Women's Health Australia homepage about the Women's Health Australia project Women's Health Australia staff Women's Health Australia current events Women's Health Australia surveys and data Women's Health Australia substudies information for Women's Health Australia participants University of Newcastle contact Women's Health Australia Women's Health Australia publications and presentations University of Queenlsand Women's Health Australia homepage about the Women's Health Australia project Women's Health Australia staff Women's Health Australia current events Women's Health Australia surveys and data Women's Health Australia substudies information for Women's Health Australia participants University of Newcastle contact Women's Health Australia Women's Health Australia publications and presentations Women's Health Australia homepage about the Women's Health Australia project Women's Health Australia staff Women's Health Australia current events Women's Health Australia surveys and data Women's Health Australia substudies information for Women's Health Australia participants University of Newcastle contact Women's Health Australia Women's Health Australia publications and presentations Women's Health Australia homepage about the Women's Health Australia project Women's Health Australia staff Women's Health Australia current events Women's Health Australia surveys and data Women's Health Australia substudies information for Women's Health Australia participants University of Newcastle contact Women's Health Australia Women's Health Australia publications and presentations

Women's Health Australia homepage about the Women's Health Australia project Women's Health Australia staff Women's Health Australia current events Women's Health Australia surveys and data Women's Health Australia substudies information for Women's Health Australia participants University of Newcastle contact Women's Health Australia Women's Health Australia publications and presentations Women's Health Australia homepage about the Women's Health Australia project Women's Health Australia staff Women's Health Australia current events Women's Health Australia surveys and data Women's Health Australia substudies information for Women's Health Australia participants University of Newcastle contact Women's Health Australia Women's Health Australia publications and presentations

 
 


Partner violence and the health of Australian women

The ALSWH has conducted a number of investigations into partner violence, with findings indicating that ever having lived with a violent partner or spouse is associated with poorer psychological and physical health among younger and mid-aged women.(1,2,3) According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, (4) 5% of 18-24 year old women and 18% of 25-34 year old women have experienced violence by a past partner. The ALSWH has found that as women move from their late teens and early twenties into their late twenties and early thirties, the number of women who have ever experienced partner violence increases, as is shown in the following figure. In 2006, a comprehensive measure of partner abuse was added to the survey of the Younger cohort in order to measure other aspects of partner abuse, such as emotional and financial abuse.

Percentage of 6716 Younger women who have ever been in a
violent relationship with a partner or spouse.

References
1. Taft A, Watson L & Lee C. Violence against young Australian women and association with reproductive events: A cross sectional analysis of a national population sample. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 2004; 28(4): 324-329.
2.Loxton D, Schofield M & Hussain R. Psychological health in midlife among women who have ever lived with a violent partner or spouse. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 2006; 21(8): 1092-1107.
3.Loxton D, Schofield M, Hussain R & Mishra G. History of domestic violence and physical health in mid-life. Violence Against Women, 2006; 12(8): 715-731.
4. Australian Bureau of Statistics. The Personal Safety Survey, 2005, 4906.0.

For further information on partner violence, see our other publications:

Reports

  • Taft A, Watson L & Lee C. Violence against young Australian women and reproductive health: Cross sectional and transitional analyses of surveys 1 & 2, Younger cohort, ALSWH. Final Report to the Office of the Status of Women. Centre for the study of Mothers’ & Children’s Health, La Trobe University & Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health, University of Newcastle & University of Queensland. September 2003.
  • Taft A, Watson L & Lee C. Health & experiences of violence among young Australian women. Commissioned by the Office of the Status of Women. Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health, University of Newcastle & University of Queensland. January 2004.
  • ALSWH. Partner violence and the health of Australian women. Summary report prepared for the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing. Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health, University of Newcastle & University of Queensland. April 2005.
  • Parker G, Loxton D, Svensson A, Lee C, Warner-Smith P & Young A. “Stay strong, and never accept it as a way of life”: Australian women’s experiences of abuse and life after abuse. Report to the Office of the Status of Women. Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health, University of Newcastle & University of Queensland. May 2004.

Papers

  • Schofield MJ, Reynolds R, Mishra G, Powers J & Dobson AJ. Screening for vulnerability to abuse among older women: Women's Health Australia study. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 2002; 21(1): 24-39.
  • Parker G & Lee C. Predictors of physical and emotional health in a sample of abused Australian women. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 2002; 17(9): 987-1001.
  • Parker G & Lee C. Violence and abuse: An assessment of mid-aged Australian women's experiences. Australian Psychologist, 2002; 37(2): 142-148.
  • Schofield MJ & Mishra GD. Three year health outcomes among older women at risk of elder abuse: Women's Health Australia. Quality of Life Research, 2004; 13(6): 1043-1052.
  • Taft A, Watson L & Lee C. Violence against young Australian women and association with reproductive events: A cross sectional analysis of a national population sample. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 2004; 28(4): 324-329.
  • Loxton D, Schofield M & Hussain R. History of domestic violence and health service use among mid-aged Australian women. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 2004; 28(4): 383-388.
  • Loxton D, Schofield M, Hussain R & Mishra G. History of domestic violence and physical health in mid-life. Violence Against Women, 2006; 12(8): 715-731.
  • Loxton D, Schofield M & Hussain R. Psychological health in midlife among women who have ever lived with a violent partner or spouse. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 2006; 21(8): 1092-1107.
  • Vos T, Astbury J, Piers L, Magnus A, Heenan M, Stanley L, Walker L & Webster K. Measuring the impact of intimate partner violence on the health of women in Victoria, Australia. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 2006; 84(9): 739-744.
  • Taft A & Watson L. Termination of pregnancy: associations with partner violence and other factors in a national cohort of young Australian women. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 2007; 31(2): 135-142.
  • Watson L, Taft A & Lee C. Associations of self reported violence with age at menarche, first intercourse and first birth among a national population sample of young Australian women, Women's health issues 2007: 17(5): 281-289.
  • Lee C & Gramotnev H. Relationship among abuse characteristics, coping strategies and abused women's psychological health: a path model. Journal of interpersonal violence 2007, 22 (9): 1184-1198.




 
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Last updated: 25 July 2007 by Cath Chojenta © Copyright