Paper
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
603
An Ecological Model for Intimate Partner Violence, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Alcohol /Substance Dependence
Deanna L. Mulvihill, RN, BScNEd, MSc, PhD1, Marilyn Ford-Gilboe, RN, PhD2, Helene Berman, RN, PhD1, Cheryl Forchuk, RN, PhD3, and Rick Csiernik, MSW, PhD, RSW4. (1) School of Nursing, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada, (2) School of Nursing, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada, (3) School of Nursing, University of Western Ontario/Lawson Health Research Institute, London, ON, Canada, (4) School of Social Work, Kings College, London, ON, Canada
| Learning Objective #1: describe ecological models and list the benefits of viewing health issues from this perspective.
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| Learning Objective #2: review the connections and the interrelationships of violence, posttraumatic stress disorder and alcohol/substance dependence |
Pathways that link illness and social problems are often non-linear, involving multiple intervening variables and feedback loops. Human ecology theory focuses on humans as both biological and social beings that interact in a reciprocal relationship with their environment (Bubolz and Sontag, 1993). This is the basis of all ecological models for health promotion. While many other models focus on one dimension, ecological models are comprehensive multilevel models emphasizing a shared framework targeting all levels of the environment that impact on individual and collective behavior and provide linkages between the different levels. The philosophical foundation of this model is that behavior does not occur in a vacuum.
This paper will outline the development and advantages of ecological models. An example of the syndemic disease of violence, posttraumatic stress disorder and subsequent alcohol dependence will be utilized to demonstrate how this model can illuminate the impact of health determinants across the lifespan. It will also highlight its use in integrating research results, determining future research direction and practice strategies to address chronic diseases at an individual, interpersonal, organizational, community and public policy level.