Examination of female cases evaluated for domestic violence in the psychiatry outpatient clinic in terms of coping attitudes, self-esteem and suicidal thoughts

Unfortunately, being a woman brings about struggling with difficult life events and chronic social difficulties. Domestic violence, which is a recurring process and escalates as the relationship continues, continues to affect women of all races, ethnicities, cultures and socio-economic levels all over the world and to constitute a major obstacle to the full well-being of women. The aim of this study was to investigate the comparison of coping attitudes, self-esteem and suicidal thoughts of women who were treated for domestic violence in Mersin University Faculty of Medicine Hospital Mental Health and Diseases outpatient clinic with women who were not exposed to domestic violence. In line with the criteria of the study, 53 women who were exposed to domestic violence and 54 women who were not exposed to domestic violence were included in the study. Sociodemographic Data Form, Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced Scale, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, Suicide Probability Scale were applied to the participants. As a result of our study, it was determined that women who were exposed to domestic violence had lower educational and socioeconomic levels, used problem-oriented coping attitudes less, resorted to non-functional coping mechanisms more, had lower self-esteem, and had higher suicidal thoughts and suicide probability. It was determined that all of the women who were subjected to domestic physical violence were also subjected to emotional/verbal violence, as well as high levels of exposure to economic and sexual violence. After the psychological evaluation of the women exposed to domestic violence, it was observed that the most common psychopathology was depressive disorder. It was found that active coping attitudes were used less in the presence of sexual violence in relationships where physical violence was present. It was determined that the probability of suicide was negatively related to problem-focused coping attitudes and positively related to dysfunctional coping attitudes. Domestic violence against women is associated with dysfunctional coping attitudes, low self-esteem and increased suicidal thoughts. Psychotherapeutic interventions for women exposed to violence to develop functional coping attitudes gain importance in terms of maintaining mental well-being and preventing suicidal behaviour. In the fight against domestic violence, women need to be empowered in all areas, social awareness needs to be increased, multidisciplinary approaches and long-term strategies are needed. Key words: Domestic violence, coping attitudes, suicide, self-esteem 8