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Learned Helplessness Contributing to Post Traumatic Stress and Depression
Summary:
Bargai, Shakhar, and Shalev (2007) designed a correlational study to test the idea that exposure to violence facilitates learned helplessness, which may contribute to the development of mental illness in battered women.
This experiment is a correlational experiment because none of the variables involved are being manipulated, they are being measured. They are measuring post traumatic stress disorder(PTSD), major depressive disorder(MDD), learned helplessness, history of physical and sexual violence, and the presence of a male dominated background. The researchers’ aim was to see if there was a correlational relationship between exposure to violence, learned helplessness, PTSD, and major depression in battered women. More specifically, women who have a reported history of abuse. The independent variables consist of the participants current DSM-IV Axis I diagnosis, and the different types of questionnaires and self reports provided by the researchers. The main dependent variable of this study was the level of learned helplessness the participants reported, compared along with the different levels of severity for PTSD, depression, past abuse and male dominated backgrounds reported.
In short, the researchers hypothesized that exposure to violence was positively correlated with learned helplessness. Furthermore they hypothesized that learned helplessness was associated with a history of physical and sexual violence as well as a male dominated upbringing. The sample originally included 140 women from 8 shelters for battered women in Israel, all of whom had previously been involved in an abusive heterosexual relationship. Prior to the initial...
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...ale domination is positively correlated with learned helplessness, and mental disorders such as PTSD and major depressive disorder. Each participant was administered several questionnaires and self reports that were appropriate to the subjects being measured. The results confirmed the researchers hypothesis. Those who were diagnosed with PTSD and MDD had high correlations with learned helplessness as well as all other conditions measured. Therefore, the researchers concluded that learned helplessness as a result of exposure to violence, may lead to the development of mental illness.
References
Bargai, N., Ben-Shakhar, G., & Shalev, A.Y., (2007). Posttraumatic stress disorder and depression in battered women: The mediating role of learned helplessness. Journal of Family Violence, 22, 276-275. doi: 10.1007/ s10896-007-9078-y
Battered women constitute one of the most marginalized groupings in the social order. Their relationship incidents occasionally put these individuals into disagreement with the law, particularly when they murder their violent partners. The Battered woman syndrome (BWS) was created by clinical psychologist (1970’s) with an intention of depicting the series of occurrences that physically abused women frequently experience in their relationships.
Bargai,Ben-Shakhar, and Shalev (2007) designed a study to test the hypothesis that learned helplessness (LH) intervenes the relationship between violence severity and mental disorders in battered women, particularly posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depression (MDD). They also hypothesis that the severity of LH, PTSD, and MDD is positively correlated with the severity of violence. Lastly, it was hypothesized that here is a significant correlation between LH and the invested background factors such as child abuse, socioeconomic and male-dominated backgrounds. The sample consisted of 102 battered woman from eight out of 11 Israel's shelters. All but one completed the 18-month course of this study.
An abused woman is always faced with a number of different choices from which she may consider, with regards to seeking help or ending the relationship with a variety of alternatives, the woman knows each decision involves a variety of risks. Time after time, the common question arises, “why doesn’t she just leave?” This question can be answered by analyzing the psychological effects domestic abuse has on women. Many women are unable to cope with the emotional and psychological stress of domestic abuse and resort to violence and extre...
... In conclusion, it is clearly shown that domestic violence has a negative effect on the children who witness it. An expanding body of research suggests that childhood trauma and adverse experiences can lead to a variety of negative health outcomes (Anda & Chapman & Dube & Felitti & Giles & Williamson, 2001, p.1). In fact, childhood stressors such as witnessing domestic violence and other household dysfunctions are highly interrelated and have a graded relationship to numerous health and social problems (Anda & Chapman & Dube & Felitti & Giles & Williamson, 2001, p.2). It is obvious and clearly shown that the children who witness domestic abuse have serious long-term mental effects.
The Battered Woman Syndrome (BWM) is a syndrome whereas women react in a certain manner because of repetitively physical or psychological abused imposed on them by their mates. The Battered Woman Syndrome (BMW) is not limited in one area or location it is a problem that is occurring all over in the world (2009, pg. 148). Like every other issue in the world criticism come into play by psychologists and others when someone claims that they are victims of the Battered Woman Syndrome or the Battered Woman Defense when they are taken to trial for killing their batterers (BMW) (2009, pgs. 162-163).
