Advertisement

Psychological Studies

, Volume 64, Issue 4, pp 377–389 | Cite as

Expressions of Women Survivors of Domestic Violence: Idioms of Distress

  • Aishwarya ThakurEmail author
  • Madhavi Rangaswamy
Target Article (with peer commentary)
First Online:
  • 96 Downloads

Abstract

Domestic violence is prevalent worldwide; however, there are cultural differences in women’s experiences of this phenomenon. This study used the concept of idioms of distress, to understand the impact of domestic violence on women survivors in India. A qualitative method was adopted, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with six women survivors of domestic violence. Using thematic network analysis, one global theme, four organizing themes and 19 basic themes emerged. The idioms of distress identified included, physiological idioms (such as aches and pains, nutritional deficiencies, reproductive), psychological idioms (such as depression, low self-confidence, change in aspirations and ambitions, mistrust, rumination) and behavioral idioms (such as crying, withdrawal, irritability, disturbed sleep). Of all the idioms, only nutritional deficiencies and the reproductive idioms were of concern to the survivors and their marital family. Implications for improving the screening of domestic violence are discussed based on the identified idioms and the responses toward them.

Keywords

Domestic violence Idioms of distress Screening Violence against women 
This is a preview of subscription content, log in to check access.

Notes

Compliance with Ethical Standards

Conflict of interest

The authors declared no potential conflict of interest with respect to the research, authorship and/or publication of this article.

