Abstract

Domestic violence is widespread and has been linked to a number of mental health issues in all social classes. However, little research has been done on the severity of abuse among women who are mentally ill. The level of domestic violence frequently determines how much distress is felt. Abuse may be lessened by one's capacity for distress; this affects how severe the abuse is regarded to be. For women with mental illnesses, adherence behaviour to treatment may be influenced by the severity of maltreatment as well as distress tolerance. There is a dearth of research looking at these factors. In order to better understand the intensity of abuse, distress tolerance, and their relationship to medication adherence in women with mental illness, this study was conducted. This study was conducted in an outpatient setting at the psychiatry department of a tertiary care facility in Telangana. Following informed permission, 100 women with a mental illness who have been in remission for at least two months and are living in the community with family members following an episode of mental illness were purposively sampled in turn. Patients having a diagnoses of mental retardation, dementia, or psychotic symptoms were excluded due to dependability concerns. The initial evaluation of each participant involved the use of clinical and socio-demographic forms. Both the Composite Abuse Scale (CAS) and the Distress Tolerance Scale were used to gauge the intensity of the abuse and the amount of distress tolerance (DTS). Using the widely recognised Morisky Medication Adherence Scale, medication adherence status was evaluated (MMAS). Contrasting this sample with the general population, there was a high degree of abuse (mean 20.33, SD=20.55), as well as a high level of distress tolerance (mean 26.80, SD=12.07). The Tolerance (p=0.001) and Absorption (p=0.014) subscales of distress tolerance significantly positively correlated with scores in domestic abuse. There was no statistically significant correlation between domestic abuse scores and medication adherence. The results of this study allow us to draw the conclusion that women with mental illness experience a high amount of domestic abuse and have a higher threshold for discomfort. The perceived ability of the victim to bear emotional suffering is inversely correlated with the severity of domestic violence, while the amount of attention that is given to negative emotions is positively correlated. Due to the cross-sectional design and short sample size of the study, more data replication with a larger sample size and control group is required.

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