What works in domestic abuse and sexual violence services? Encouraging signals, fragmented evidence, and an urgent measurement problem

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Services for domestic abuse and sexual violence are widely delivered and highly valued, but how confident can we be that they work? A new UK-focused systematic review of what the evidence actually shows.

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The hidden health burden of intimate partner and child sexual violence

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A new Global Burden of Disease analysis links intimate partner violence and child sexual abuse to far more health outcomes than we previously counted.

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Persistent poverty and adversity drives youth weapon-carrying and police contact

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New study using Millennium Cohort Study data finds that young people facing both persistent poverty and parental mental illness showed highest rates of police involvement (27.8%) and weapon-carrying (8.6%) at age 17.

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Coercive control and intimidation: stronger links to adult mental health than physical violence

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Non-physical domestic violence (intimidation, control, property damage) in childhood showed stronger associations with adult mental health disorders than physical violence in large Australian study.

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“It’s not all in your head”: Sexual assault raises risk of functional somatic disorders

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Sexual assault survivors face six-fold increased risk of multiorgan functional somatic disorder (unexplained physical symptoms like chronic pain and fatigue).

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Mental health impacts of sexual violence in older adults: a qualitative study

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This qualitative study interviewed 15 older adults (aged 70+) who had experienced sexual violence during their lifetimes. Participants reported anxiety, guilt, shame, disrupted identity and interpersonal distrust, yet most did not associate mental health difficulties with their trauma.

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Domestic violence and suicide in women: insights from a national UK study

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Over a quarter of women who died by suicide while under UK mental health care had experienced domestic abuse. This national study reveals who is most at risk and highlights how services can adapt to help prevent tragedy.

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Mothers and Daughters: stories of growth, connection, and resistance in the face of domestic violence and abuse

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What happens when domestic violence affects not just one person, but two generations at once? This powerful qualitative study explores the stories of mothers and daughters who’ve experienced domestic violence and abuse together; offering insights into trauma, recovery, and relational resilience.

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The scars that shape the mind: childhood adversity and the risk of psychosis

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Emotional abuse in childhood was linked to a more than 3.5x greater chance of developing psychosis later in life. This comprehensive new meta-analysis explores the role of early trauma, sex differences, and symptom onset timing in psychosis risk.

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The entrapment caused by coercive control may be central to its impacts on mental health #16DaysOfActivism2024

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Síofra Peeren explores an Australian qualitative study looking at the trauma and mental health impacts of coercive control, which suggests that psychological tactics of coercion and control are just as, if not more distressing than physical tactics.

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