References

  1. Ackerson, L. K., & Subramanian, S. N. (2008). Domestic violence and chronic malnutrition among women and children in India. American Journal of Epidemiology,167(10), 1188–1196.PubMedPubMedCentralGoogle Scholar
  2. Agrawal, A., Bloom, S. S., Suchindran, C., Curtis, S., & Angeles, G. (2014). Gender-based power and couples’ HIV risk in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, North India. International Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health,40(4), 196–205.PubMedPubMedCentralGoogle Scholar
  3. Allen, N. E., Larsen, S., Trotter, J., & Sullivan, C. M. (2013). Exploring the core service delivery processes of an evidence-based community advocacy program for women with abusive partners. Journal of Community Psychology,41(1), 1–18.Google Scholar
  4. Andrew, G., Cohen, A., Salgaonkar, S., & Patel, V. (2012). The explanatory models of depression and anxiety in primary care in India. BMC Research Notes,5(1), 499–506.PubMedPubMedCentralGoogle Scholar
  5. Arnault, D. S., & Kim, O. (2008). Is there an Asian idiom of distress? Somatic symptoms in female Japanese and Korean students. Archives of Psychiatric Nursing,22(1), 27–38.PubMedCentralGoogle Scholar
  6. Astbury, J. (2006). Violence against women and girls: Mapping the health consequences. International Congress Series,1287, 49–53.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ics.2005.11.099.Google Scholar
  7. Attride-Stirling, J. (2001). Thematic networks: An analytic tool for qualitative research. Qualitative research,1(3), 385–405.Google Scholar
  8. Chandra, P. S., Satyanarayana, V. A., & Carey, M. P. (2009). Women reporting intimate partner violence in India: Associations with PTSD and depressive symptoms. Archives of Women’s Mental Health,12(4), 203–209.PubMedPubMedCentralGoogle Scholar
  9. Chowdhary, N., & Patel, V. (2008). The effect of spousal violence on women’s health: Findings from the Stree Arogya Shodh in Goa, India. Journal of Postgraduate Medicine,54(4), 306–312.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  10. Cummings, C. A. (2013, June 27). DSM-5 on culture: A significant advance. Retrieved from https://thefprorg.wordpress.com/2013/06/27/dsm-5-on-culture-a-significant-advance/. Accessed 1 Nov 2017
  11. Dahl, R. E., & El-Sheikh, M. (2007). Considering sleep in a family context: Introduction to the special issue. Journal of Family Psychology,21(1), 1–3.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  12. Davar, B. (2001). Gender and mental health: Interdisciplinary perspectives. In B. Davar (Ed.), Mental health from a gender perspective (pp. 10–99). New Delhi: Sage Publications.Google Scholar
  13. Desai, S. (2005). HIV and domestic violence: Intersections in the lives of married women in India. Health and Human Rights,8(2), 140–168.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  14. Dilaasa. (2011). Hospital based crisis centre for domestic violence: The Dilaasa model. Retrieved from CEHAT: http://www.cehat.org/go/uploads/Publications/DilaasaPB.pdf. Accessed 10 Oct 2017
  15. Dillon, G., Hussain, R., Loxton, D., & Rahman, S. (2012). Mental and physical health and intimate partner violence against women: A review of the literature. International Journal of Family Medicine,2013, 1–15.  https://doi.org/10.1155/2013/313909.Google Scholar
  16. Goodman, L. A., & Epstein, D. (2008). Listening to battered women: A survivor-centered approach to advocacy, mental health, and justice. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.Google Scholar
  17. Gururaj, M. S., & Maheshwaran, R. (2014). Kuppuswamy’s socio-economic status scale–a revision of income parameter for 2014. International Journal of Recent Trends in Science and Technology,11(1), 1–2.Google Scholar
  18. Hinton, D. E., & Lewis-Fernández, R. (2010). Idioms of distress among trauma survivors: Subtypes and clinical utility. Culture, Medicine and Psychiatry,34(2), 209–218.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  19. Hurwitz, E. J., Gupta, J., Liu, R., Silverman, J. G., & Raj, A. (2006). Intimate partner violence associated with poor health outcomes in U.S. South Asian women. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health,8(3), 251–261.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  20. Indian Institute of Population Sciences & Macro International. (2007). Key indicators for India from NFHS-3. Retrieved from http://www.rchiips.org/nfhs/factsheet.shtml. Accessed 11 Aug 2017
  21. Jejeebhoy, S. J., Santhya, K. G., & Acharya, R. (2013). Physical and sexual violence and symptoms of gynaecological morbidity among married young women in India. Global Public Health,8(10), 1151–1167.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  22. Kaiser, B. N., Haroz, E. E., Kohrt, B. A., Bolton, P. A., Bass, J. K., & Hinton, D. E. (2015). Thinking too much: A systematic review of a common idiom of distress. Social Science and Medicine,147, 170–183.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2015.10.044.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  23. Kivimäki, M., Head, J., Ferrie, J. E., Shipley, M. J., Brunner, E., Vahtera, J., & Marmot, M.G. (2006). Work stress, weight gain and weight loss: Evidence for bidirectional effects of job strain on body mass index in the Whitehall II study. International Journal of Obesity,30(6), 982–987.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  24. Kohrt, B. A., Rasmussen, A., Kaiser, B. N., Haroz, E. E., Maharjan, S. M., Mutamba, B. B., … Hinton, D. E. (2014). Cultural concepts of distress and psychiatric disorders: Literature review and research recommendations for global mental health epidemiology. International Journal of Epidemiology, 43(2), 365–406.PubMedPubMedCentralGoogle Scholar
  25. Kostick, K. M., Schesul, S. L., Jadhav, K., Singh, R., Bavadekar, A., & Saagurti, N. (2010). Treatment seeking, vaginal discharge and psychosocial distress among women in urban Mumbai. Culture Medicine and Psychiarty,34(3), 529–547.Google Scholar
