Citation

Murphy PA. Law Policy 1997; 19(2): 169-182.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1997, Baldy Center for Law and Social Policy, State University of New York at Buffalo, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/1467-9930.00026

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This article highlights the importance of understanding how the impact of domestic violence renders participation in welfare-to-work programs highly problematic since the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (a not uncommon outcome of domestic violence experience) can undermine the victim's best efforts to benefit from training and return to work programs. A short history of PTSD is provided with the cautionary note that definitions of PTSD remain in flux. Sub-categories of PTSD, such as Battered Women's Syndrome, are also reviewed. Recovery from PTSD is not described in psychotherapeutic terms, but in rehabilitative terms with an emphasis on those recovery processes which facilitate restoration of psychological and functional capacities, leading to participation in welfare-to-work or retraining programs with labor market participation as the goal.

Language: en