СИМПТОЫ ПОСТТРАВМАТИЧЕСКОГО СТРЕССОВОГО РАССТРОЙСТВА У ЖЕНЩИН, ЖЕРТВ НАСИЛИЯ В СЕМЪЕ В РЕСПУБЛИКЕ МАКЕДОНИЯ
Блажевска В.1, Науновски T.2
1Мастер; 2Доктор философских наук, MИT университет, факультет психологии - Скопье, Республика Македония
СИМПТОЫ ПОСТТРАВМАТИЧЕСКОГО СТРЕССОВОГО РАССТРОЙСТВА У ЖЕНЩИН, ЖЕРТВ НАСИЛИЯ В СЕМЪЕ В РЕСПУБЛИКЕ МАКЕДОНИЯ
Аннотация
Настоящее исследование посвящено изучению ПТСР симптоматики у женщин - жертв домашнего насилия в Республике Македония. Клиническая группа состоит из 31 женщины, перенесшей насилие в семье, и обратившейся за помощью. Вторая группа состоит из 31 женщины, не подвергавшейся насилию. Анализы показали, что 68% женщин из клинической группы имеют серьезную ПТСР симптоматику. Хи-квадрат тест показывает статистически значимую разницу между двумя образцами с точки зрения возникновения посттравматического стрессового расстройства.
Ключевые слова: насилие в семье, женщины, ПТСР.Blazhevska V.1, Naunovski T.2
1Master of psychological sciences, 2Doctor of philosophy, MIT University, Faculty of psychology - Skopje, Republic of Macedonia
SYMPTOMS OF PTSD IN WOMEN VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IN REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA
Abstract
The present study investigates the incidence of PTSD symptomatology in women victims of domestic violence in Republic of Macedonia. The clinical sample comprised 31 women who sustained domestic violence and sought help in the social centers in the country. Community sample includes 31 women who were not exposed to domestic violence. Analysis showed that 68% of clinical sample has PTSD symptomatology. Chi-square test indicates statistically significant difference (p<0,001) between the two samples in terms of the occurrence of PTSD which means that the symptoms of PTSD very often occur in women victims of domestic violence compared to women who are not victims of domestic violence.
Keywords: domestic violence, women, PTSD.INTRODUCTION
For many women in the world home is the place where they are exposed to terror and violence by someone who supposed to be a close one and trusted person. In most cases, the woman reveals the violence and seek help when the situation is utterly unbearable, and meanwhile she often survives many traumatic events that adversely reflect on hers psychophysical well-being. A common defense reaction on the traumatic events is an attempt to wipe out the memories of those events of consciousness (Kellerman & Hudgins, 2010). The paradox is that the memories refuses to be buried in the unconscious. The more a person tries to forget, the greater becomes the power of traumatic memories and changes person's life. Psychological symptoms that occur during the psychological trauma indicates existing of the unspoken secret and in the same time distracting the attention from that secret (Herman, 1992).
Republic of Macedonia has a small number of studies refer to mental health of women victims of domestic violence. The results from present study would be used to determine the proper direction in setting differential diagnosis to women victims of domestic violence. This will allow an appropriate psychotherapeutic intervention, more efficient trauma recovery - better re-socialization and teaching the victims for new life skills which will help them to live fulfilled life.
METHODOLOGY
Participants and procedure
This research involves clinical and community samples, comprised of 62 women aged 20 to 60. Clinical sample comprised 31 women who sustained domestic violence and sought help to the social centers in Republic of Macedonia in period from March to October 2014. All of them were abused by husband. The community sample comprised 31 women who were not exposed to domestic violence. This sample is used as a control group. In order to exclude the existence of domestic violence in community sample, it was used WAST - Women Abuse Screening Tool developed by Judith Belle Brown, Barbara Lent, Gail Schmidt, and George Sas, published in 2000. The women in both samples were ask about demographics data. Women who sought help for domestic violence were ask information about the abuse. Symptoms of PTSD were detected with PTSD check list - PCL-C, developed by Weathers, Litz, Huska, & Keane National Center for PTSD - Behavioral Science Division, published in 1994. This research has a purpose to confirm the hypothesis: symptoms of PTSD very often occur in women victims of domestic violence compared to women who are not victims of domestic violence.
