Violence, Trauma and Mental Health: Incidence of IPV in Australia

This article discusses violence, the different types of violence, and the relationship between violence, trauma and mental health. It also includes the incidence of IPV in Australia and the potential impacts of IPV on the mental health and wellbeing of individuals and families.

Running Head: HEALTHCARE
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Name of the Student
University Name
Author Note

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Part A
Discuss violence, the different types of violence, and the relationship between violence,
trauma and mental health. Your discussion must include the incidence of IPV in Australia
and the potential impacts of IPV on the mental health and wellbeing of individuals and
families.
Violence can be stated as the showcase of aggressive behaviour by an individual. It is generally
the expression of aggression resulted for several reasons or behavioural traits of any person.
According to the dictionary, the word violence is illustrated as the intentional usage of physical
power or force that is threatened or targeted against another person or any community group.
Violence results in having high likelihood that results in death injury, mal deprivation of
psychological harm. According to Wasarhaley et al., (2017) there might be several of the
reasons that causes these kinds of nature or behaviour.
The context of violence has always been the part of human experienced. The effect of the
violence might be seen in several forms. Each year, as per the statistics more than a million of
people loses their lives and more people suffer from non-fatal injuries due to the result of
interpersonal, self-inflicted or collective range of violence (Breiding et al., 2015). According to
WHO, the intention use of the power that readily results in injury or other harm is the definition
of violence. The illustration by the World Health Organization associated on an international
basis with the commitment of actions irrespective of the actions. The illustration covers a wide
range of outcomes that furthermore includes deprivation, psychological harm. It also reflects
upon the growing recognition that violence does not necessarily result to death or injury but also
poses substantial burden over the health care factors and mental disrupts of individual.

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Violence can be categorized in several ways. The World Health Assembly that is called over the
World Health Organization developed the typology related to violence characterizing several
categories and types of violence and links among them. Three broad categories includes
interpersonal violence, self directed violence and collective violence.
In the light of violent crimes. There are four of the major categories as per the researches. This
includes assault or causing physical harm to someone with the intent, homicide or killing human
being with justifiable legal reasons, robbery and forcible intent of sexual intercourse or rape.
Some of the other forms of violence that overlap with the above mentioned categories are the
domestic violence and child sexual abuses (O'Doherty et al., 2015). In the context of the
Australian statistics, one of the major forms of violence that have caught limelight in the current
decade is the Intimate Partner Violence (IPV).
IPV falls under the broader category of Interpersonal Violence. The family and the violence
related to intimate partner has been prevailing among many of the families among the country
specifically tales place among the home.
The figure below highlights the typology of the violence that ranges among the several nature
like sexual, physical, psychological and involve of neglect and deprivation.
Physical Violence √ √ √
Psychological Violence √ √ √
Sexual Violence √ √ √

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Neglect or Deprivation √ √ √
As per the researches and the data gathered from the Australian Bureau, the categories of
violence acts in the category highlighted above. This typology while being imperfect and far
from being actually accepted universally; provides the useful and effective framework for the
understanding of the complex and vivid patterns of the violence that takes place in the country
and also around the world.
While highlighting over the interpersonal violence, this research essay will focus over the
intimate partner violence and its impacts over the victims of violence. According to Smith et al.,
(2016) violence whether emotional, physical, sexual or verbal leads to trauma which tends to
have long term effects over mental health of an individual.
Interpersonal
Violence
Partner Child Elder
Family/
Partner

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Figure - Intimate Partner Violence in Australia
Source -Family, domestic and sexual violence in Australia 2018, Australian Institute of Health
and Welfare
According to Lundgren and Amin (2015), it is argued that trauma caused due to abuse and
violence by intimate partner affects self confidence and self esteem of humans. Human being of
both the gender who have gone through a wide period of abuse of violence from their close and
loved one tends to have higher risk of the development of critical mental health condition like
anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and more. While having lasting impact over
health, intimate partner violence have effects over habits and emotional health of individual.
These includes borderline personality disorder and misuse of drugs and alcohol.

