Dimensions of health in violent families

Abstract

A comprehensive perspective of health provides the framework for the descriptive research reported herein, which investigates some bio‐psycho‐social dimensions of the health of women and children exposed to violence. During their stay in a shelter for battered women, 130 women who had suffered violence at the hands of their partners were asked to answer a semi‐structured questionnaire. The women's perceptions reveal that their symptoms of depression and anxiety correspond to similar behavioral problems in their children. These results must be regarded as a preliminary step towards changes necessary for supporting and promoting healthier family functioning.