CC BY
61STH MULTIDISCIPLINARY INTERNATIONAL
Conference of Biological Psychiatry
«Stress and Behavior»
Proceedings of the 9th International Multidisciplinary Conference «Stress and behavior» Saint-Petersburg, Russia, 16-19 May 2005 Editor: Allan V. Kalueff, PhD
CONFERENCE ABSTRACTS
6. GENERAL QUESTIONS:
PSYCHIATRY OF STRESS
DISORDERS OF SOMATIC TYPE IN WOMEN —
VICTIMS OF ALCOHOLICS’ VIOLENT BEHAVIOR
T. Nowakowski, W. Gruszczynski, P. Galecki, K. Zboralski, M. Macander
Psychiatric Health Service Center, Department of Psychiatry and Neurosis Disorders with Crisis Intervention Ward,
Medical University, Lodz, Poland
The study aimed at identifying the structure of psychosomatic disorders present in the population of women abused by their male spouses who had been diagnosed for alcohol dependence syndrome.
Method: The population of 41 women receiving treatment in the Psychic Health Centre (Pol. Poradnia Zdrowia Psychicznego) were subjected to examination. The analysis involved assessment of their somatic and psychic condition in the period of 30 days prior to starting therapy. Psychological tests included the MOOS questionnaire, Evaluation Crisis Test Questionnaire (P. Ole) and Sense of Coherence Questionnaire (Antonovsky).
Results: The average age within the researched population was 43.73. The women spouses (alcoholics) demonstrated towards their women partners aggressive behavior of various kinds, ranging from verbal abuse 82.92% to sexual abuse 41.46% and mental cruelty 65.85%. The results of psychological tests show the presence of emotional disorders manifested by a low sense of understanding of the reality around. A significant aggravation of somatic symptoms was found within the researched population. The symptoms were especially visible in cardiovascular, alimentary, respiratory, and muscular systems and were present in two thirds of the women under research.
Conclusion: Women patients — alcoholics’ spouses were diagnosed for chronic nervous disorders, the etiology of which had been dominated by physical and psychic abuse. The nervous disorders were of a chronic and fixed type with dominating anxiety-depressive disorders. These nervous disorders were accompanied by autonomic dysfunctions in somatic form demonstrated by disorders in cardiovascular, alimentary, respiratory, and muscular systems.
Psychopharmacol. Biol. Narcol. 2005. Vol. 5, N 2. P. 924—925
Psyhopharmacology & biological narcology
ISSN 1606—8i8i
