Validating the Concept of Abuse
Women's Perceptions of Defining Behaviors and the Effects of Emotional Abuse on Health Indicators
Peggy J. Wagner, PhD;
Patrick F. Mongan, MD
Arch Fam Med. 1998;7:25-29.
Objectives To validate the construct of abuse in 2 ways: first, to examine female patients' perceptions of abusive behaviors that are typically used in standardized abuse scales; and second, to determine health status symptom and medical utilization differences between women who report emotional abuse and women who are not abused.
Design Cross-sectional interviews and medical record reviews.
Main Outcome Measures Modified directions to the Conflict Tactics Scale were used to identify women's perceptions of abusive behaviors. Personal history of abuse was determined by self-report. Health status was measured using the Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form Health Survey-36 and medical services utilization was determined from medical records. The Wahler Physical Symptom Inventory was used to measure symptom experience.
Setting Patients were interviewed in either a rural primary care practice or an urban medical university practice.
Patients Four hundred seven women older than 18 years were interviewed. Half were from an urban and half from a rural setting. Sixty-four percent of the sample was black.
Results Women saw more behaviors as abusive than are typically identified by the Conflict Tactics Scale and abused women identified more abusive behaviors than nonabused women. Significant health status differences were found between women who reported emotional abuse with no concurrent physical or sexual abuse and nonabused women on 7 of the 8 dimensions of the Short-Form Health Survey health status scales and on 25% of measured symptoms.
Conclusions These findings reflect the idea that women consider many behaviors to be abusive and that abused women perceive more behaviors as abusive than do nonabused women. Given that significant health status differences are shown between emotionally abused and nonabused women, emotional abuse can be viewed as a critical variable in patient health behavior.
From the Department of Family Medicine, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta.
RELATED ARTICLE
How Do You Define Abuse?
Sandra K. Burge
Arch Fam Med. 1998;7(1):31-32.
FULL TEXT
THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES
|
Is It Abuse? Deaf Female Undergraduates' Labeling of Partner Violence
Anderson and Kobek Pezzarossi
J Deaf Stud Deaf Educ 2011;0:enr048v1-enr048.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
Psychosocial Effects of Physical and Verbal Abuse in Postmenopausal Women
Mouton et al.
Ann Fam Med 2010;8:206-213.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
Computer-Assisted Screening for Intimate Partner Violence and Control: A Randomized Trial
Ahmad et al.
ANN INTERN MED 2009;151:93-102.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
Screening for Intimate Partner Violence in Medical Settings
Phelan
Trauma Violence Abuse 2007;8:199-213.
ABSTRACT
Attitudes and Beliefs About Domestic Violence: Results of a Public Opinion Survey: I. Definitions of Domestic Violence, Criminal Domestic Violence, and Prevalence
Carlson and Worden
J Interpers Violence 2005;20:1197-1218.
ABSTRACT
Issues in Estimating the Prevalence of Intimate Partner Violence: Assessing the Impact of Abuse Status on Participation Bias
WalterMaurer et al.
J Interpers Violence 2003;18:959-974.
ABSTRACT
Identifying domestic violence: cross sectional study in primary care
Richardson et al.
BMJ 2002;324:274-274.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
Physical Health Consequences of Physical and Psychological Intimate Partner Violence
Coker et al.
Arch Fam Med 2000;9:451-457.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
How Do You Define Abuse?
Burge
Arch Fam Med 1998;7:31-32.
FULL TEXT
|
