title: Psychological and physical distress of sheltered battered women.
abstract: We explored the physical and psychological distress of sheltered battered women. A convenience sample of 50 ethnically diverse women was obtained from women who had resided in two shelters for at least 21 days. Participants had experienced multiple traumatic events (8.1+/-4.6); however, only 19 (38.8%) of the participants were diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). When we analyzed biopsychosocial variables, we saw beneficial effects of support (financial, social, spiritual). These findings reinforce the need to enhance the resources of battered women, to help them identify existing opportunities, and to fortify self-caring strategies that give them strength.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Health Care Nursing, School of Nursing, University of California, San Francisco 94143-0606, USA. janice.humphreys@nursing.ucsf.edu
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Humphreys
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Neylan
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Marmar
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D018585:Battered Women / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006208:Halfway Houses; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008603:Mental Health; D020380:Needs Assessment; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D012495:San Francisco; D012648:Self Care / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012944:Social Support; D013179:Spouse Abuse / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016387:Women's Health