  26. Levendosky, A. A., & Graham-Bermann, S. A. (2001). Parenting in battered women: The effects of domestic violence on women and their children. Journal of Family Violence,16(2), 171–192.Google Scholar
  27. Lewis-Fernández, R., Gorritz, M., Raggio, G., Peláez, C., Chen, H., & Guarnaccia, P. (2010). Association of trauma-related disorders and dissociation with four idioms of distress among Latino psychiatric outpatients. Culture, Medicine and Psychiatry,34(2), 219–243.PubMedPubMedCentralGoogle Scholar
  28. Loxton, D., Schofield, M., Hussain, R., & Mishra, G. (2006). Psychological health in midlife among women who have ever lived with a violent partner or spouse. Journal of Interpersonal Violence,21(8), 1092–1107.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  29. Maselko, J., & Patel, V. (2008). Why women attempt suicide: The role of mental illness and social disadvantage in a community cohort study in India. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health,62(9), 817–822.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  30. Nichter, M. (1981). Idioms of distress: Alternatives in the expression of psychosocial distress: A case from South India. Culture, Medicine and Psychiatry,5(4), 379–408.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  31. Nichter, M. (2010). Idioms of distress revisited. Culture, Medicine and Psychiatry,34(2), 401–416.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  32. Patel, V., & Oomman, N. (1999). Mental health matters too: Gynaecological symptoms and depression in South Asia. Reproductive Health Matters,7(14), 30–38.Google Scholar
  33. Patel, V., & Sumathipala, A. (2006). Psychological approaches to somatisation in developing countries. Advances in Psychiatric Treatment,12(1), 54–62.Google Scholar
  34. Pathak, G., & Nichter, M. (2015). Polycystic ovary syndrome in globalizing India: An ecosocial perspective on an emerging lifestyle disease. Social Science and Medicine,146(2015), 21–28.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  35. Pereira, B., Andrew, G., Pednekar, S., Pai, R., Pelto, P., & Patel, V. (2007). The explanatory models of depression in low income countries: Listening to women in India. Journal of Affective Disorders,102(1), 209–218.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  36. Rauer, A. J., Kelly, R. J., Buckhalt, J. A., & El-Sheikh, M. (2010). Sleeping with one eye open: Marital abuse as an antecedent of poor sleep. Journal of Family Psychology,24(6), 667–677.PubMedPubMedCentralGoogle Scholar
  37. Selvaraj, K., Kumar, G. S., & Ramalingam, A. (2014). Prevalence of self medication practices and its associated factors in urban pudducherry, India. Perspectives in Clinical Research,5(1), 32–34.PubMedPubMedCentralGoogle Scholar
  38. Shane, B., & Ellsberg, M. (2002). Violence against women: Effects on reproductive health. Outlook,20(1), 1–8.Google Scholar
  39. Silverman, J. G., Decker, M. R., Saggurti, N., Balaiah, D., & Raj, A. (2008). Intimate partner violence and HIV infection among married Indian women. JAMA,300(6), 703–710.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  40. Stephenson, R., Koenig, M. A., Acharya, R., & Roy, T. K. (2008). Domestic violence, contraceptive use, and unwanted pregnancy in rural India. Studies in Family Planning,39(3), 177–186.PubMedPubMedCentralGoogle Scholar
  41. Stephenson, R., Koenig, M. A., & Ahmed, S. (2006). Domestic violence and contraceptive adoption in Uttar Pradesh, India. Studies in Family Planning,37(2), 75–86.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  42. The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act of 2005, 498A I.P.C., § 3 (2005). Retrieved from http://ncw.nic.in/acts/TheProtectionofWomenfromDomesticViolenceAct2005.pdf.
  43. Verma, R. K., & Collumbien, M. (2003). Wife beating and the link with poor sexual health and risk behavior among men in urban slums in India. Journal of Comparative Family Studies,34(1), 61–74.Google Scholar
  44. Vives-Cases, C., Ruiz-Cantero, M. T., Escribà-Agüir, V., & Miralles, J. (2010). The effect of intimate partner violence and otherforms of violence against women on health. Journal of Public Health,33(1), 15–21.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  45. Vung, N. D., Ostergren, P. O., & Krantz, G. (2009). Intimate partner violence against women, health effects and health care seeking in rural Vietnam. European Journal of Public Health,19(2), 178–182.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  46. Wong, J. Y., Tiwari, A., Fong, D. Y., Humphreys, J., & Bullock, L. (2011). Depression among women experiencing intimate partner violence in a Chinese community. Nursing Research,60(1), 58–65.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  47. World Health Organization. (2013a). Global and regional estimates of violence against women: Prevalence and health effects of intimate partner violence and non-partner sexual violence. Retrieved from http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/85239/1/9789241564625_eng.pdf. Accessed 10 Aug 2017
  48. World Health Organisation. (2013b). Responding to Intimate Partner Violence and Sexual Violence Against Women. Retrieved from http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/85240/9789241548595_eng.pdf?sequence=1. Accessed 16 Aug 2017
  49. Wuest, J., Merritt-Gray, M., Lent, B., Varcoe, C., Connors, A. J., & Ford-Gilboe, M. (2007). Patterns of medication use among women survivors of intimate partner violence. Canadian Journal of Public Health,98(6), 460–464.PubMedGoogle Scholar

Copyright information

© National Academy of Psychology (NAOP) India 2019

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Department of PsychologyCHRIST (Deemed to be University)BangaloreIndia

Personalised recommendations

Cite article

Buy options