Edna I. Rawlings

Incidence and Correlates of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Battered Women Shelter and Community Samples

Battered women have been identified as being at risk for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This study further articulated the nature of the relationship between the trauma of battery and PTSD. One hundred seventy-nine battered women and 48 nonbattered but verbally abused women were recruited from several sources (shelters, support groups, therapist referrals, community). Battered women with and without PTSD were compared with the finding that battered women with PTSD had experienced more physical abuse, more verbal abuse, more injuries, a greater sense of threat, and more forced sex than battered women without PTSD. Eighty-one percent of the physically abused group met the criteria for the PTSD diagnosis, although 63% of the verbally abused group met the criteria. In multiple regression analyses in the battered sample, the strongest predictors of extent of PTSD were (in order of variance explained) the use of disengagement coping strategies to handle the battery, experiencing of negative life events, the battery experience, and lack of perceived social support. The diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder is important to consider when a woman has experienced a physically abusive relationship, but also when the experience has been of a verbally abusive relationship. It also is important to assess coping strategies, social support, and stressors to evaluate the potential psychological impact of the abuse.

A survey of clinical psychologists on treating lesbian, gay, and bisexual clients.

Should the average psychologist receive specific training on lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) concerns? On the basis of a random sample of practicing psychologists, LGB clients are present in most caseloads. Respondents rated the most important therapeutic issues with LGB clients and identified training that would improve their work with LGB clients (including the topics of coming out, estrangement from family, support system development, and internalized homophobia). In addition, participants reported on the types of training that they are getting (most frequently reading articles, supervision, and continuing education). The implications for training programs and private practitioners are considered.

A scale for identifying "Stockholm syndrome" reactions in young dating women: factor structure, reliability, and validity.

The factor structure, reliability, and validity of a 49-item scale designed to measure Stockholm Syndrome (also referred to as “traumatic bonding” and “terror bonding”), that is, bonding with an abusive partner, were assessed for college women in heterosexual dating relationships. Factor analysis identified three major factors: Core Stockholm Syndrome, characterized by cognitive distortions and other strategies for coping with abuse; Psychological Damage, marked by depression, low self-esteem, and loss of sense of self; and Love-Dependence, typified by the feeling that one cannot survive without one’s partner’s love. The scale and factors had excellent internal consistency and good test-retest reliabilities. They correlated negatively with the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability scale and positively with Horowitz, Wilner, & Alvarez’ (1979) Impact of Event Scale, Hyler and Rieder’s (1987) Borderline Personality Disorder Scale, Hatfield and Sprecher’s (1986) Passionate Love Scale, and Straus’ (1979) Verbal Aggression and Violence scales of the Conflict Tactics Scales.

USING VIDEOTAPES TO TREAT CHRONIC PATIENTS IN VICARIOUS THERAPY GROUPS

. Modeling or vicarious learning has been suggested as a significant aspect of change in psychotherapy. In a study of vicarious verbal conditioning in a quasigroup-therapy situation, Moore and Siprelle concluded that “Part of the benefit from group psychotherapy may result from observing other group members who function as models.” They also suggested making a film library of staged therapeutic contacts so that mdividuals with similar problems could view them and receive vicarious benefits.1 Since such a library would be costly and time-consuming, we decided to record on videotape the complete sequence of a time-limited psychotherapy group composed of acute patients and to show it to a group of chronic hospitalized patients. The psychotherapy group was composed of four men and four women from the inpatient service at the University of Iowa Psychiatric Hospital in Iowa City. They met over a five-week period for ten two-hour sessions, which were recorded on videotape. We explained the experimental nature and the details of the project to each member of the group that we videotaped, and we obtained their permission to use the taped sessions in our program. Those videotapes were then shown to a vicarious therapy group composed of six men from the inpatient psychiatric unit of the Veterans Administration Hospital in Iowa City. All the men manifested chronic problems and by the usual criteria would have been considered poor psychotherapy candidates. The group met twice a week in the viewing room. No therapist figure was available to the group. The picture was piped onto a monitor in the room so that the operators of the videotape equipment could be in a remote