Mujeres maltratadas por su pareja: atribuciones causales y dinámica de la violencia

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to explore the experiences of battered women and their attributions about aggression by their partners. The sample consisted of 204 battered women (mean age = 35,86; SD = 9,95) living in the Canary Islands. The results of the study indicate that the abuse usually starts at the beginning of the relationship, and most of the women began the relationship with the abuser before they were 25 years old. More than 80% of the women reported helplessness and most of them claimed that the abuse had impacted their personal, social and family life. The most common attributions by the women for the partner’s violence were trivial events and alcohol or drug abuse by their partner. The women’s most frequent responses to the aggression were submission and resignation. The most frequent reasons for them to stay in the relationship with the abusive partner were their children, feeling sorry for the aggressor, being in love with the aggressor, and insecurity and fear about the future.