CRVAW Faculty Journal Articles

Violence and Women’s Mental Health: The Impact of Physical, Sexual, and Psychological Aggression

Abstract

The reach of violence against women has been profoundly felt by women across the U.S. and around the globe. VAW has been documented for decades as a legal and social justice problem, but as illuminated in this review, it is also a substantial mental health concern. A full understanding of the phenomenon must include discussion of how often it occurs, in what forms, and to whom. This review defines violence against women in its variant forms and examines the literature on the mental health effects associated wtih these abuse experiences. The effectiveness of the mental health system's response to the complex needs of women suffering battering, rape, stalking, and psychological aggression is also examined. The future of research and the important role of the discipline of psychology in the future of this field of study is discussed.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

4-2010

Notes/Citation Information

Published in Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, v. 6, p. 607-628.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

http://dx.doi.org/10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-090209-151437

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