Treatment Centers

Abuse can be a powerful thing. When it is delivered physically, it can not only hurt the physical person, it can also greatly affect the mental health of the individual. In a Science Daily release, a study was examined that suggests the impact of violence or a controlling relationship lasts beyond the relationships itself.

The study was authored by a doctoral student at Ohio State University. The researchers involved in this study determined that in the two years following the end of an abusive relationship, mothers demonstrated a degraded mental health, maintained high anxiety levels and became even more depressed.

These findings indicate the woman was no better off than those who stayed in abusive relationships. If the woman had more social support after the relationship ended, however, she had a better chance of emerging stronger.

Researchers suggest that this study provides more insight into the instability in the first few years following a violent or controlling relationship. While leaving the situation may prove positive in the long run, the individual first must confront multiple sources of stress, which can include single parenting, financial problems and even sharing custody with the abuser.

Individuals involved in the research are quick to note that their findings are not to suggest that a woman should not leave abusive partners. Instead, they hope to highlight the level of support and services these women need after they leave the situation.

It is too easy to assume that because the woman is out of the abusive relationship, everything is fine. This assumption can drive her back to the abuser, toward substance abuse or intensify her depression.