Current Reports on Perinatal Intimate Partner Violence.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The purpose of this study was to review the literature on perinatal intimate partner violence, focusing on recent knowledge to guide mental health professionals on the best approaches to identify and treat women exposed to perinatal intimate partner violence. RECENT FINDINGS: Risk factors have been broadened from individual victim and perpetrator factors to include relationship, community, and societal factors which interact together. Better information is now available on how to identify, document, and treat women exposed to violence around the time of conception, pregnancy, and the postpartum period. Recent information helps psychiatrists and other mental health professionals assist women exposed to violence related to the perinatal period; however, further research is needed to provide improved evidence for optimal interventions for better patient outcomes.

'My health is not a job': a qualitative exploration of personal health management and imperatives of the 'new public health'.

BACKGROUND: There is an increasing push in Western healthcare for people to 'manage' their health, a key aspect of what has been called the 'new public health'. It has been argued that this 'personal health management' - informal work done to monitor, inform, or influence one's health - may be a burden, with potential to contribute to poor health outcomes. However, there is little research actually examining perceptions of personal health management and the 'burden' of these activities, particularly for generally healthy individuals. METHODS: We conducted exploratory qualitative interviews with 30 generally healthy men and women about their perceptions and experiences of personal health management. Questions focused on health behaviours (e.g., information seeking), as well as feelings about these behaviours and perceptions of the time dedicated to health. Audio-recorded interviews were transcribed and analyzed qualitatively using NVivo 10. Where appropriate, quantitative codes were applied and descriptive statistics are reported alongside qualitative findings. RESULTS: Participants were generally satisfied with the amount of time spent on their health and few perceived personal health management as a burden. Many participants took issue with the concept of 'work' being associated with health and stressed the importance of taking personal responsibility for health. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that generally healthy people have internalised the notion of the 'new public health' and accepted the imperative of personal health responsibility. On the one hand, this bodes well for healthy individuals; their positive attitude may lead to better health outcomes, and the manageable amount of time spent suggests personal health management is unlikely to cause negative health consequences associated with stress. On the other hand, our findings may indicate that other factors, such as social determinants of health, are ignored in health promotion efforts and that those who cannot manage their own health may fall further behind. Future research should continue to explore the time people spend 'working' for their health, and how they perceive and respond to 'new public health' imperatives.