Invalidation: A Central Process Underlying Maltreatment of Women with Disabilities

Recent qualitative studies indicate that maltreatment of women with disabilities by health care providers is a serious quality of care issue. To begin to address this problem, we conducted a secondary analysis of data derived from three qualitative studies of abuse of women with disabilities. Findings identified Invalidation as a central process underlying maltreatment. Invalidation was characterized by health care providers Taking Over care, Discounting, Objectifying, and Hurting women with disabilities during health care encounters. These findings highlight the need to educate health care providers about social and interpersonal aspects of disability and address the problem of Invalidation in health care settings.