Women with Substance Abuse Problems Exposed to Men’s Violence - A Public Mental Health Challenge

Objective To explore self-rated physical and psychological health in women with substance misuse problems, subjected to male violence. Methods Examination of the health situation in terms of PTSD symptoms (IES-R), personality (SSP), and physical and psychological problems (ASI) for 79 Swedish substance dependent women, 35 women with housing (WwH) and 44 homeless women (HW), 91% had been exposed to male violence (WwH 29; HW 43). Results The WwH had physical health problems but compared to the HW, significantly less frequent. Both groups were suffering from self-reported psychological problems, in variables measuring stress susceptibility and embitterment, where both WwH and HW had scores markedly above norm mean scores. The HW had overall a poorer health profile compared to the WwH. Conclusion We suggest underlying factors for physical and psychological health/ill-health, such as experiences of violence, continuously to be addressed in the treatment of women with substance abuse problems.