Physical Intimate Partner Violence, Self-Rated Health, and Suicide Ideation Among U.S. Black Women: The Mediating Role of Mental Disorders

The adverse health outcomes of women experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV) have been documented. Very limited studies have highlighted the health consequences of U.S. Black women with a history of IPV who face added social and stressful structural challenges and trauma that can increase vulnerabilities for poor health outcomes. Informed by integrated frameworks and drawing from data from the 2001–2003 National Survey of American Life (NSAL), the study addresses the association between physical IPV, mental disorders, and the adverse outcomes of U.S. Black women. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to examine the direct and indirect effects of IPV on self-rated health and separately on suicidal ideation. The results showed a direct path between IPV and the mental and physical well-being of U.S. Black women. Mental disorders also mediated the association between IPV and the health outcomes of Black women. There were varied patterns in suicide ideation and fair/poor perceived health in association with IPV between African American and Caribbean Black women. The study has implications for future research exploration and the clinical treatment of U.S. Black women who are exposed to social conditions that increase vulnerabilities to IPV and poor health outcomes.