The 7 sequelae of victims of gender-based violence

Several physical and psychological signs are carried over after living through such a situation.

Much has been discussed about gender-based violence in recent days on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Womencelebrated on November 25.

Through this article we want to convey in a simple way some of the psychological sequelae suffered by victims of gender violence, without daring to claim that there is a psychological profile of women who suffer abuse, but taking into account that there are a number of sequelae or psychological consequences that are repeated in many of the women who have suffered this violence.

Women who are victims of gender violence suffer specific damage from the situation of abuse, which tends to appear in a habitual way in all victims, but we must highlight the heterogeneity of people and emphasize that each situation involves different nuances and, therefore, the after-effects that we are going to explain below will not appear in all victims with the same intensity or in the same way.

The 4 types of after-effects in victims of gender-based violence

We are going to classify the consequences suffered by victims of gender violence into four blocks:

• Emotional and affective sequelae.Emotional and affective sequelae: these are related to the victim's self-esteem, emotions and feelings.
• Cognitive consequencesCognitive sequelae: these usually include concentration problems, memory loss, difficulty in thinking about the future and planning or imagining the future, confusion, etc.
• Behavioral sequelaeThe following are some of the consequences: reduction of social interaction behaviors (giving and receiving), difficulties in communication, problems in negotiating, etc.
• Physical sequelaephysical consequences: bruises and injuries, physical exhaustion, generalized Pain in the body, etcetera.

However, in this article we are going to explain the emotional and affective consequences suffered by women victims of male violence, since they are often the most difficult to detect and represent one of the many fundamental intervention targets for psychological treatment.

Emotional and affective sequelae in victims of gender-based violence

Although there may be multiple symptoms at the psychological-affective level, we will focus on the 7 most frequent emotional sequelae.

1. Low self-esteem, identity problems and distorted self-image

the vision they have of themselves is totally distorted towards the negative. They often doubt their own abilities and possibilities, they refer that they are a totally different person from the one they were at the beginning of the toxic relationship. In general, they perceive themselves without resources, helpless and without the necessary skills to take responsibility for their lives. They minimize their abilities and skills, and maximize the likelihood of making mistakes and "failing".

They find it hard to trust their intuition (let's think that for a while they have been made to doubt themselves permanently, thinking that they are not right or that they are "failing").They may become very dependent on external opinions.

2. Feelings of guilt and a lot of fear

These feelings arise as a result of the constant messages of guilt that they have received from the aggressor.. They feel guilty for everything, even if it apparently has nothing to do with them. They think they are not good as a person (if they have children, they may think they are a bad mother). The guilt they feel often paralyzes them and does not allow them to look ahead and move forward. As a result of the aggressor's threats, they develop constant tension, hypervigilance and fear.

3. Emotional isolation

As a result of the social isolation caused by the aggressor, the victim feels that she is totally alone and that no one can understand what is happening to her.. They believe that they cannot trust anyone and that, therefore, no one can help them. At the same time, they become increasingly dependent on the abuser. They may also come to believe that what they are experiencing only happens to them and that no one would understand them.

4. Difficulty in recognizing and expressing emotions

Due to the situation of absolute control by the aggressor, there is a denial of the victim's own feelings and emotions.. They think that their feelings are unimportant, that they are exaggerating or that they are wrong (they distrust their own feelings). Thus, they often choose to hide their emotions.

They can often show poorly channeled rage: let's think that the victim has to be able to control all her emotions in order not to "irritate" the aggressor. This creates a perfect breeding ground for the woman to later express her feelings in a more uncontrolled manner. Sometimes the pent-up rage is directed against themselves.

5. Post-traumatic stress disorder or related symptomatology

These women are living or have lived through very difficult and stressful situations, recurrent traumas in many cases, so that typical symptoms of PTSD may arise (anxiety, nightmares, depression, depression, etc.). (anxiety, nightmares, depression, hypervigilance, emotional dullness, irritability, suicidal ideation, insomnia, exaggerated emotional responses...).

6. Feelings of having betrayed the abuser

For having denounced, for having separated or for having explained it to another person.. They feel that they are betraying their partner. This would be one of the elements that would lead many women victims of gender violence to withdraw their complaints. They feel guilty for speaking ill of him, even though they are ultimately explaining what happened. In addition, women who have been victims of gender-based violence for a long time may integrate ideas and messages that they have been receiving from the aggressor. They end up becoming what the aggressor wants them to be.

7. Attachment disorders

It is common to find it difficult to trust others, they feel that they are not worthy of being loved or respected, they keep their distance from their environment out of fear of being attacked.they keep their distance from the environment for fear of suffering again, they perceive the environment as a threat...

Above all, affective ambivalence arises: they do not have the "luxury" of giving themselves completely genuinely and openly to the people who show them affection, since they have done so in the past and the consequences were disastrous. Somehow they try to protect themselves from future situations of violence. This situation of ambivalence also occurs with the aggressor, since in one of the parts of the cycle of violence the aggressor asks them for forgiveness (honeymoon: they feel affection towards him and perceive him as someone who is worthy of being loved) and in the following phases the phases of accumulation of tension and explosion return (they feel hatred towards him).

Bibliographical references:

• Lorente Acosta, Miguel. (2009). Mi marido me pega lo normal: agresión a la mujer. Realities and myths. Planeta: Barcelona.

• Echeburúa, E., and De Corral, P. (1998). Manual de violencia familiar. Siglo XXI de España: Madrid.

• Official College of Psychology of Gipuzkoa (2016). Manual de Atención Psicológica a víctimas de maltrato machista.