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Source – Arroyo et al. (2017)
The figure above is the representation of the data derived from the Australian Statistics regarding
the rate of violence in the country at home. The data highlights the victims of violence and their
rate on yearly basis – child, intimate partner, parent, sibling and more.
Potential impacts of intimate partner violence over the wellbeing and mental health of families
and individuals.
Intimate partner violence or family violence have significant worse impacts over the mental
health and well being of the family members witnessing or experiencing it. The constant feeling
of unsafe towards the loved and closed people at home leads to the feeling of fear, lack of
relaxation and feel of powerlessness (Gracia & Merlo, 2016). This situation as per the statistics
of the country of Australia has been increasing among several of the families through the last few

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decades. The trauma resulted from intimate partner violence ranging from any type, physical,
sexual or mental influences in long lasting impacts and psychological trauma leading to effect of
appetite, sleep, concentration and degrading relationships. Intimate partner violence can impact
regardless of race, gender, economic status, sexual identity and ethnicity. But as per the statistics
found by Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, violence at home by partner predominantly
impacts women and has been considered as one of the major factor of risk that impacts the health
of women both physically and emotionally. Some of the psychological results include
depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts among women.
Source - (Anderson et al., 2019)
There has been several of the studies that have highlighted the consequences of intimate partner
violence . This category of violence leads to psychological and physical trauma to the victims. In
the consideration to the wellbeing health effects, IPV leads to various physical challenges like

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injury at several parts of the body, scratches and bleeding at sensitive parts of the body of the
victim. The intimate partner violence might be in the form of hitting, kicking, yelling, punching
or most commonly by slapping the victim against any hard object in the intention to cause harm
to his/her. Consequences related to wellbeing of the family members of the victims at the house
might also range from headache, migraine attacks, backaches, chronic pain in body, cardiac
problems, hypertension and fainting. According to Beyer, Wallis and Hamberger (2015)women
being the higher rate of victims of the intimate partner violence, some of the associated health
and wellbeing challenges that is faced by them includes sexually transmitted diseases, genital
irritation, urinary tract infection, carcinoma cervix and dyspareunia. Apart from the other
gynaecological challenges, some of the adverse effects of wellbeing faced by the women
victims as per the statistical record of Australia is fetal distress, pre eclampsia and partum
haemorrhage. Fetal death being one of the most severe hazard of the impacts of intimate partner
violence over the wellbeing of the victims.
The reports from Rivas et al., (2016) furthermore highlighted how psychological effects of
health are more adverse and dangerous that the effects of the wellbeing. Battered victims might
experience panic anxiety, eating disorders, restlessness, social inclusion, social dysfunction and
psychogenic diarrhoea. Substance and alcohol abuse are common among psychologically
distress women and victims of violence experiencing suicidal thoughts.
Part B
Critically examine and discuss two mental health promotion approaches to prevent IPV. Your
discussion needs to analyse the role of the nurse in one of these mental health promotion
approaches

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Intimate partner violence has been a serious health hazard in Australia and also around the globe.
It occurs largely behind the closed doors. The promotion of non violent, respectful intimate
relationships tends to provide positive orientation towards the prevention of IPV which is
essential for the improvement of the quality of wellbeing of members of the house and also
reduction of the burden over the health care system (Kimerling et al., 2016). This section of the
assignment will critically examine and discuss two mental health strategies and promotional
approached for the prevention of intimate partner violence.
Role of nurse in caring women who experiences intimate partner violence
Being the largest health care workforce on the global basis, the role of the nurses are essential for
caring for the abused women (Intimate partner and sexual violence - violence against women
2019). According to the research studies, one of the major mental health promotional approaches
is the role of the nurses for caring for women suffering from the experience of IPV and also the
barriers they have been facing for doing so. Some of the recommendation towards the
approaches of the health care by the nurses includes identification of the abuses, understanding
the reason behind the abuses, listening to the victim’s story, taking effective care of physical
health needs of patient, noting attention to their needs of health, providing enough support,
making referrals and giving good advices for the improvement of their mental health status and
trauma from violence (Leonard & Quigley, 2017). The approach of the mental health promotion
in the context of the nurses furthermore includes specific categories of case management,
counselling or the support interventions delivered by the nurses for the reduction of the IPV and
also the improvement among the mental health of the female victims of the country. As per the
Australian Health and Family care organization, one program that will be beneficial towards the
mental health promotion approaches in the light of the role of the nurses is the Nurse Family

