Healing after domestic violence: Why community connections matter for both mind and body

What is it about?

Domestic violence can affect both mental and physical health long after the violence itself. This research study looked at whether the social groups women feel they belong to are linked with their recovery. We worked with women accessing domestic violence support services in Ireland. Participants listed the social identities that mattered to them, including family roles, friendships, work, volunteering, faith groups, hobbies, or support groups. We then looked at the different impacts of family versus community identities on survivors' psychological and physical health. Community identities are the parts of ourselves that come from belonging to groups outside the family. They are the “I am part of…” identities that connect people to wider social worlds, such as a support group, workplace, faith community, local organisation, volunteering role, sports club, book club, neighbourhood group, advocacy network, or friendship circle. We then examined whether these identities were linked with trauma symptoms, positive psychological growth after trauma, and a saliva-based marker of immune function. The findings showed that simply having more social connections was not enough to predict better recovery. What mattered was the type of identity. Family identities were linked with higher levels of complex posttraumatic stress symptoms. On the other hand, community identities were linked with fewer trauma symptoms, more posttraumatic growth, and stronger immune function. In other words, recovery was not only shaped by whether women had social connections, but by whether those connections were safe, meaningful, and empowering.

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Photo by Danie Franco on Unsplash

Photo by Danie Franco on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Social connection is often seen as an important part of recovery from trauma, but this study shows that not all forms of connection work in the same way. For women recovering from domestic violence, family relationships may sometimes be complicated, painful, or closely tied to the trauma itself. In these cases, family identities may not always be protective. Community identities, however, appeared to offer important benefits. These may include belonging to peer support groups, local organisations, workplaces, faith communities, volunteering groups, hobby groups, or other safe and valued spaces. Such identities can help survivors rebuild their confidence, agency, purpose, and a more positive sense of self. The study is also important because it connects social identity not only with psychological recovery, but also with immune function. This suggests that safe and meaningful community connections may matter for both mental and physical health. For practitioners and services: supporting survivors should not only involve reducing isolation, but helping women build safe, affirming, and meaningful community roles. Recovery is not an individual process. It is also shaped by the social worlds people are able to access after trauma.

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