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The prevalence of domestic violence (DV) among female welfare recipients is well-documented, but its effect on leaving welfare for employment is not well understood. This innovative study’s aim was to understand whether health/mental health issues mediate the relationship of DV and sustaining employment for women in a state welfare program.
Methods:
Qualitative data were collected through in-person interviews from female welfare recipients in Florida. Participants were interviewed twice over a 12-month period. The data were analyzed for content themes, and recurrent ideas and patterns.
Results:
Women commonly had problems maintaining employment because of health/mental health issues such as fibromyalgia, major depressive disorder, anxiety or panic disorders. A large majority discussed how DV affected employment. DV had a direct impact when partners forbade women to work, injured them so they could not go, or harassed or stalked them at the workplace. Women described childcare or transportation issues related to DV that made it difficult to hold a job. Even more common were indirect effects of DV on employment, such as low self-esteem in victims, being overly anxious or emotional at work, or developing mild to severe mental health problems related to being a victim.
Resilient women who left abusive relationships and became employed in steady jobs possessed personal strength, supportive family members or employers, and were motivated to succeed. African-Americans had higher levels of social support than whites, helping them better deal with crises.
Conclusions:
This study found that health and mental health problems mediate the relationship of DV and sustaining employment. Identification of these problems in public health settings would enable appropriate interventions to be initiated, assisting women in sustaining employment and reducing the risk of poverty. The inclusion of social support components in health settings may be protective for women who do not have strong family supports.
Learning Objectives: Identify two mechanisms in which domestic violence can impact the ability of women on welfare to sustain employment. Articulate three protective factors that enable domestic violence victims on welfare to sustain employment. Recognize the need for public health systems to intervene with women victims of domestic violence and their health and mental health issues.
Sub-Theme: Gender discrimination and violence against women
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