Mental Health Promotion: Preventing IPV and the Role of Nurses

MENTAL HEALTH PROMOTION
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Introduction
Violence has a tremendous impact on an individual's mental and physical health (Parsons &
Bergin, 2010). One of the major health as well as welfare issues in Australia is family, sexual
and domestic violence. Men experience greater violence from strangers and at public places.
Women experiences violence greater from their partners. The WHO reveals that violence has an
impact on an individual's mental as well as physical health. IPV is known to have significant
negative mental health outcomes. The aim of the current discussion discuses the incidence of
IPV in Australia and impacts of IPV on mental health and wellbeing of families and individuals
(Copeland-Linder, Lambert & Ialongo, 2010). The purpose of this discussion encompasses two
mental health promotion approaches in preventing IPV and analysing the nurse’s role in one
mental health promotion approaches.
Part A: Relationship between violence, trauma and mental health. The
incidence of IPV in Australia and the potential impacts of IPV on the
wellbeing along with mental health of individuals and families
Violence is witnessed across all ages as well as across demographic and socioeconomic
groups, the most vulnerable groups comprise children and women. The Australian Institute of
Health and Welfare provides data regarding family-related domestic alongside sexual violence.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics ABS (2017b) reveals that 6 Australian women and 1 amongst
16 men are subjected to some form of violence since the age of 15 (Perkins & Graham-Bermann,
2012). Amongst the various types of violence experienced, intimate partner violence (IPV) ranks
the most significant violence affecting women and men, that impacts one in three women. It has
been seen that almost 50% of women living with mental illness have previously has faced to
trauma related to physical or sexual abuse, during childhood or adulthood. Amongst all forms of
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violence, domestic violence has been seen to cause adverse impacts on the psychological and
emotional state of the survivor. Post-traumatic stress disorder, panic attacks, depression,
substance abuse and anxiety and others are severe abuse types. Hence, the different types of
violence consist of sexual, physical, economic, emotional, and psychological that is focused on
children and the elderly.
Violence comprises of behavioral patterns which manipulate, humiliate, intimidate,
isolate, terrorize, frighten, coerce, blame, threaten, injure, hurt, wound someone. Such forms of
violence include physical, abuse of sexual nature, exploitation of emotional nature, economic
and psychological abuse (Rose et al, 2011). Trauma and violence are harmful, costly and
widespread concerns across public health. Individual trauma is defined as an outcome from
series of events, a particular event or events that have physically or emotionally life-threatening
and harmful lasting adverse impact on the individual's functioning as well as his / her social,
physical, mental or spiritual well-being. Trauma has become common with regards to gender,
race, age, socioeconomic status, ethnicity or sexual orientation. The impacts of traumatic
occurrences have a heavy burden on individuals, families, and communities. People experiencing
traumatic events will go on through their lives with lasting negative effects, while others will
experience difficulties and experience traumatic stress reactions (Jina & Thomas, 2013). In the
presence of a system of strong support in place with little or no traumatic experience, then the
individual will have many resilient qualities and it might not affect mental health. However,
research depicts that traumatic experiences are associated with chronic physical health conditions
as well as behavioral health. Those who are associated with mental health conditions, substance
use and other risky behaviours are linked directly to traumatic experiences.
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Research has recognised severe life-threatening trauma as being a risk factor for
emergence of mental illnesses that encompasses depression and posttraumatic stress disorder.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM-V) defines a traumatic event
as an action that involves threats in actual nature or threat to physical integrity or serious injury,
which leads to fear, helplessness or horror. The development of mental illness post a traumatic
event is dependent upon several factors and includes the type of trauma, and has the highest
incidence post assaultive violence. Amongst all the types of violence IPV is the most common
type affecting mental illnesses. Domestic violence remains tremendously underreported and
under-recognised from across the entire range of health settings. Thus, violence and trauma are
the leading causes that lead to mental illnesses amongst individuals.
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is one of the most common forms of violence against
women, including sexual, physical and emotional violence, as well as confidential management
of partners. IPV takes place in all conditions of socio-economic, cultural and religious services.
Women carry the global burden of IPV. IPV is quite prevalent in Australia and it has been
estimated that 1 amongst 6 women experience physical or sexual violence by a cohabiting
partner since the age of 15. IPV is also known to be the major cause of illness, disability and
death compared to any other risk factors for women aged 25 years to 44 years of age. In the year
2016 to 2017, approximately 72,000 women, 34,000 children and 9,000 men had sought
homelessness services due to family or domestic violence (Barry, Clarke, Jenkins & Patel, 2013).
Men, approximately 1 in 16 is also known to have experienced physical or sexual violence by a
cohabiting partner since the age of 15 years.
Research studies conducted on the high incidence of IPV on Australians, lead to
evaluation of its potential effects on individuals and families. One of the leading outcomes of
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