Eda GÜNGÖR1, Oya Sevcan ORAK2

1PhD Student, Ondokuz Mayıs University, Institute of Postgraduate Education, Department of Nursing, Doctoral Program, Türkiye.

2Associate Professor, Ondokuz Mayıs University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Nursing, Department of Psychiatric Nursing, Türkiye.

Abstract:

Intimate partner violence is defined as physical, emotional, economic, sexual or psychological violence by a partner, spouse, ex-partner, boyfriend/girlfriend (Bridge, 2020). It is reported that women are more likely to be subjected to violence and killed by their spouses than men (Hameed et al., 2020). According to data published by the World Health Organization, almost one third (27%) of women in relationships between the ages of 15-49 worldwide are subjected to violence by their intimate partners (WHO, 2021). Violence against women is seen as one of the most common women’s and public health problems (Ogunsiji and Clisdell, 2017; Ford-Gilboe et al., 2024). On the other hand, women exposed to violence need a wide range of health services (Habigzang et al., 2018; Tan et al., 2018). Mental health services are among these needs. Many mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, substance abuse and post-traumatic stress disorder occur in women victimized by violence (Paphitis et al., 2022; Tan et al., 2018). Psychotherapies have a very important place in care practices for psychiatric and psychosocial problems of victimized women. Today, third-generation therapies including Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), Functional Analytical Psychotherapy (FAP), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) are among the most preferred methods (Aghel et al., 2020). This review aims to explain psychiatric nursing practices based on acceptance and commitment therapy in women victims of intimate partner violence.  ACT is one of the most widely used third-wave therapies that have gained popularity in recent years and can be effective in the psychiatric treatment of individuals (Denckla et al., 2018; Aghel et al., 2020; Heidari et al., 2020). In the international literature, there are studies showing that interventions based on third-wave therapies can effectively improve physical and mental health, well-being, revictimization outcomes, and psychological resilience in survivors of intimate partner violence (Myers et al., 2015; Ghahari et al., 2017; et al., 2017; Trabold et al., 2020; Mitchell and Wupperman, 2022). The core concept of ACT is psychological flexibility, which is a complex construct consisting of emotional, cognitive, and behavioral components (Kashdan, 2010) and focuses on defining, clarifying, and ultimately acting on one’s values (Hayes et al., 2022). Psychological resilience consists of 6 components: acceptance, dissociation, being in the moment, contextual self, values, and actions towards values. Rather than trying to eliminate psychological distress, ACT emphasizes accepting its existence and identifying ways to work safely and constructively around it (Hayes et al., 2022). In ACT applied to individuals who have experienced traumatic life experiences such as violence, the aim is to help individuals identify and define their own valuable life aspects. Therefore, the therapy works with the individual to support her to find a meaningful and valuable life beyond the trauma (McLean and Follette, 2016).

Key Words:

ACT, intimate partner violence, psychiatric nursing, violence against women.

Kaynaklar:

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