remain being finding out the major health effects domestically abused women experience in the long run.
Keywords: Abused women, mental health impacts, domestic violence
2.0: IntroductionDomestic violence on women is a common and grave concern in most relationships and families as well in the world. The implications of the acts on women may have short term or long term health effects depending on the nature of the violence and the intensity of the force used in subduing the woman to the violence (Coker, Hopenhayn, DeSimone, Bush, & Crofford, 2009). Domestic violence is among the most obvious and common abuse women undergo in their families, relationships or marriages. It can take various forms such as sexual assault, stalking, emotional abuse, forced abortion, forced sterilization, female genital mutilation, forced prostitution, spiritual abuse and marriage by abduction among many others. This form affects the woman mentally, and the consequences may be long lasting. It is believed that some of the complications in mental health that some women experience in their later lives are as a result of domestic violence during their earlier ages.
Mental effects of abuse in women can lead to overdependence to their batterers. These is due to the effect of believing they cannot live without violence in them after a series of abuse from those close to them more so in an intimate relation. The risk of developing a post-traumatic stress, anxiety and depression are high for abused women. Furthermore, according to (Coker, Hopenhayn, DeSimone, Bush, & Crofford, 2009), violence against women is closely related to the emergence of cervical cancer due to the effect of the abuse on the sexual mood of females. For the cases of sexual assault, women develop an intense and emotional dislike of sexual relations, and this affects their entire lives including their reproductive health. As a matter of concern, these effects of abuse on women are the mostly unnoticeable and may take long for them to be evident. However, the consequences are entirely preventable if the effect of the abuse is detected or the women open up about the violence they undergo (Howard, Trevellion & Agnew-Davies, 2010). Therefore the health impacts on domestically abused women cannot be ignored as most of them are affected by these happenings in their lives and children may suffer as damage control.
3.0: Literature ReviewWomen abuse is a global concern in all nations. Coker, Hopenhayn, DeSimone, Bush and Crofford (2009) explain that the impacts it brings in the society have dire consequences on both the women. Furthermore, the impacts can extend to the children if the violence occurs in a family setup. The battering of women has been condemned globally by many human rights and other non-governmental organizations due to the increased cases of abused women. The reports from WHO indicates that the globally, 35% of women have ever experienced either domestic sexual or non-sexual relationship violence. The number is increasing in other parts of the world on the societal considerations and perceptions of the women and their roles in the society. The primary instigation of the women abuse is the cultural practices and beliefs. Some communities do not allow women to have authority over men or have the privileges of opposing those from the opposite gender regardless of their ages or positions. For instance, the Muslim community does not give their women power to criticize men or publicly air their concerns. Such limitations in the society according to (Coker, Hopenhayn, DeSimone, Bush, & Crofford, 2009) develop a sense of powerlessness in women leading to their abuse and lack of freedom to complain about their sufferings. The determinant factors of the length of the consequences the women face due to the domestic violence they receive from their batterers depend on the severity and the psychological implications of the abuse. In some instances, the victims of the abuse become used to their condition and their perception of better life fades, making them more vulnerable to extreme abuse. Consequently, the self-worth of vanishes and this affects the women emotionally and mentally. Research has shown that the mental impacts of abuse may lead to the development of anxiety and depression which severely affects the general health of the women. Those who are still in reproductive ages may even experience cases of miscarriages as a result of the mental health effect of domestic violence (Howard, Trevellion, & Agnew-Davies, 2010).
Alejo (2014) in his study assert that the consequences of women abuse range from physical to mental effects. The violence imposed on women makes them vulnerable to the development of mentally associated complications in the long run. The most common psychological effect that is found to be long-term in women is depression, poor self-esteem and in more extreme cases mental instability can be evident. Due to much domestic violence imposed on women, their self-worth is lost and hence feels unwanted in the society making it harder for them to have a normalized life like others who are in healthy and peaceful relations (Alejo, 2014). Furthermore, stress and anxiety disorders may befall women after some time of violence, and if not managed in advance the effect can be carried forward to the future life making a permanent disorder. According to Bekerian, English, Tesch and Harrington (2010), sleeping and eating disorders in most women occur due to the effect of violence they experienced in their earlier lives. These results may not be immediate but may erupt later in their life and without a definitive measure to reduce the impacts; it may become a long-lasting consequence.
