Addressing intimate partner violence with female patients with chronic physical disabilities: the role of physical therapists

Barriers to the health and well-being of women with multiple sclerosis in Southwestern Ontario, Canada

PURPOSE

This study explores the lived experiences of women living with multiple sclerosis (MS) and identifies barriers to their optimal health and well-being.

METHODOLOGY

Using van Manen's interpretative phenomenologic analysis, the researchers conducted semistructured interviews with 23 women diagnosed with MS in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Data were analyzed using NVivo 12 software, and themes were validated through member checking.

RESULTS

The study revealed a key theme of "obstacles for women with MS" and subthemes related to barriers to physical, mental, and social well-being. Participants reported experiencing feelings of health despite their MS diagnosis but identified various constraints on their optimal health and well-being, including challenges with employment, financial support, and housing security.

CONCLUSION

The findings highlight the need for healthcare professionals to advocate for equitable treatments, medication, and accessibility supports for women with MS, as well as for policies that address disability income support and affordable housing. Further research is recommended to explore power imbalances experienced by women with MS in precarious employment situations or living with episodic disabilities.

Exploring the Relationships Between Rehabilitation and Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence: A Scoping Review

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a public health crisis affecting one in three women and one in ten men in their lifetimes. Rehabilitation professionals are highly likely to encounter survivors of IPV in their practice; yet, there exists no formal review assessing the relationship between IPV and rehabilitation. Our objective was to understand the types and contexts of rehabilitation care currently available for survivors of IPV, opportunities identified in the literature for rehabilitation care, and IPV awareness and education among rehabilitation providers. A search strategy related to IPV and four rehabilitation professionals of interest (occupational therapy, physiotherapy, speech-language pathology/therapy, and physiatry) was developed across 10 databases and complemented by a gray literature search. Two reviewers independently assessed articles for inclusion. In all, 44 articles met inclusion criteria, ranging from primary research articles (48%) to clinical newsletters. Included articles predominantly focused on opportunities for rehabilitation care (68%) and occupational therapists as a profession (68%). A minority of studies examined specific interventions for IPV survivors (18%) or assessed for knowledge and attitudes about IPV (16%) among rehabilitation professionals. To our knowledge, this is the first scoping review exploring the rehabilitation literature for IPV survivors. These findings show an awareness of IPV among rehabilitation professionals, the importance of identifying IPV in clients, and the ways in which rehabilitation professionals are uniquely situated to support survivors of IPV. There remains an opportunity to explore interventions designed specifically for IPV survivors.

The Lived Experience of Interdependence: Support Worker Relationships and Implications for Wider Rehabilitation

Engaging in a meaningful life where one can exercise autonomy has been proposed as a key aim of rehabilitation. Influenced by a neoliberal worldview, this has traditionally been characterised by a pursuit towards individual functional independence in which one completes tasks and activities unassisted. However for many persons, individual functional independence may not be a realistic, prioritised or beneficial goal. Many individuals must learn to work with support workers to exercise choice and control. Such relationships extend beyond a transactional nature and involve many subtle characteristics. In this article, I draw on my lived experience of partnering with support workers to illustrate the complexity of such relationships and how they can enable interdependence to serve as a vehicle to self-determination. I finish with some ideas about what rehabilitation can do to recognise the important role human connections play in facilitating interdependence. Understanding the nature of these relationships is necessary to provide services which value interdependence, supporting people to pursue a meaningful life following impairment.