Association of War-Related and Gender-Based Violence With Mental Health States of Yazidi Women

Yazidi women in Northern Iraq have experienced severe human rights violations by the Islamic State group that have gravely impacted their physical and mental health. This study examines the association between Yazidi women’s experiences with intimate partner violence, enslavement, other types of gender-based violence, and their mental health conditions - specifically the measurement of the severity of post traumatic stress disorder and depression. The study evaluates 326 married women from the Yazidi population in camps for displaced persons in the Kurdistan region of Iraq in 2017 and highlights the direness in addressing gender-based violence affecting women within health care systems treating war-affected populations.