Prescription drug abuse among female survivors of intimate partner violence: a call for research

Abstract

Recent studies indicate that female victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) abuse prescription drugs to cope with emotional distress resulting from violence. Accordingly, the main objectives of this study were to provide a summary of the literature on the relationship between IPV and prescription drug abuse (PDA) in female survivors to identify gaps in knowledge and to propose future avenues for research. A systematic review was carried out in Web of Science, SCOPUS, and ProQuest databases. Of the 585 results obtained, 5 articles were included in the review. The results showed that although PDA was detected in 1% to 27.9% of women suffering from IPV, the relationship was not significant. Inconsistencies in the definition of variables and their measurement were detected. Recommendations and a call for research on this phenomenon are presented to fill the gap in the literature and design more accurate methods for improving mental health in IPV female survivors.