Forensic psychiatric aspect of battered women syndrome: The cycle of violence

Abstract

Introduction Domestic violence against women is a burning problem in Russia. Forensic psychiatrists found out that domestic abuse against women is often one of the main causes of crimes of violence in women. Aims To find out clinical and social factors contributing to aggressive crimes committed by women who are victims of intrafamily violence. Methods Clinical, psychological, statistical. Details of background, psychiatric and offending history were extracted. Each item was assessed with the help of descriptive statistics. Results A cohort of 12 females was examined by forensic psychiatrists. All women were victims of violence by their husbands or partners. Domestic abuse resulted in long-term mental problems of women. Clinical assessment has revealed depression, anxiety, fear, low self-esteem, PTSD, alcohol abuse. All women had committed murders. The research has revealed two types of homicides. Women of the first subgroup displayed pathological altruistic motivation of murder of their children (4 females). Women of the second subgroup (8 females) had committed homicides of their husbands or partners. Conclusion The research shows the necessity of domestic violence prevention by legal provisions and multidisciplinary research with the participation of psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers.