The extent of psychological distress among battered women attending Nicro women's support centre

Abstract

The aim of this study was to ascertain the frequency with which battered women attending Nicro Women's Support Centre (NWSC) present with symptoms of psychological distress. The literature centres on debates around the presence or absence of psychological problems amongst battered women. The psychopathological model tends to view women as being in some way responsible for their abuse, Iinking pathology with their personality or characteristics. The feminist perspective places the blame for such violence with the patriarchal nature of society, so that women's responses rue seen as adaptive to their experience of trauma. While recognising the social roots of violence against women, research evidence points to the presence of symptoms such as depression, anxiety, substance abuse, suicidal ideation and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in women who have a history of abuse. The risks these symptoms pose to women's mental health cannot be ignored. In this study a survey of a random sample of the 1995 intake files at the NWSC focused on symptoms recorded, using DSM IV criteria as a guide. Evidence of a history of, or referral for psychological treatment, and certain demographic data, were also recorded. More than a third of the women were found to have symptoms of psychological distress, suggestive of a need for resources for their treatment. Recommendations for the assessment and management of these women were made, including the provision of longer term counselling so as to reduce the need to refer women elsewhere.