PRIMARY HEALTH CARE SERVICE USE AMONG WOMEN WHO HAVE RECENTLY LEFT AN ABUSIVE PARTNER: INCOME AND RACIALIZATION, UNMET NEED, FIT OF SERVICE, AND HEALTH

Primary health care (PHC) services can improve the health of women who have recently left an abusive partner. Yet, women’s ability to access and benefit from PHC services may be shaped by intersecting social locations, particularly income level and racialization. The purpose of this study was to examine whether differences in income and racialization, among women who had recently left an abusive partner, were associated with differences in PHC unmet need and fit of services, as well as to mental and physical health. A quantitative secondary analysis of data from the Canadian Women’s Health Effects Study (n = 286) was conducted. The findings suggest that, among women who have recently left an abusive partner, differences in income are associated with disparities in the fit of PHC services and to mental and physical health. Nurses and other health care professionals must collaborate with women and advocate for policy changes to improve equitable access to PHC services that meet the diverse needs of this population