A profile of intimate partner violence survivors: Women who can access care for their children and not themselves

Background: Although research data are available about access to healthcare for women in violent situations, little data exist for women who have left those circumstances. This analysis created a profile of service needs that specifically focused on women who had difficulty accessing health care for themselves although they were able to obtain it for their children.

Methods: 202 women and their children were evaluated at entry into a case management intervention program for intimate partner violence survivors and their children, and approximately 18 months later at program completion. Frequency and bivariate analyses were conducted, including variables such as demographics, finances, depression, transportation, and employment.

Results: 47% of clients reported difficulty accessing health care at pre-test, decreasing to 37% at post-test, while 62% reported no difficulty accessing health care for their children. Of this group, the most highly related factors to lack of health care access for women were financial problems (70% compared to 62% of all clients), depression (42% v 35%), and transportation problems (33% v 18%). 28% of women who had Medicaid coverage for themselves had difficulty accessing care for themselves but not their children, compared to 52% of women who were not on Medicaid.

Conclusions: Differences were identified in the population of women who had difficulty accessing health care for themselves but not their children, compared to all clients. These findings enable appropriate targeting of women who may have difficulty accessing health care for themselves after leaving violent situations.