Reported Histories of Abuse and Psychiatric Symptomatology in Women Psychiatric Outpatients / 신경정신의학

ABSTRACT

OBJECTS This study was designed to investigate the prevalence and characteristics of abuse and the effect of physical and sexual abuse on the psychiatric symptomatology. METHODS: The subjects were 74 female patients who visited the psychiatric outpatient clinic. The author interviewed them, using self-report questionaires composed of the life experiences questionaire, the symptom checklist 90-R. RESULTS: 1) Forty-seven point three percent of the total reported a history of physical abuse(20.3%), sexual abuse(13.5%), or both(13.5%). 2) Symptom checklist scores for obsessive-compulsive, depression, anxiety, hostility and psychoticism were very significantly higher(p<.01), and score for phobic anxiety was significantly higher(p<.05) among those reporting a history of sexual abuse than among those reporting no abuse. As for those reporting a history of physical abuse the scores for obsessive-compulsive and depression were very significantly higher than among those reporting no abuse(p<.01). 3) Symptom checklist scores for depression, anxiety, hostility and psychoticism were very significantly higher(p<.01), and score for obsessive-compulsive was significantly higher(p<.05) among those reporting a history of abuse before 16 years old than among those reporting no abuse. As for those reporting a history of abuse after 16 years old the scores for depression and hostility were very significantly higher than among those reporting no abuse(p<.01), and as for those reporting a history of abuse before and after 16 years old the score for psychoticism was very significantly higher than among those reporting no abuse(p<.01). CONCLUSION: Severity of overall symptomatology is related to a reported history of abuse, since those who reported a history of sexual abuse especially before 16 years old has more psychiatric symptomatology. Further research is necessary to understand in depth the impact of abuse on psychiatric symptoms.