title: Victims of violence and psychiatric illness.
abstract: The authors investigated the relationship between physical and sexual abuse and psychiatric illness. The life experiences of 188 male and female psychiatric patients were reconstructed through an in-depth examination of psychiatric inpatient records. Almost half of the patients had histories of physical and/or sexual abuse; 90% of the abused patients had been victimized by family members. The abused patients' responses to chronic victimization included difficulty in coping with anger and aggression, impaired self-esteem, and inability to trust. The authors compare male and female victims and discuss the clinical implications of abuse.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000374:Aggression; D000786:Anger; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D005783:Gender Identity; D006252:Hate; D006753:Hospital Records; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology; D008875:Middle Aged; D012649:Self Concept; D012737:Sex Factors; D012742:Sex Offenses; D013179:Spouse Abuse; D014754:Violence