As per Howard, Trevellion, and Agnew-Davies (2010) mental health consequences of women abuse are the mostly not noticeable by anybody. Unless the victims confess of the violence they undergo, the impact cannot be easily detected until it reaches a point of affecting her mental health. The fear of more severe domestic violence among women makes them adamant to revealing their cases. Furthermore, the perception of being ridiculed by her friends may also contribute to the silence. As a result of the emotional effect of the pressure, they experience give rise to the emergence of mental impacts. The impacts of domestic violence other than causing mental problems to the victims, also the loss of lives have been recorded. The deaths are either resulting from the injuries obtained or the effect of mental problems that may lead to committing suicide. According to WHO report (World-Health-Organization, 2016), Canada has approximately 1.9% of women deaths associated with complications of previous violence they experienced in their lives.
4.0: Statement of the ProblemIn the recent past, there has been an increase in cases of domestic violence in Canada. The implications of the acts have affected mostly the women, and as a result, their mental health, as well as their general well-being, is affected. Addressing this issue has gain momentum and many non-governmental organizations have tried to look into the issue. However, there are deficiencies on what exactly the organizations have to do so as to lessen the impacts of the abuse women undergo domestically in Canada. Due to these challenges, researching on the actual impacts of domestic violence is paramount. It gives an insight and shades light on the core areas of concentration that the non-governmental organizations need to look into so that it can assist the women as well as preventing further damages in their mental health.
4.1: Research QuestionsThis research will intend at answering the following questions.
• What are the forms of domestic violence women undergo in Canada?
• What is the extent of the impacts of the violence on the mental health of the victims?
• How long does it take for mental health impacts to be noticed on abused women?
• What can be done to minimize the impact of domestic violence on women?
4.2: Research hypothesesHo: Domestic violence is directly related to the long-term mental health problems abused women in their lives.
H1: The long-term impacts of Domestic violence do not become necessary cause mental health problems to women who are abused.
4.3: Objectives of the StudyThe primary objective of this research will be aiming at providing more insight into the mental health impacts caused by domestic violence on women in their lives. Some more specific objectives for the study includes:
To profile the dominant mental health consequences of domestically abused women
To estimate the time it takes for a mental health impact to be noticed from the abused women.
To provide an overview of what can be done to minimize the cases of domestic violence in the country.
5.0: Methodology5.1: Research ApproachSince the research depends on proved cases of abuse and the consequences that later on occurred to the victims, the researcher will use mostly secondary data that will give a much deeper understanding of the issue. To achieve this, the researcher will carry out a survey of several cases of abuse in Canada from three hospitals namely; Lois Hole Hospital for Women, BC Women’s Hospital & Health Center and Women’s Health Clinic, Winnipeg. In these facilities, the information on records of past and present cases of female patients who were/are reported to be abused will be extracted. These will be enabled through the signing of a consent form by the head of the facility; either the Chief Nursing Officer or any other head of the facility. This will be a guarantee that the information offered will only be used for the research only. Additionally to this, the information of the patients that may lead to the identification of the patient will not be recorded as it will be against the patient protection act of the nursing organization which articulates that the personal information privacy of the patients should be protected at all times.
5.2: Pilot StudyThe researcher intends to carry out a pre-test on the research topic by collecting a sample data of 10 patients from one of the hospitals first. These will act as the guideline for carrying out the actual research that now will include all the three hospitals.
