Preferences and barriers to treatment of mood, anxiety, and stress related disorders and experience of intimate partner violence among women up to 4 months postpartum Short title: “Intimate partner violence care and treatment preferences in post-partum women
Final Report Abstract
Intimate partner violence (IPV), perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMAD), and stressrelated disorders are significant global health challenges affecting women of reproductive age. While equal access to healthcare is a fundamental goal in European healthcare systems, substantial disparities in healthcare utilization due to socioeconomic, cultural, and psychological factors persist. has not yet been achieved. As IPV, PMAD, and stress-related disorders can have severe consequences for maternal and infant health, there is an urgent need for comprehensive research to address barriers to counselling and healthcare access. Therefore, the current study aimed to investigate how predisposing variables, past and present stress exposure, enabling resources, and past and present health influence help-seeking behaviour during the perinatal period. The primary objectives were to explore treatment and counselling preferences and barriers to accessing healthcare services for IPV, PMAD, and stress-related disorders among postpartum women. Despite COVID-19-related restrictions, we were able to recruit N = 4,624 postpartum women in Dresden, Germany, who were interviewed via telephone around 13 weeks after birth. The prevalence of mental health disorders and IPV experience was slightly lower than expected. Women reported a high likelihood of seeking help for mental health problems and IPV, contrary to low recognition of their own symptoms and low service utilization rates. However, barriers to help-seeking varied by mental health status and IPV experience. Women with postpartum mental health problems faced higher barriers than unaffected women. IPV survivors faced higher barriers and lower likelihood of help-seeking compared to unaffected women, especially those experiencing physical or sexual IPV, compared to psychological IPV alone. IPV survivors preferred support from peers, family, and friends over medical or psychosocial services, while women with mental health problems preferred midwives the most. In-person services were preferred over anonymous modes of service provision.
Publications
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Häusliche Gewalt im Kontext der COVID-19-Pandemie. Trauma & Gewalt, 15(3), 200-210.
Garthus-Niegel, Susan; Seefeld, Lara; Mojahed, Amera & Schellong, Julia
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Preferences and Barriers to Counseling for and Treatment of Intimate Partner Violence, Depression, Anxiety, and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Among Postpartum Women: Study Protocol of the Cross-Sectional Study INVITE. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 13.
Seefeld, Lara; Mojahed, Amera; Thiel, Freya; Schellong, Julia & Garthus-Niegel, Susan
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Familienhebammen: Beliebt, aber nicht überall bekannt. Deutsche Hebammen Zeitschrift, 76(4), 50–53.
Zieß, V., Seefeld, L., Vollert, B., Schellong, J. & Garthus-Niegel, S.
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Support preferences among women with and without postpartum depression and anxiety disorder. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
Zieß, Vanessa; Seefeld, Lara; Mojahed, Amera; Martini, Julia; Asselmann, Eva; Schellong, Julia & Garthus-Niegel, Susan
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Treatment and counselling preferences of postpartum women with and without symptoms of (childbirth-related) PTSD: findings of the cross-sectional study INVITE. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 24(1).
Horstmann, Rosa Hannele; Seefeld, Lara; Schellong, Julia & Garthus-Niegel, Susan
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Service preferences among postpartum women (non-)affected by different types of intimate partner violence: insights from the cross-sectional study INVITE. BMC Public Health, 25(1).
Hausmann, Laura M.; Seefeld, Lara; Mojahed, Amera; Mack, Judith T.; Garthus-Niegel, Susan & Schellong, Julia
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Access and barriers to treatment and counseling for postpartum women with and without symptoms of (CB-)PTSD within the cross-sectional study INVITE. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 26(1).
Seefeld, Lara; Jehn, Valentina; Schellong, Julia & Garthus-Niegel, Susan