Warshaw, C., Sullivan, C., & Rivera, E. (2013, February). Domestic violence and other lifetime trauma can have significant mental health consequences. Retrieved October 27, 2017, from http://www.nationalcenterdvtraumamh.org/
Domestic Violence Statistics states, “Around the world, at least one in every 3 women has been beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused during her lifetime” (1). The United States Department of Justice defines domestic violence as, “a pattern of abusive behavior in any relationship that is used by one partner to gain or maintain power and control over another intimate partner” (para. 1). Domestic violence is a crime that numerous citizens fall victim to in every country. Anyone can be a victim of domestic violence regardless of race, gender, sexuality or religion. Being a victim of domestic violence can affect a person’s way of life permanently and the way these victims interact with other people can become a difficult task and can eventually affect their future. Domestic violence is substantially wrong because it can cause drastic permanent effects in a person’s life, can cause physical, emotional and intellectual damage, and affects a child’s state of mind of what is normal and what is not if they are in a domestic violent atmosphere. While women are usually victims of domestic violence, men are victims of this crime as well. The Clark County Prosecuting Attorney states that, “According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics Crime Data Brief, men account for approximately fifteen percent of the victims of reported intimate partner crimes” (Clark County Prosecuting Attorney, par.1). Physical, emotional, economic and physiological abuses are all forms of domestic violence that many people would consider to fall under another crime. There are many crimes that many citizens commit, but domestic violence is one of many that should not be taken lightly.
Agnew acknowledges that stress can be caused by negative situations, such as abuse or neglect, family conflict, or stressful life events. These situations can all be found to be extremely prevalent in households where domestic violence occurs. According to this theory, the negative stimuli presented causes, in this case, the woman to feel angry, frustrated, disappointed, depressed, and fearful. These negative feelings, in turn, are outwardly expressed through violence. In this paper, we will look at battered woman syndrome as a theory that stems from Robert Agnew's general strain theory.
Paddock, Catharine, PhD. "Mental Health Disorders Linked to Domestic Violence." Medical News Today. MediLexicon International, 2012. Web. 22 Feb. 2014.
Holt, S., Buckley, H., & Whelan, S. J. (2008). The impact of exposure to domestic violence on children and young people: A review of the literature. Child Abuse and Neglect, 32, 797-810.
Dorn, R., Volavka, J., & Johnson, N. (2012). Mental disorder and violence: is there a relationship beyond substance use?. Social Psychiatry & Psychiatric Epidemiology, 47(3), 487-503. doi:10.1007/s00127-011-0356-x
Lundy, M., & Grossman, S. F. (2005). The mental health and service needs of young children exposed to domestic violence: Supportive data. Families in Society, 86(1), 17-29. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/230168631?accountid=10825
In the article “The Mental Health of Children Who Witness Domestic Violence”, Meltzer et al. (2009) noted that domestic violence is not only limited to seeing the actual violent acts taking place, but it also includes witnessing the outcomes of the violence. These outcomes can include seeing their parent hurt and depressed, as well as noticing the broken objects left around the house. As well as defining domestic violence, Meltzer et al. (2009) discussed the steps that were taken to conduct a random research on families and children that had been exposed to domestic violence and those who had not. The researchers identified...
Women who live in violent households experience intense feelings of fear, panic, and anxiety (Jones 87). Many experience feelings of depression and shame, because they feel guilty about staying in their current situation (Jones 87). Women who are vic...
Batterers often possess a low self-esteem and gain a sense of power by means of humiliating and controlling their partner. Control techniques can include verbal insults intended to bring down the partner’s self-esteem, threats meant to scare the partner into obedience, or mind games aimed at making the victim feel unsure and weak. Batterers who unable the victim to control their own life and display the power they have in the relationship tend to use physical abuse such as pushing, slapping, pinching, grabbing, or other demonstrations of physical strength. Extreme possessiveness is one of the key characteristics of abusers; they want their partner to accou...