Sarah Fairman 100776263 CYCS 3014 Summary of Article: Psychological Abuse and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Battered Woman:

Examining the Roles of Shame and Guilt byAmy E. Street and Ilena Arias The article Ive chosen to contribute to the social justice project looks into the psychological effects that physical and emotional abuse can have on a woman. The article primarily looks at Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as a result of continued abuse. There were several themes relating to social justice that were in the article. The themes that were present in the findings of the research were that woman who have been abused either physically or emotionally, experienced social exclusion, inequality and their human rights being marginalized. I chose to summarize this article because it directly relates to human rights issues those women who have experienced abuse may have or will face. The topic of abused woman is something that my group members and I are passionate about. Gaining knowledge and insight on the topic will extend our professional development further. I was saddened by how prevalent mood disorders were to women who have experienced abuse, based on the results of the study. This inspired me to want to be a stronger advocate for woman who experience abuse. Street and Arias state that the effects of emotional abuse are seldom researched, and we as a group argue that the results of emotional abuse can be more detrimental than physical abuse. One social justice theme that was present in Street and Arias article is that of inequality. The study participants experienced gender based inequality as a result of their abuse. The authors identified domination and isolation as techniques

consistently used by abusers. Systematic abuse would result with the woman behaving like lesser beings and attempt to conform to subservient sex roles (Street & Arias, 2001). The article also states that the abusers would isolate the woman from emotional resources that they have a right to access; however, it does not specify specific resources. Another theme explored in the article is social exclusion. Street and Arias state that verbal attacks and degrading behaviour directed towards a woman, over a period of time, will diminish the individual womans self esteem, and promote reclusiveness. The article also states that the abusers who withheld emotional resources, and were dominating, would not allow the woman to be social. The second par of the article focused on feelings of guilt and shame that the women had felt during and after their abuse. The authors write that residual feelings of guilt and shame prevent individuals from being socially active due to the onset of depression, anxiety and somatization brought on by their abusers. The study identifies that the womens rights were marginalized as a result of social exclusion and inequality. These two themes of social justice, or lack there of, were themes found in the article that were most relevant to the goal of this assignment, there were many other important themes mentioned in the article. Although this study was done in the United States, abused woman in Canada face the same marginalizations. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms states that everyone has the right not to be subjected to any cruel and unusual treatment or punishment and every individual is equal before and under the law and has the right to the equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination

and, in particular, without discrimination based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age, or mental or physical disability. The rights mentioned have been violated by the abusers in the article that I have chosen. As a Child and Youth Worker, I will be working with mothers and women who are present in the lives of my clients. Knowing that abusers in their lives are violating the rights of my clients families is something I want to be able to change. By knowing and understanding the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom I will be able to find and provide resources for the women who need it. My role as a CYW is to encourage the women to access the many resources that are provided in Canada. The hope of our group is to be a catalyst for change by providing helpful information on our website that will be accessible to abused women of Canada.

Works Cited Sarah Fairman: Street, A. E., & Arias, I. (2001). Psychological Abuse and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Battered Women: Examining the Roles of Shame and Guilt . Violence and Victims , 16(1), 1-14.