Citation

Campbell JC, Lewandowski LA. Psychiatr. Clin. North Am. 1997; 20(2): 353-374.

Affiliation

Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1997, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

9196919

Abstract

This article reviews the literature on the effects of domestic violence on women and children. The introduction notes that domestic violence affects millions of women in the US each year, significantly increasing their health problems and their use of the health care system. The next sections review the incidence of mortality related to such abuse and women's physical health sequelae from battering. Consideration of women's mental health consequences focuses on the traumatic response framework that has been developed to conceptualize the psychological effects of domestic violence. The article then considers studies of abuse during pregnancy. Next, the article turns to the children of battered women, noting how they often fit the description of traumatized children but that there have been no studies to date of the existence among them of post-traumatic stress disorder. After looking at studies that marked children's responses to traumatic events and the effects of domestic violence on the children, the review examines work that revealed developmental differences in children from violent homes. The article then points to several limitations in prior research in the area of domestic violence and highlights the lack of experimental evaluation of treatments or interventions. Next, research into possible opportunities for routine screening and intervention is considered. The article concludes by documenting the need for a change in the health care system so that it can respond appropriately to the needs of battered women.

Language: en