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Antonio Molina Rodríguez
Daño psíquico en mujeres víctimas de violencia de género
results very similar to ours. One finding upheld by the literature
consulted is that women victims of gender violence show an
association between the traumatic experience and its effect on
mental health (9,11). Other studies aiming to determine the
time of response between the onset of violence and the time
of appearance of symptoms came to the conclusion that the
symptoms in women with no previous mental disorder tended to
appear within the range1-5 years (12); our future research efforts
we will take into account this “window” for the appearance of
symptoms.
Specifically, the scores on GHQ-28 sub-scales indicate that
the poor health and the need for medication appear in roughly
30% of the women regarding both psychosomatic symptoms
and anxiety. Just over 20% required treatment for depression.
Only 10% presented a pathological situation in terms of their
social/work environment. In general, a moderate effect is seen
for the scales A, B and D. This result is in line with the findings
of other studies in that a moderate-serious association exists
between gender violence and depression, anxiety and stress
(9,11). This could be attributed to the high percentage of women
who exhibited good social/work adaptation. In this case, work
is experienced as a positive force, providing security and self-
esteem. It therefore facilitates a proper management of the
stress that violence may generate. Studies show that one socio-
demographic variable characterizing battered women is the
prolonged relationship with the aggressor, with the additional
circumstance of the woman´s not having a job (34). Accordingly,
having a job and economic autonomy favors decision-making and
can help lead the way out of the situation of abuse. Furthermore,
work can “counter-act” the negative symptoms in these women,
serving as an escape valve. Rothman et al. (35) confirmed how
important having a job can be for women who are victims of
gender violence. Among the benefits, they found improved self-
esteem, increased social contact, “breathing room”, and a vital
objective.
As indicated, neither age nor the persistence of violence,
nor the type of relationship with the aggressor had a correlation
with the general state of health of the woman victim. There was
a correlation between the scores in somatic symptoms, anxiety,
withdrawal, depression and T-GHQ score and the “complex
violence”, the combination of physical and psychic violence
that is known to cause greater damage to the general health.
These data support the findings of previous authors, who affirm
that undergoing complex violence increases the symptoms of
deterioration of mental health (17,10,11). In our review of the
literature addressing the duration and frequency of aggressions,
we encountered different terms used as synonyms. We chose to
denominate the existence of violence over time and occurring
frequently as “persistence of violence”. The studies consulted
reflect some disparity in results when there are correlations of
the duration and/or frequency of the violence and the damage
for the health. Golding (10) refers to a dose-response relationship
between violence and depression. Bonomi et al. (17) also
found an association between the duration of abuse and the
affectation of the health of women. Nonetheless, Beydoun et
al. (9) found that only a small proportion of women who had
been exposed to gender violence for a long time suffered from
depressive symptoms. Patró Hernández et al. (16) likewise found
no relationship between the duration of abuse and the levels
of depression in victims of gender violence, but conclude there
is a relationship with the frequency of the episodes of abuse.
Nonetheless, various studies have demonstrated a connection
between exposure to violence and stressors (9). We found no
significant correlation between the age and the general state
of health. Other authors arrive at a significant association, the
younger women presenting more depressive symptoms and a
greater deterioration of self-esteem (15). Regarding the type of
relationship between the victim and the aggressor, there was
no statistically significant association with the health. This result
coincided with the findings reported by Stewart (36).
Finally, the results give a significant association between
“emotional stability” and psychic damage in the women suffering
gender violence. This correlation is even greater when the
“emotional stability” is studied as a trait within the variable
“associated factors”. Comparatively, the results obtained on the
GHQ subscales offer scores that double or triple the effect of
abuse when the emotional stability is associated with the rest of
the 16PF factors.
Generally speaking, we may affirm that our results point
to emotional stability as a protecting factor for the health of
women subjected to gender violence. These results are in
line with previous reports. Lazenbatt et al. (37) studied the
means of coping with gender violence among a population of
women over 50 years of age, as well as the consequences for
their health. Their results point to the existence of pathological
mechanisms of adaptation such as the abuse of alcohol and
self-medication, concluding that their state of health was at an
elevated risk. Although the concept of
coping
may not mean
exactly the same thing to everyone who uses the term (13), it
can be said in general that
coping focused on the emotional
is
less effective as a procedure in order to minimize the negative
emotions. Proving more effective would be
coping focused on
the problem,
whose objective is to influence and eliminate the
source of stress (33). In the context of gender violence, these
findings have been confirmed. It is our understanding that
the means of avoiding this situation by focusing on emotional
aspects and resorting to avoidance behaviors bears a relation
with a profile of emotional instability. Thus, Lilly and Graham-
Bermann (38) report that women using a coping mechanism
based on emotion showed more symptoms of post-traumatic
stress and were more likely to expose themselves to situations
of violence again. Similarly, studies involving other populations,
such as Viet Nam veterans, revealed that the individuals who
scored low in emotional stability (measured using the 16PF)
developed more post-traumatic stress symptoms (39).
CONCLUSIONS
In this article “emotional stability” is dealt with as a
specific trait having a particularly important influence on the
response of the women who suffer from gender violence. Our
main conclusion is that there is a strong statistical correlation
between emotional instability and the psychic damage to
women. This allows us to identify the more vulnerable women
who require attention, to approach them in a preventive stage.
Acknowledgments:
The authors wish to express their
gratitude to Spain´s
Administración de Justicia
, to the women
participating in this study, and to the
Instituto de la Mujer
(Ministry of Social Affairs).
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