NCJ Number
225092
Journal
Journal of Family Violence Volume: 23 Issue: 7 Dated: October 2008 Pages: 577-588
Date Published
October 2008
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This study examined the personality disorder symptoms of women victims of intimate male partner violence (IPV).
Abstract
Results indicated that when compared to nonabused controls, both physically and psychologically and only psychologically abused women had higher scores in schizoid, avoidant, self-defeating personality scales, as well as in the three pathology personality scales (schizotypal, borderline, and paranoid). In particular, physically and psychologically abused women had higher scores than nonabused women in schizoid, avoidant narcissistic, antisocial, aggressive, passive-aggressive (negativistic), self-defeating, schizotypal, borderline, and paranoid personality scales. On the other hand, women who were only psychologically abused differed from their nonabused counterparts in schizoid, avoidant, self-defeating, schizotypal, borderline, and paranoid personality scale scores. Generally, these finding are in agreement with earlier results showing that battered women exhibit more personality disturbances as compared to non-abused women. These findings underscore the need to screen for personality disorders in women who have been exposed to IPV as some abused women could be resistant to psychological treatment because comorbid personality disorders complicate the clinical picture. This should represent an important issue to be considered when dealing with therapeutic interventions. Data were collected from 182 women from the Valencian Community of Spain who were victims of IPV and seeking help from an outpatient counseling agency for battered women. Tables, references