Facilitating the mental health of women exposed to continuous intimate partner abuse in the Eastern Cape

D.Cur.The overall objective of this research study was the development of a psychiatric nursing science model that will provide a theoretical framework to facilitate the mental health of women exposed to continuous intimate partner abuse. In this thesis continuous intimate partner abuse will also refer to an abusive relationship. Violence against women is a global pandemic that costs the health and lives of more women than malaria, traffic, accidents and war combined (Holm 2000:12). It is stated that around the world at least one woman in every three has been beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused in her lifetime. Most often the abuser is a member of her own family. There are a few support structures in place in the rural communities for these women. For many women who have been abused health workers are the main and often the only point of contact with public services which may be able to offer support and information. Yet victims of violence who seek care from health professionals often have needs that providers do not ask about and do not know how to address. A theory generative research design was applied during the conduct of this study. The research project was carried out in four steps of theory generation. Step one dealt with concept analysis which was divided into two sub-steps concept identification and concept definition. During the process of the subiv vii step of concept identification, a qualitative research strategy, which is explorative, descriptive and contextual was used to reveal the true experiences of women in abusive relationships. A purposive sample of 10 women in abusive relationships in the Eastern Cape meeting the selection criteria was utilised. In-depth semi-structured phenomenological interviews were used as a method of data collection