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Partnership (NFP). This will include an evidence based program related to nurse home visitation,
learning and identification of the challenges, improving mental health by effective
communication and psychological therapy for the victims (Hamberger, Rhodes & Brown, 2015).
This intensive program as proposed as the clinical approach will help the nurses to showcase
their skills and their roles by the provision of unique opportunity for delivering mental health
therapeutic counselling to women who constitute the majority of the victims. The formation of
the effective nurse-client relation will rely over the approaches by the nurses facilitating the
abilities of the nurse to build trust together with strong rapport which will increase the comfort
level of the victims.
The nurses play a very essential role towards working for the development of a violence free
community but they needs to get informed on the first hand. The role of the nurses over the
wellbeing and the mental health of the victims as the mental health promotion approach is thus a
very effective approach. The major factors that the nursing intervention includes are as follows.
 Effective listening to the victim’s story
 Building trust and rapport for communicating belief (Miller et al., 2015)
 Validation of the decision for disclosing
 Gesture of emphasising the unacceptability of the violence to the victim.
Community based approaches to Intimate partner violence
For understanding the effective prevention of IPV, it is very much essential for analysing the root
causes of the issues or the challenges. According to Ghandour, Campbell and Lloyd (2015), IPV
have been distinctively challenging to eradicate due to the presence of its multiple set of layers.

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This can be best illustrated by the “ecological framework” that has been originally developed by
Bronfrenbrenner for the violence and the abuse against women (VAWG).
The model below highlights how individual and partner factors interact at the level of the
relationships where communication, conflict resolution and the situational triggers play essential
role.
Figure -
Source - (Michau et al., 2015)
The model above illustrates the transformation of the balance of power and also the promotion of
gender equality. Within the community level, the inequitable practices and the norms play the
most important role. The mental health promotion approach by the community intervention
programme must include series of community mobilization activities that will address the
balance of the power within the major dynamics of the community and within the intimate

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partner relations (Clark et al., 2014). The four major steps that is inevitable for the community
approach for preventing IPV includes interventions such as starting, awareness, supporting and
actions. It is important for the stakeholders belonging to several of the level of the community
that includes the local governmental representatives, community leaders and the health service
providers to participate in each and every step for the community intervention plan. As per the
WHO Multi-Country Study on Women’s Health and Domestic Violence, the rigorous evaluation
of the community interventions are the key towards the effectiveness for the prevention of IPV
(Anderson et al., 2019). The community health promotion approaches should include
acceptability of IPV, evaluation of the past story of intimate partner violence of the victim,
appropriate counselling and knowledge programs regarding the available policies and regulations
to the victim. Campaign for the IPV and regional workshops for the development of the capacity
of leaders and community leaders followed by co-ordination among the youth and the
governmental organizations are some of the essential steps that needs to be taken by the
community approaches (Baird et al., 2015). The intervention programme must also include
psychological therapy counselling of both the partners followed by multiple training sessions for
an active learning procedure addressing healthy relations and gender equity among partners.
Community mobilization approaches towards mental health is recommended to be successful
since they permeate multiple levels of society. With the help of the behavioural change and
educational change interventions, these program will foster collective action and will help in the
development of the community capacity for challenging gender norms leading to the prevention
of the IPV (Eriksson & Mazerolle, 2015). Successful community based interventions of mental
health approaches will provide empowerment activities for the victims by supporting them to
build healthy choices, necessary skills to protest IPV and improve conflict resolution.

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