Mental healthcare use of adult Australian women abused by partners: A case-linkage study

Aims: Intimate partner abuse is a significant public health problem. This study compared mental health service use between women who experienced intimate partner abuse and the general population. This study also explored how mental health service use differed among subgroups of women with different histories of intimate partner abuse. Methods: Population level Victorian mental health databases were linked to incidents of police-recorded intimate partner abuse (N = 720). Mental health service use rates were compared to same-aged women in the general population, between 2016-2019. Regression analyses examined patterns of mental health service use, controlling for age. Results: Women who experienced intimate partner abuse had higher rates of mental health service use, including a 34.4 times higher rate of acute service use compared to the general population. Women with a longer history of police-recorded abuse had higher mental health service use than those with a single incident, beyond general crime victimisation effects. Conclusions: Women who experienced intimate partner abuse show more severe mental health needs than the general population, with increased needs after a longer history of abuse. Acute public mental health services can play an important role in screening and assessment of women who experience intimate partner abuse.