NCJ Number
187742
Journal
Violence and Victims Volume: 16 Issue: 1 Dated: February 2001 Pages: 65-78
Date Published
February 2001
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This study examines the role of shame and guilt in psychological abuse and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in battered women.
Abstract
Battered women's reports of their victimization suggest that the effects of psychological abuse can be even more damaging than the effects of physical abuse. This study attempted to clarify the relationship between psychological abuse and PTSD within a sample of battered women by statistically controlling for the effects of physical abuse. The study also explored the affective experiences of shame and guilt as important variables in the development of PTSD in battered women. The study replicates previous research suggesting that battered women are very much at risk for a diagnosis of PTSD and suggests that clinicians and researchers may need to focus on psychological abuse as a predictor of PTSD symptomatology. Findings encourage attention to shame reactions in battered women and suggest new directions in the study of PTSD for other traumatized populations. The study suggests the need for research on whether psychological abuse is a unique predictor of other forms of psychopathology, such as depression, anxiety, and substance abuse. It also suggests that future investigations include many other variables. Additional cognitive, affective, and situational variables may interact with shame, influencing the development of PTSD in battered women. Table, figure, notes, references