Abstract

RIVAS-RIVERO, Esther  and  BONILLA-ALGOVIA, Enrique. Feeling of guilt and psychological discomfort in victims of gender violence. Psicol. caribe [online]. 2022, vol.39, n.2, pp.6-6.  Epub Nov 23, 2022. ISSN 0123-417X.

Gender-based violence has serious consequences for women's health and its effects are aggravated when abuse has occurred throughout the life cycle. In addition, it can develop in victims' feelings of guilt that negatively influence their mental health. The objective of this study is to analyze the influence of polyvictimization (child, intrafamily, and partner) on the development of feelings of guilt and the implications that such guilt has on psychological distress in a sample of Nicaraguan victims. The sample, with a mean age of 31.7 years (SD = 8.9), is made up of 129 victims of gender-based violence from Nicaragua, a group of difficult access that has suffered different forms of polyvictimization since childhood. For the work, the Kessler scale and the List of Stressful Life Events were used. The results show that the development of feelings of guilt is associated with the history of abuse and influences the health of the victims, who present higher levels of anxiety and depression than those who do not feel guilty. Knowing the problem allows its consideration in the intervention processes in those who have suffered gender violence and various forms of polyvictimization throughout their life cycle.

Keywords : Gender violence; Feeling guilty; Mental health; Nicaragua; Ex-post-facto.

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