“My Partner Will Change”: Cognitive Distortion in Battered Women in Bolivia

Details

Serval ID
serval:BIB_2AA3F5DC1664
Type
Article: article from journal or magazin.
Collection
Publications
Title
“My Partner Will Change”: Cognitive Distortion in Battered Women in Bolivia
Journal
Journal of Interpersonal Violence
Author(s)
Heim Eva Maria, Trujillo Tapia Laura, Quintanilla Gonzáles Ruth
ISSN
0886-2605
1552-6518
Publication state
Published
Issued date
04/2018
Volume
33
Number
8
Pages
1348-1365
Language
english
Abstract
This study examines the role of cognitive distortion in women's decision to stay with or leave their violent partner in a sample of Bolivian women. Our study is based on a consistency model: Cognitive distortion is assumed to play an important role in maintaining cognitive consistency under threatening conditions. Eighty victims of partner violence aged 18 to 62 years who sought help in a legal institution were longitudinally assessed three times over a time period of 6 months. Measures were taken from previous studies and culturally adapted through qualitative interviews. Nearly half of the participants decreased their intention to leave the violent partner in the time span of 1 month between the first and second interview. Women who had decreased their leaving intention had concurrently increased their cognitive distortion: They blamed their partner less, were more convinced that they could stop the violence themselves, and were more likely to believe that their partner would change. Cognitive distortion was not observed among women who remained stable in their intention to leave. Women whose intention of leaving decreased and who displayed more cognitive distortion after 1 month were more likely to live with the violent partner 6 months later than women whose leaving intention remained stable or increased. Socio-demographic variables were not related to cognitive distortion or stay-leave decisions in this study. We conclude that cognitive distortion plays a role for women's decision to stay, enhancing their risk of re-victimization.
Keywords
Applied Psychology, Clinical Psychology
Pubmed
Web of science
Create date
14/09/2021 5:34
Last modification date
21/07/2023 12:14
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