Understanding experiences of family violence and implications for women’s psychological wellbeing: Results of the Aboriginal Families Study in South Australia

Purpose Few studies involving First Nations Peoples have explored experiences of family violence drawing on Indigenous standpoints. Little is known about the impact of family violence on Indigenous women's psychological wellbeing or their experiences as mothers. This study aimed to explore the extent to which cultural, community and relational strengths support the psychological wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women experiencing family violence and other social health issues. Methods Data were drawn from the first two waves of the Aboriginal Families Study, a prospective cohort of 344 Aboriginal families in South Australia. Women's experiences of family violence within family, kinship or community networks were assessed using a study designed measure. Access to cultural, community, and relational strengths and resources was assessed using the Aboriginal Resilience and Recovery Questionnaire, and psychological wellbeing using the Kessler-5 scale. Main findings More than one in three women in the cohort experienced family violence during pregnancy (37.1%), and a similar proportion when the study children were aged 5 to 8 years (36.9%). High psychological distress (Kessler-5 ≥ 11) at 5 to 8 years postpartum was more common among women experiencing family violence during pregnancy (odds ratio [OR] 2.5, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.3–4.9) and those experiencing concurrent family violence (OR 2.8, 95% CI 1.4–5.3). Women with lower access to cultural, community and relational strengths and resources at 5 to 8 years postpartum had almost six times the odds of experiencing high psychological distress (Adjusted OR 5.8, 95% CI 2.2–15.5). Among women who experienced family violence during pregnancy, those with greater access to cultural, community and relational strengths and resources were substantially less likely to experience high psychological distress than those with less access (Chi Square for trend 9.38; P = .002). Principal conclusions Collectively, these findings point to the need for coordinated efforts to strengthen holistic primary healthcare, practical support and healing pathways for women and families impacted by family violence within family, kinship and community networks. Aboriginal-led programs supporting women and families to have greater access to cultural, community and relational strengths and resources have the potential to act as both a preventive strategy and as a pathway for healing. There is an urgent need to expand such programs and develop meaningful change and impact goals that disrupt cycles of intergenerational trauma and family violence, by providing pathways for healing at an individual, family and community level.