Battered Woman Syndrome Literature Review

BATTERED WOMAN SYNDROME LITERATURE REVIEW

Battered Woman Syndrome Literature Review

Cydney Jones

Western Washington University

One in four women has been a victim of domestic violence in her lifetime. Domestic violence is not just characterized by physical abuse but can occur in a variety of other forms, such as emotional/psychological and sexual. Often times, the victim is subjected to all of the aforementioned forms of abuse. Though men can suffer from relationship violence as well, women are the victims in 85% of cases, and for this reason, the focus of this paper is on women as victims of domestic violence (Domestic Violence Resource Center, 2012). After being victimized by abuse for an extended period of time, a woman can develop what is known as Battered Woman Syndrome, which will be discussed in further detail later. Before delving into that topic, it is necessary to get some background information about domestic violence and why it is important.

Domestic Violence

Domestic violence is much more prevalent in the United States than most know or wish to believe. Every nine seconds, a woman is physically abused by someone she knows (Roberts, 2006). On average, there are between 1.5 million and 2 million women per year that receive emergency medical attention due to domestic violence (Roberts, 2006). In addition, almost 500 battered women kill their abusive partners every year because of “explicit terroristic death threats, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), drug-induced psychosis, and/or recurring nightmares or intrusive thoughts of their own death at the hands of the batterer” (Roberts, 2006).

The effects of domestic violence on the victims can vary greatly, from being minor to extremely severe. Researchers have noted high rates of medical problems among victims, including, but not limited to, physical injuries, depression, a variety of mental disorders, miscarriages, abortions, alcohol and/or drug abuse, an increased risk of being raped, and an increased risk of suicide (Roberts, 2006). Many of the women in Roberts’ study suffered from said problems, as well as severe sleep disturbances. The psychological effects of domestic violence can stem from a range of things. Most abused women are socially isolated by their partners, have limited or no access to social and financial resources, and develop a very low sense of self-esteem (Safe Horizon, 2012). Domestic violence, without a doubt, has a great impact on the physical and psychological health and well-being of the victim.

Battered Woman Syndrome

During the 1970s, there was an increased interest in the effects of domestic violence on women brought on by the feminist movement. Lenore Walker (2006) conducted one of the first empirical studies of violence against women in 1978. Studying over 400 abused women, Walker investigated three particular topics: learned helplessness, which is considered to be a dangerous stage of apathy where the women just give up (Veilleux, n.d.); the cycle of violence; and symptoms of psychological distress. As a result, Walker identified some psychological impacts among the victims and coined the term Battered Woman Syndrome (BWS). Over time, BWS became a rather well-known and controversial term and has been identified as a sub-category of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) (Walker, 2006). BWS has since been defined as “the development of characteristic physical, psychological and social abnormalities and symptoms, such as depression, low self esteem and isolation, which follow the direct personal experience of a series of violent acts by an intimate partner” (Craven, 2003).

According to Walker, there are four common characteristics of BWS: the victim is likely to believe that the violence that occurred was entirely her fault; she is unable to place responsibility for the violence upon another person; she is in fear for her life, as well as the lives of her children, if she has any; and she believes that her abusive partner is omnipresent and omniscient, meaning that he is everywhere and knows everything (RAINN, 2009). Walker also hypothesized that domestic violence frequently occurs in cycles, which she called the cycle of violence and is comprised of the tension building stage, the acute battering incident and the honeymoon stage. Walker’s study did not clearly state how many times a victim would go through the stages before developing BWS, but said that once through the cycle is enough for the symptoms and characteristics to develop (Craven, 2003).

BWS is often used in legal cases to prove a woman’s reasonableness in her belief that her life was in imminent danger, though it cannot be used as a defense in and of itself. It was found that, in Arizona, women are more likely to be found justified in their killing under the law of self-defense, which states that her life is in imminent danger and the force is necessary. In Arizona, women are more likely to be charged with pre-meditated first degree murder than men, who are more likely to be charged with unplanned second degree murder for similar crimes. Many women who kill their abusive partners have had difficulty proving that they acted in self-defense, but have attempted to use BWS as an argument that they believed their lives would be in imminent danger, even if the threat was not happening at the time of the murder (Ayyildiz, 1995).

BWS and PTSD

As discussed previously, Battered Woman Syndrome (BWS) became a relatively well-known term and was identified as a sub-category of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) after Walker’s 1978 study. Walker revised the survey she had implemented, and conducted the study a second time in 2002. For this study, BWS was operationalized to be composed of certain criteria. The criteria for PTSD were: re-experiencing the event, hyperarousal, and numbing of responsiveness. If the victim is found to suffer from BWS, in addition to PTSD, the following criteria must also be met: disrupted interpersonal relationships, difficulties with body image, and sexual and intimacy problems. Four different national groups (American, Russian, Spanish, Greek) were represented in this most recent study. Though not every individual woman displayed the symptoms, each of the four groups, as a whole, demonstrated the symptoms to meet the DSM-IV criteria for PTSD, and that BWS was proven to be a sub-category of PTSD. It is not proven that the women in the study actually have PTSD because the study is not yet complete. Walker goes on to discuss the limitations and benefits of using BWS as a diagnosis for abused women, saying that while it may label these women as mentally ill, it also helps professionals understand how to appropriately and effectively treat them (Walker, 2006).

