The main goal of this article is to suggest some processes by which the behavioral interactions of an abusive couple can be developed and maintained. A summary of these processes as they have been adapted from the animal analog and human research follows. First, the pairing of abuse (punishment) with love and affection (reinforcement) could indicate that the battered woman responds to the reinf...

This study aimed at investigating psychological health problems experienced by working women as a result of their experiences of intimate partner violence (IPV). One hundred one working women participated in the study. Results indicated that nearly half of the participants reported partner violence. Compared with nonabused women, abused women showed significantly higher levels of depressive sym...

In an attempt to explore the possibly adaptive function obesity may serve for some women with histories of sexual trauma, we examined relationships among sexual abuse history, body dissatisfaction, and maximum weight fluctuation among obese (n = 38; Body Mass Index > or = 27.3) and nonobese (n = 112; Body Mass Index < 27.3) women sampled from a primary care medical setting. History of sexual ab...

OBJECTIVE To examine the effects of women's subjective definitions of wife abuse and of their general attitudes to acceptance of male dominance on the occurrence of domestic violence. STUDY DESIGN A case-control survey was conducted in the public health center of Babol University of Medical Sciences from November 2002 to October 2003. The Abuse Assessment Screen Form was used to identify part...

Pregnancy offers an opportunity for midwives to recognise and respond to women experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV). However, most antenatal care interventions have been conducted in private specialist services in high-income countries and do not address the structural and cultural realities of developing country settings. We report on an exploratory qualitative study conducted in anten...

Substance abuse and welfare reform are among the nation's highest priorities, and research that examines linkages between the two is of extreme importance to both government policy and the community. Welfare reform will have serious implications for substance abusers as well as for the various professionals who treat them and work to move their clients into functional recovery and self-sufficie...

Although studies have identified a relationship between a history of child sexual abuse (CSA) and problems with hypoactive sexual desire, little is known about the potential cognitive and affective mechanisms involved in the sexual desire of women with a history of CSA. In this study, 27 women with a history of CSA and 22 women with no history of abuse were asked to write about sexual and non s...

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant public health problem associated with high rates of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Few longitudinal studies have investigated IPV-related PTSD and we know of only 1 longitudinal study to date that has explored IPV-related PTSD in residents of battered women's shelters. The current report describes a prospective study of IPV-related PTSD in...

The article focuses on definitions of and beliefs about wife abuse among undergraduate social work students in Israel. Data were collected through self-administered questionnaires. The vast majority of students in Study 1 acknowledged acts thought to constitute wife assault and disapproved of a husband's use of force against his wife. The majority of students in Study 2 did not justify wife abu...

BACKGROUND Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a global public health concern with possible detrimental consequences for its victims. Studies have found prevalence rates of 15 to 71% for IPV. There is evidence that IPV exposed women perceive barriers to help-seeking and many remain undetected by care givers and authorities. This cross-sectional study aimed to examine IPV exposed women in relatio...