Killing the Beast within: Woman Battering and Female Suicidality

Abstract

This article explores the importance of woman battering for female suicidality, with special attention to the link among black women. Suicidality has classically been framed with a distinctly male bias. As a result, suicide attempts (a predominantly female event) have been defined as "failed suicides" and the distinctive social context of suicidality among women has been missed. The authors propose that suicidality among battered women is evoked by the "entrapment" women experience when they are subjected to "coercive control" by abusive men. A literature review highlights the probable importance of male violence as a cause of female suicidality. Pursuing this possibility, we assess the significance of battering in a sample of women who have attempted suicide, the characteristics of battered women who attempt suicide, and the appropriateness of the medical response. The results indicate that battering may be the single most important cause of female suicidality, particularly among black and pregnant women. The implications of this finding for theory and clinical intervention are discussed.

Rates and relative risk of hospital admission among women in violent intimate partner relationships

“…In this study, as in previous research, [14][15][16][17]26 suicide attempts were found to be much more frequent among abused women. We cannot say definitively from this study whether abuse preceded these attempts, but others have provided evidence to that effect.…”

“…[6][7][8][9][10][11][12] Previous studies based in clinical settings have shown battered women to be at increased risk of emergency visits and hospitalization for both somatic and psychiatric diagnoses. [13][14][15][16][17] Bergman and Brismar 13 and Stark et al 14 found that battered women evidenced greater medical care use than nonabused women for the periods both before and after the index episode of abuse. Psychiatric symptoms consistent with diagnoses of major depression, [18][19][20][21][22] anxiety and insomnia, 18,19,21 alcohol abuse or dependence, 20,21 and posttraumatic stress disorder 21,[23][24][25] have been reported to be more prevalent among battered women.…”

Violência: um problema global de saúde pública

“…A experiência de rejeição, abandono ou indiferença pelos pais coloca as crianças em maior risco de comportamento agressivo e anti-social, inclusive de comportamento abusivo quando adultos [50][51][52] . Foram encontradas associ-ações entre o comportamento suicida e diversos tipos de violência como maus tratos infantis 53,54 , violência por parceiro íntimo 33,55 , agressão sexual 53 e abuso de idosos 56,57 . No Sri Lanka , demonstrouse que as taxas de suicídio diminuíram durante a guerra e aumentaram novamente quando o conflito violento terminou 58 .…”

Intimate Partner Homicide by Presence or Absence of a Self-Destructive Act

“…Alternatively, women commit acts of lethal violence to escape protracted physical abuse or to protect their children (Wilson & Daly, 1992). Unlike men, women seem to choose between homicide and suicide, rather than a combination thereof, as their method of escape (Campbell, 1995;Stark & Flitchcraft, 1995).…”