Physical risks include homicide, serious injuries (requiring medical treatment), injuries complicating pregnancy, injuries to children, unplanned pregnancy, contraction of STDs (if the husband has been unfaithful), suicide, increased health costs, and decreased work productivity. (WHO 1997) In fact, a 1993 Canadian survey indicated that 33% of battered women had experienced violence at levels high enough that they feared for their lives. The terror inspired by high levels of physical violence and threats has a high cost, and many women have reported “that the psychological abuse and degradation are even more difficult to bear than the physical abuse.” (Heise 1999: 6) Campbell et al offered a further evaluation of health impacts by distinguishing between short term, presenting injuries (e.g., bodily injuries resulting from physical or sexual violence) and long term, less obvious injuries (e.g., central nervous system symptoms, functional gastrointestinal disorders, viral infections, cardiac problems, gynecological symptoms, etc.). (Campbell et al 2002)
Risks associated with domestic violence are summarized in table form by Heise (1999: 18). Unfortunately, understanding the affects of violence in the home on women has been complicated by historical limitations and misconceptions in the psychological literature. Two of these misconceptions are crucial to note. First, psychological disturbances were viewed as a cause, rather than a syndrome resulting from, the abuse; second, battered women were too often misdiagnosed with a personality disorder or mental illness (rather than with a complex form of PTSD). These are of crucial importance; since battered women presented symptoms similar to women with serious mental illness, these symptoms could easily be misdiagnosed. In opposition to personality disorders, which tend to be resistant to treatment, women who have been traumatized by IPV often respond very well when removed to a safe environment and/or receive therapy. (Walker, 2000)
