The Effects of GBV on Mental Health

Our minds are powerful. They shape the way we perceive and experience this world. Just like our physical bodies, our minds must be nurtured and protected from harm. Mental health is a basic yet crucial human right that allows us to live fulfilling lives in which we can reach our full potential, work productively, form and maintain healthy relationships, and make valuable contributions to our community and the world around us. However, gender-based violence (GBV), which refers to any violence inflicted on an individual due to their gender identity or expression, poses a serious threat to individuals’ mental well-being. In Canada, those who are at highest risk of experiencing GBV are young women and girls, women of colour, women with disabilities, Indigenous peoples, 2SLGBTQIA+ people, and women living in remote and rural communities.

The traumatic impacts of GBV on mental health are far-reaching, diverse, and can manifest differently from person to person. Someone who has experienced GBV may have trouble sleeping, the desire to isolate, and suicidal thoughts, among many other symptoms. Generally, victimization is associated with a higher risk of mental disorders such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and substance misuse. As the listed examples indicate, GBV, by hindering one’s ability to think, focus, regulate emotions, and complete daily tasks, can negatively affect well-being, decision-making capacity, and quality of life in the long term.

It is also important to note that both physical and emotional/psychological forms of GBV can produce equally concerning consequences for individuals’ mental health. For instance, multiple studies demonstrate that the intensity of symptoms for various mental disorders does not differ between women who experience physical forms of domestic violence and women who face emotional or psychological domestic abuse. 

In addition, not only does GBV harm the mental well-being of those experiencing violence, but it can also lead to negative mental health outcomes for witnesses to violence. In particular, children who witness domestic violence also hold an increased risk of developing anxiety, PTSD, and depression, either in the short-term or in adulthood. 

While mental health is a human right, it is also a state of being that we must work hard to develop and maintain. Even without GBV, individuals face varying barriers to improving mental well-being depending on their race, sex, gender identity and expression, religion, country of origin, age, sexuality, socio-economic status and other factors. Thus, while GBV’s wide-ranging negative impacts on mental health already indicate that it is an urgent problem to be addressed, considering this issue against a backdrop of existing systemic obstacles further emphasizes that we must all take action to end GBV.