Citation

Pico-Alfonso MA, Echeburúa E, Martinez M. J. Fam. Violence 2008; 23(7): 577-588.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2008, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s10896-008-9180-9

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This study explores the personality disorder symptoms of women victims of intimate male partner violence (IPV), after controlling for the contribution of experiences of childhood abuse. Victims of both physical and psychological violence (n=73) or psychological violence alone (n=53) were compared with non-abused control women (n=52). Information about sociodemographic characteristics, childhood abuse, and personality characteristics (MCMI-II) was obtained through face-to-face structured interviews. Women victims of IPV had higher scores than controls in schizoid, avoidant, self-defeating personality scales, as well as in the three pathological personality scales (schizotypal, borderline and paranoid). Both physical and psychological IPV were strongly associated with personality disorder symptomatology, regardless of the effects of childhood abuse. These findings underscore the need to screen for personality disorder symptoms in women victims of IPV when dealing with therapeutic interventions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) (journal abstract)