RESULTS
Average age of the clinical sample of participants is 37.4, and in the community sample average age is 39.6.
In terms of education, 35% of women of clinical sample finished primary education, 52% secondary education and 13% have a university degree. Community sample comprised 16% of women who finished primary education, 48% secondary education, and 35% have a university degree.
In terms of marital status, clinical sample involves 68% married women, 32% divorced or separated. In the community sample, all participants are married.
42% of clinical sample are employed women and 58% are unemployed. Community sample has 71% employed women and 29% unemployed.
The clinical sample involves 74% Macedonians, Albanians 20%, Serbs 3% and Roma 3%. The sample of women who were not expose to domestic violence, 90% are Macedonian, 7% Albanians, 3% Serbian.
In the clinical sample 80% are Orthodox Christians and 20% are Muslims. 93% of the community sample are Orthodox Christians, and 7% are Muslims.
According to the age when participants got married, 32% of clinical sample got married to their 18th birthday, and 68% got married when they were over 18 years old. Compared to community sample, 7% got married before their 18th birthday and 93% got married after age of 18.
Results related to the domestic violence
13% of clinical sample sought help for emotional abuse, 48% reported emotional and physical abuse and 39% of women reported emotional, physical and sexual abuse by the partner.
30% of the women sustained domestic violence during their pregnancy, and 94% stated that their children witnessed the violence.
Results of testing the hypothesis
The theoretical minimum score of PTSD check list PCL-C is 17 and the maximum score is 85. In the clinical sample, minimum score is 17, maximum score is 85, M = 52.68. In the community sample the minimum score is 17, the maximum is 59, and M = 27.72.
Results showed that PTSD symptoms occur in 68% of women of clinical sample, and 6% of women of community sample shows symptoms of PTSD.
Following are the results of χ2 - chi square test. Out of 31 women, 21 were diagnosed with PTSD in the clinical sample and 10 women do not have PTSD symptoms. In the community sample there are 2 women diagnosed with PTSD (6%), and 29 have no such symptoms.
According to these data, results of χ2 - test indicates that there is a statistically significant difference between two samples at the level of 0,001 (p <0,001). This result confirms the hypothesis which states: symptoms of PTSD very often occur in women victims of domestic violence compared to women who are not victims of domestic violence.
DISCUSION AND CONCLUSION
The analysis showed that women who are victims of domestic violence very often occur symptoms of PTSD compared to women who were not exposed to domestic violence. Although PTSD is often a characteristic to people who experienced rape, childhood abuse and military veterans, research increasingly shows that women who are victims of domestic violence very often occur PTSD symptomatology. That requires special psychotherapeutic treatment. Women who sustained domestic violence and shows PTSD symptomatology have even more complex problems arise in terms of raising children, the quality of social contacts, self-harm, problems in the workplace. In the present study, leading idea was setting the right diagnose for women victims of domestic violence because that will allow applying proper psychotherapeutic methods and techniques . All of this will contribute to faster and more efficient recovery from trauma of domestic violence.
References
- Basile KC, Hertz MF, Back SE. Intimate Partner Violence and Sexual Violence Victimization Assessment Instruments for Use in Healthcare Settings: Version
- Atlanta (GA): Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control; 2007 2. Blanchard, E.B., Jones-Alexander, J., Buckley, T.C., & Forneris, C.A. (1996). Psychometric properties of the PTSD Checklist (PCL). Behaviour Research and Therapy, 34, 669-673.
- Herman, J., (1992), Trauma and Recovery; The Aftermath of violence from domestic abuse to political terror. Basic Books, New York
- Kellerman P.F., Hudgins M.K., (2010), Psychodrama with Trauma Surviviors Acting Out Your Pain Jessica Kingsley Publishers, London and Philadelphija
- Rothschild B, (2011), Trauma Essentials – The Go-to guide, W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. New York