Babcock and Scott (2010)conducted a study that examined the correlation between domestic violence, PTSD, and styles of attachment (secure, avoidant, anxiety). For this study, 202 couples volunteered as “couples experiencing conflict,” then were separated for questioning. Both the male and female partners were asked about violence in the relationship and relationship satisfaction. In addition, the females were asked about their attachment and given a questionnaire to determine if they showed PTSD symptoms. The data showed that 28% of the women in violent relationships met the criteria for PTSD. The researchers’ hypothesis was supported by finding that the anxiety style of attachment, which is characterized by an intensified fear of separation and loss in ending long-terms relationships, had a positive correlation with intimate partner violence and PTSD. It would make sense that those who are afraid of losing relationships are more likely to stay in an abusive relationship, and thus, more likely to develop symptoms of PTSD.

BWS in the Media

BWS has been a controversial subject ever since the term was coined in the late 1970s. Since then it has received significant media attention, especially when BWS is used as an explanation for why battered women kill their husbands. Feltey, Lee and Noh (2010) wondered how women who kill their abusive husbands were portrayed in newspaper articles. They developed four typifications: the medical model, which excuses the women from legal responsibility because of a psychological illness (BWS); the conventional rationality model, which finds women guilty for engaging in murder; the feminist jurisprudence model, which acquits women from the charges because she acted in self-defense; and the early legal feminism model, which acquits women from the charges because of a psychological illness (BWS). To determine which model was most regularly used, Feltey et al. looked at 250 newspaper articles that were published between 1978 and 2002. The data determined that the medical model was used most often, followed by the conventional reality model. However, it was found that the medical model was predominantly used until 1994 when there was a switch to the frequent use of the conventional rationality model. This means that BWS has, overall, been the reason stated in newspaper articles for why the women killed their husbands and they were therefore acquitted of any legal responsibility, though now it is more likely to be said that women are guilty of committing murder.

BWS has not only been depicted in newspapers, but also in magazines. Berns (1999) questioned how domestic violence is portrayed in different women’s magazines, with her primary focus being on whom or what is being held responsible: individuals, institutions, cultural and structural factors, or an integration of all three. She looked at 10 different women’s magazines, studying a total of 111 articles. It was found that 2/3 of the articles blamed individuals, with a majority blaming the victim. Some of the “catch phrases” that Berns found amidst the articles were “why doesn’t she leave?” and “battered woman syndrome.” In the articles discussing the event in which the woman killed her abusive partner, BWS was one of the key points of focus. However, rather than the woman being acquitted from responsibility for the murder as Feltey et al. had found, the victim was blamed for not leaving the relationship early enough to avoid developing BWS. There are many reasons why a victim does not leave an abusive relationship, such as being positively reinforced by the “honeymoon stage,” economic dependence, fear of the danger leaving would bring, loss of self-esteem, and loss of the necessary psychological energy it takes to leave (RAINN, 2009). The development of BWS is also one of the reasons women do not leave abusive relationships; as Walker said, it can only take one time through the cycle of violence for BWS to develop (Craven, 2003).

Conclusion

The usage of BWS has been rather controversial since its introduction in 1978. On one hand, it demonstrates the sometimes severe impact that domestic violence can have on its victims. In legal cases, where the women are charged with murdering their partner, BWS can be used as a justification for the murder, as newspapers have shown in the articles they publish (Feltey et al., 2010). However, it still remains unclear through research how effective the defense is when using BWS as part of the argument, which should be addressed in future research. On the other side of the BWS debate, it labels survivors as mentally ill, which I believe provides another great opportunity for further research. How do the abused women feel about being labeled “mentally ill” with BWS? The terminology has sparked a heated debate, primarily between feminists and mental health specialists, and it could be useful to know how the women actually feel about the term.

REFERENCES

Ayyilidiz, Elisabeth. (1995). When battered woman’s syndrome does not go far enough: the battered woman as vigilante. Journal of Gender and the Law, 4:14, 141-166.

Babcock, J.C. & Scott, S. (2010). Attachment as a moderator between intimate partner violence and PTSD symptoms. Journal of Family Violence, 25, 1-9.

Berns, Nancy. (1999). “My problem and how I solved it”: domestic violence in women’s magazines. The Sociological Quarterly, 40, 85-108.

Craven, Zoe. (2003). Battered woman syndrome. Australian Domestic and Family Violence Clearinghouse, 1-18.

Domestic Violence Resource Center. (2012). Domestic violence statistics. Retrieved from: http://www.dvrc-or.org/domestic/violence/resources/C61/

Feltey, K.M., Lee, M.T., Noh, M.S (2010). Mad, bad, or reasonable? Newspaper portrayals of the battered woman who kills. Gender Issues, 27, 110-130.

Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN). (2009). Battered woman syndrome. Retrieved from: http://www.rainn.org/get-information/effects-of-sexual-assault/battered-woman-syndrome

Roberts, Albert R. (2006). Classification typology and assessment of five levels of woman battering. Journal of Family Violence, 21, 521-527.

Safe Horizon. (2012). Safe Horizon: Moving victims of violence from crisis to confidence. Retrieved from: http://www.safehorizon.org/index.php

Veilleux, Ann. (n.d.) Why women stay: understanding the battered wife. Retrieved from: http://annveilleux.com/articles/why-women-stay-understanding-the-battered-wife/

Walker, Lenore E.A. (2006). Battered woman syndrome. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1087, 142-157.

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