Management of Women Who Experience Domestic Abuse: Study Comparing Psychological Outcomes at the Maison Des Femmes in Saint-Denis and a Convential Shelter

ach year, it is estimated that an average of approximately 219,000 women in France suffer physical and/or sexual violence at the hands of their partner or ex-partner. These figures do not take into account other types of violence such as psychological or economic violence. Domestic violence has a major impact on the physical, sexual and psychological health of women victims. For example, the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder in these women varies between 33 and 84%, with an average prevalence of 61%, compared with only 2.2% in the French population as a whole. Multidisciplinary medical, social and legal support for these women is essential. In France, there are major territorial disparities in terms of the distribution of facilities for victims of domestoc violence, and not all women victims have the same access to care depending on their place of residence.

The Maison des Femmes in St Denis has been open since 2016. It offers a unique range of sanitary, social and judicial services through cooperation with police and justice departments, for women who have been subjected to any type of violence.

This facility is unique in France, and the number of consultations continues to increase, and was more than 8,500 in 2018. The Maison des Femmes model is intended to be exported to other departments, but first the model needs to be validated, beyond its obvious attractiveness (illustrated by the number of consultations and the fact that it attracts women from throughout the Ile de France region) by comparing it to other facilities in terms of its effect on the management of the women.

This is a cross-sectional prevalence study that estimates the frequency of post-traumatic stress disorder among women who are victims of domestic violence who used the services offered at the Maison des Femmes or other dedicated structures, at the initial consultation and 6 months later.