NCJ Number
99148
Journal
Victimology Volume: 9 Issue: 3-4 Dated: (1984) Pages: 450-463
Date Published
1984
Length
14 pages
Annotation
The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between abuse experienced and need structures of abused women.
Abstract
Women who sought treatment from one of twelve domestic violence programs in Washington state (N=115) served as subjects for the study. All participants were administered the Domestic Violence Assessment Form and the Adjective Check List at time of entry into the program. Frequency distributions were used to examine demographic data. Correlational associations were computed to examine the relationship of abuse and personality needs of the abused women. Several significant relationships were found between severity of abuse and the 33 need scores on the Adjective Check List. However, no positive associations were found for the scales Femininity, Masculinity, Abatement, and Nurturance as hypothesized. These results seemed to indicate that abused women who sought treatment from domestic violence programs do present certain personality needs, although not those suggested by the literature. Implications for future research include further exploration of identified personality characteristics and needs of abused women. In addition, the processes for implementation of these findings in treatment programs for abused women require further research. (Author abstract)