Comparison of Levels of Psychological Impact between Women Who Stay Versus Women Who Leave Abusive Relationships in Soweto-Kayole, Kenya

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant global public health problem. Comprehending the mental risk outcomes is vital for developing intervention programs. Yet, little evidence exists on population-based prevalence and psychological risk outcomes among women in Kenya. The objective of the study was to measure the level of anxiety and trauma in women who stayed and those who left abusive intimate relationships. Additionally, the study aimed at comparing anxiety and trauma levels in the two categories of women. This population-based survey involved 100 women aged from 18 years and above selected through two focus groups living in the slums of Kayole-Soweto, Nairobi County. Questionnaires were administered by the research assistants while the interviews were conducted by the researcher. Respondents were permanent residents or they had moved to Kayole in the 12 months preceding the survey. All participants completed a semi-structured questionnaire, interview session through focus groups, the Beck Anxiety Inventory Scale (BAI), and the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptom Scale checklist (PSSI-5). Correlation analysis established that decisions to leave violent relationships were positively correlated with trauma and anxiety related factors. Furthermore, a Chi-square was conducted to assess the significance of the difference in the means of the two categories of respondents. Assessing the two groups, it can be deduced that the means between decisions to leave and stay in violent relationships were not different from each other, they were nearly the same. Hence, it is sound enough to argue that the two groups are not significantly different.