Support for victims of gender-based violence reduces depression

PalmContinued attention to women victims of gender violence can make a before and after in their emotional health. This is evidenced by a study by the association Endavant, which concludes that this support reduces depression and stabilizes anxiety one year after starting the programs of the Institut Mallorquí d’Afers Socials (IMAS).

The research, developed between 2024 and 2025 with a pilot group of fifteen participants —fourteen of whom continued in the program—, puts figures to this improvement. According to the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), depression levels are significantly reduced, while anxiety remains stable, consolidating a positive evolution over time.

But beyond the data, the study points to a profound change: women reinforce their tools for managing emotions, gain self-esteem and autonomy, and improve their decision-making capacity. At the same time, they develop a clearer perspective to identify situations of gender violence, including its less visible forms, such as symbolic or institutional ones.

The profile of the participants reflects a reality marked by vulnerability: migrant women, from nine countries —mostly from Latin America— and, in almost all cases, in an irregular administrative situation. The study emphasizes that their continuity in the programs is not due to personal dependence, but to the structural inequalities they face.

Overall, the research highlights the importance of going beyond one-off attention and committing to long-term programs. The combination of emotional health, gender perspective, and social inclusion emerges as a key element to support victims and promote real and lasting recovery processes.