PURPOSE: The purposes of this descriptive study were to: (a) describe the identifiable characteristics of the population of battered women; (b) examine mental health aspects by means of measuring level of anxiety, self-esteem, and depression. METHOD: A convenience sample of 96 battered women was recruited from women who were admitted to a shelter. RESULT & CONCLUSION: Data from this study supported the assertion that many battered women were exposed to severe physical abusive situations. Also the major finding was that the levels of anxiety and depression were high and the level of self-esteem was low in battered women living in shelters.
Anxiety ; Battered Women* ; Depression ; Female ; Humans ; Mental Health* ; Methods

INTRODUCTION: Although Battered Woman Syndrome is not listed in the DSM 5 and the ICD 10 as an official diagnosis, it is undeniable that women suffering Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) experience the same cycle of violence, suffer from a common range of symptoms, and have a predictable prognosis. While psychosocial guidelines and support are available, like in our Women and Child Protection Units (WCPU), there is also a gap in the clinical guidelines in treating and managing these cases, which might present with a combination of posttraumatic and depressive symptomatology. In this report, we discuss the case of a 32 year old woman who was subjected to severe physical and emotional abuse by her longtime romantic partner. She consulted at our center seeking help for a psychiatric evaluation for the case she was going to pursue in court but it was apparent she was suffering from posttraumatic, somatic, and depressive symptoms. Supportive therapy was initially done and she was started on Escitalopram and low dose Quetiapine for sleep problems. As her case started gathering steam, issues about the court process, possible setback with her church and possible retaliation from her partner weighed heavily on her. Possible issues were discussed beforehand and successfully faced up to her partner in a church related tribunal and in the fiscal's office. Using an Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing(EMDR) variant, Unfinished Trauma Episode Protocol (U-TEP), her posttraumatic symptoms were eventually addressed. As she started having faith in the legal system and her church, she had restored self-esteem, was active in her social circle and become an advocate in helping other women get proper treatment and to fight for their rights. Besides the clinician advocated treatment along with the services delivered via the WCPU network, the perception of getting justice from social institutions like the judiciary and the church helped in the recovery of this patient. Clinicians dealing with Battered Woman Syndrome should be aware of issues the patient might go through the stages of her fight and that the process of seeking for justice is also a process of mental healing.

Human ; Female ; Adult ; Depressive Disorder, Major ; Jurisprudence ; Battered Women ; Wounds And Injuries ; Violence ; Dependent Personality Disorder

OBJECTIVES: Intimate partner violence (IPV), commonly known as domestic violence is a problem throughout the world. An estimated 36% to 75% of employed abused woman are monitored, harassed and physically assaulted by their partners or ex-partners while trying to get to work and while at work. The objective of this research is to evaluate the effectiveness of interactive training to increase knowledge, change perceptions and develop an intention to address domestic violence that spills over into the workplace. METHODS: Community-based participatory research approaches were employed to develop and evaluate an interactive computerbased training (CBT) intervention, aimed to teach supervisors how to create supportive and safe workplaces for victims of IPV. RESULTS: The CBT intervention was administered to 53 supervisors. All participants reacted positively to the training, and there was a significant improvement in knowledge between pre- and post-training test performance (72% versus 96% correct), effect size (d) = 3.56. Feedback from focus groups was more productive than written feedback solicited from the same participants at the end of the training. CONCLUSION: Effective training on the impacts of IPV can improve knowledge, achieving a large effect size, and produce changes in perspective about domestic violence and motivation to address domestic violence in the workplace, based on questionnaire responses.
Battered Women ; Community-Based Participatory Research ; Domestic Violence ; Female ; Focus Groups ; Humans ; Intention ; Motivation ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Violence

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to examine predictors of anxiety and PTSD in battered women. METHOD: The data were collected from 555 women who were stratified samples according to 15,000:1 from a target population in Korea from November 18, 2004 to February 18, 2005. The data was analysed using the SPSS program. RESULTS: Predictors of anxiety were self esteem, stress, state anger, social support, trait anger, negotiation, and psychological violence. These variables explained 55.8% of anxiety. Predictors of PTSD were self esteem, state anger, trait anger, psychological violence, stress, and anger-in. These variables explained 43.2% of PTSD. CONCLUSION: It is considered that the importance of separating the effects of the different types of violence when taking into account its effects on women's mental health. To promote women's mental health, it is needed to develop self esteem improvement programs, and anger and stress management programs.
Anger ; Anxiety* ; Battered Women* ; Female ; Health Services Needs and Demand ; Humans ; Korea ; Mental Health ; Negotiating ; Self Concept ; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic* ; Violence

PURPOSE: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a serious public health issue among women. IPV victims usually seek help from hospitals, and emergency nurses are the frontline staff with whom the victims come into contact first. This study examined the conditions and patterns of IPV in southern Taiwan. METHODS: From designated hospitals in Kaohsiung under the Department of Health Injury Assessment Clinic, data were collected on 497 women regarding their injury assessment for IPV reported to the Kaohsiung City Government. RESULTS: Taiwanese survivors were older compared to immigrant survivors. Taiwanese survivors also had higher education levels compared to immigrant survivors. Taiwanese survivors had higher employment rate than immigrant survivors did. The time between IPV and medical help seeking was longer for divorced than married women. CONCLUSIONS: These results can facilitate understanding of the conditions and patterns of IPV in Taiwan, increase the awareness of nurses, especially the emergency nurses for the prevention of IPV, and increase professional competency for the provision of appropriate healthcare services to survivors of IPV.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Battered Women/*statistics & numerical data ; Female ; Humans ; Intimate Partner Violence/*statistics & numerical data ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Taiwan/epidemiology ; Young Adult