Witnessing Domestic Abuse and Depression

Witnessing domestic abuse in childhood as an independent risk factor for depressive symptoms in young adulthood
David Russell, Kristen W. Springer, and Emily A. Greenfield
This study addresses the relationship between retrospective reports of witnessing domestic abuse in childhood and levels of depressive symptoms in young adulthood. We examine whether the association between having witnessed violence in childhood and depression is independent of having been the direct target of sexual and/or physical abuse, as well as other characteristics and experiences linked with family violence. | Link

Battered Woman Syndrome: What is ‘Reasonable?’

Is an objective standard meaningless if the jury is not equipped to understand what is indeed reasonable behaviour for a woman who has experienced long-term battering?| Link

Distinction between Justification and Excuse

Battered Woman Syndrome, Expert Testimony, and the Distinction between Justification and Excuse; Schopp, Robert F.; Sturgis, Barbara J.; Sullivan, Megan 1994 U. Ill. L. Rev. 45 (1994) | Link

For elderly, stigma of domestic violence keeps it hidden

For elderly victims of domestic violence, physical, emotional and sexual abuse has often desecrated the relationship even before the couple married.

“Domestic violence can be present throughout a marriage of 40, 50, even 60 years, starting when the couple is dating, carrying on through the woman’s pregnancies and continuing even when they are elderly,” says Bonnie Brandl, a director with the Madison, Wis.-based National Clearinghouse on Abuse in Later Life (ncall.us). | Link

Domestic violence cases on rise as women become more willing to report abuse

SYDNEY — Reports of domestic violence incidents are rising each year in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality and one police official believes it is largely due to a greater willingness by victims to report their abuse to the authorities. | Link