ABUSE
Words may not break bones, but new research shows that they may cause physical harm.
In a study of more than 1,000 women, presented at this year's fourth annual Smart Marriages conference, emotionally abused women were more likely to report poor physical health than other women, and their reported ailments were strikingly similar to those affecting physically abused women.
"We were surprised at the magnitude of the health complaints," says lead researcher Ann Coker, Ph.D., a University of South Carolina-Columbia associate epidemiology professor. Coker's team discovered that psychologically battered women's most commonly reported health problems were also stress-related and have been strongly linked to physical abuse.
In light of the study's results, the researchers believe health care providers should regularly screen women for psychological abuse as well as physical and sexual violence. "Not to talk about it in a health care setting is to ignore a huge issue in mental and physical health," Coker says.
