The Views of Mental Health Professionals Regarding Barriers to Effectively Supporting Women Surviving Intimate Partner Violence in the Rural Eastern Cape

ABSTRACTIntimate partner violence is a serious public health issue with detrimental consequences on the victim's health. This study explores the perspectives of mental health professionals on their role in supporting women who seek help following the experience of intimate partner violence in the rural areas of the Eastern Cape, South Africa. The findings highlight the association between the experience of violence, poverty, lack of access to health services, and rural women's limited ability to escape abuse and recover. These structural factors contribute significantly to poor health outcomes, as this study found barriers preventing rural women from receiving counselling following the traumatic experience of abuse. Most notably, our findings uncover the impact of the shortage of shelters in rural areas, which often forces mothers to separate from their young children as they try to rebuild their lives after escaping the abuse. This unique insight distinguishes this study from previous work on this topic. The findings reveal a major gap in the public health response to intimate partner violence in rural areas of the Eastern Cape, particularly regarding the lack of accessible shelters for rural women. The study concludes that addressing the major shortcomings in the public health response to abuse of women in rural areas is critical to address poor health outcomes for women. We recommend increasing the quantity of shelters across the Eastern Cape and making them accessible to rural women and their children.