Getting to the Heart of the Matter: Nursing Assessment and Intervention with Battered Women in Psychiatric Mental Health Settings

Abstract

The consequences of abusive relationships are reflected in the physical and psychologic distress for which women seek assistance from health care providers. Although the physical and mental health problems from the abuse are addressed and treated, the heart of the matter—the abuse at home—goes unattended Women often leave the health care setting as isolated and uninformed about options as when they came in. Mental health settings offer important opportunities for psychiatric nurses to identify and intervene with women in abusive relationships. Whether encounters are relatively brief or occur over an extended period of time, important interactions can take place. The nurse's response to women in abusive relationships is one component of a unified community-wide response that is needed to prevent violence and abuse in the home. (J Am Psychiatr Nurses Assoc [1995]. 1, 48–54)

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