5.3: Data CollectionThe researcher will collect the required information from the three hospitals in Canada. From this hospital, a minimum of ten cases will be sampled to find out the various types of domestic violence the victims were subjected to and the implications of the abuse. Furthermore, the data to be obtained will be the approximation of the time it took for the impacts to manifest in the abused women. Diagnosis results of the patients will also be recorded. To further gain insight into the diagnosis results the researcher will obtain, and liaise with two other health research institutes namely Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) for further interpretation and relating to the data to violence.
5.4: Data AnalysisSince the data collected will be qualitative, the researcher will do profiling the types of abuse and their associated long-term mental impacts on abused women. To have the outcomes of the analysis make sense, the researcher will thematically analyze relating recent literature on the issue of women abuse and the implications of the battering women undergo in the society. The thematic approach is meant to minimize the gap that may exist for a better reflection of the current situation in the society. Furthermore, from the analysis of the data, there will be approximations of the duration it takes before the mental consequences of the abuse take before it becomes noticeable in a woman.
6.0: StructureThis research will have three parts that will cover the topic in details entirely. The first chapter will cover the introduction of the topic which includes an overview of the domestic violence and its impacts on the mental health of the abused women. It will further give the primary aims and objects of the study as well as the research questions I intend to use in my research. The second chapter will discuss in details the results obtained from the three hospitals with the help of other recent researches done on domestic violence and mental health regarding women. To further the discussion in this chapter the information obtained from the research institutes will be incorporated in the interpretation of the diagnosis results of the selected patients. The last chapter will cover the reflection of the matter on Canada and the world as a whole. It will further highlight the possible solutions that can be adopted to minimize the impact of domestic violence on women as well as reducing the cases of abused women.
7.0: ConclusionCurrently, there are many concerns about the rising cases of women abuse in many nations in the world. These have fueled the establishment of many non-governmental organizations that are advocating for changes in the society so that women can be appreciated and be safe. However, there has been limited research on what are the primary concerns that have to be addressed concerning domestic violence. Studying mental health impacts of the abuse is meant to shade light on the issue. In Canada for instance as estimated by WHO, 1.9% of women undergo extreme domestic violence that in some situation leads to loss of life and long lasting mental effects. It is found that the physical injuries obtained by women on their heads can be the source of mental problems some of them experience later in life. It, therefore, remains imperative to have the public know the effects associated with domestic violence and how it can be avoided. This can only be achieved through research and publication of the results for public consumptions.
References BIBLIOGRAPHY Alejo, K. (2014). Long-term physical and mental effects of domestic violence. Journal of justice studies and forensic science, 2(1). Retrieved Nov 12, 2016, from http://scholarsworks.sjsu.edu/themis/vol2/iss1//5
Coker, A. L., Hopenhayn, C., DeSimone, C., Bush, H., & Crofford, L. (2009). Violence against women raises risks of cervical cancer. Journal of women’s health, 18(8), 1179-1185.
Howard, L., Trevellion, K., & Agnew-Davies, R. (2010). Domestic violence and mental health. International review of Psychiatry, 22(5), 523-534.
Tesch, B., Bekerian, D., English, P., & Harrington, E. (2010). Same-sex domestic violence. Why victims are more at risk. International Journal of Police Science and Management, 12(4), 526-535.
World-Health-Organisation. (2016, September). Violence against women. Retrieved from WHO: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs239/en/

Appendix: Consent form:I ________________________________________ of _______________________________ understand that ______________________________________________________________ is a student in Canada <insert university/institution’s names here>
I further understand that the student has to complete a research project as part of the student’s studies and that the wishes to assistance on the research project from my organization named below:
Name of organization: _________________________________________________________
My consent is subject to the following conditions, which I insert in my own handwriting:
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
I hereby consent to the student basing their research project on my organization and confirm that I am authorized to grant this consent on behalf of the organization. I understand that the information obtained by the student from my organization will be kept strictly confidential and only viewed by the student, the project examiners and essential institution staff, except where I have otherwise granted consent in writing.
Respondent’s signature: _______________________________________________________
Respondent’s job title: ________________________________________________________
Date of consent: _____________________________________________________________