$Unique_ID{BRK01346}
$Pretitle{}
$Title{Problems of Battered Women Being Overplayed for Ratings Sake?}
$Subject{battered wives statistics community social women abuse physical
mentally emotionally home injuries injured psychiatric problem children child
abused batter battering wife behavior behaviors female abuses physically homes
family families}
$Volume{Q-23}
$Log{}

Copyright (c) 1991-92,1993   Tribune Media Services, Inc.


Problems of Battered Women Being Overplayed for Ratings Sake?


------------------------------------------------------------------------------

QUESTION:  Although both the newspapers and television programs keep
presenting the problems of battered women, it must certainly be far less
common then they make out.  I think it is getting out of hand and is being
overplayed just for ratings' sake.  Would you care to comment, or do you just
go along with all this unnecessary hype?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ANSWER:  Sadly, you're mistaken.  You may think the problem is one of
media hype, but much medical research substantiates it, and, if anything, the
problem is vastly underplayed (not only by the battered woman but also by
those who come in contact with her).  Here are the results of just one study.
In a hospital of a mid-sized city, 37 battered women were seen in the
Emergency Room for treatment in only one month's time.  Multiply that number
for a yearly figure and that means in but a single hospital of all those in
the entire country, 450 battered women can be found.  Those figures are
staggering if you consider their implications.  Not only that, but of the 37
battered women who showed up at the hospital under study, it was found that 20
of them had been to the hospital before for other battered injuries.  Yet, in
only three of the charts was there any suspicion noted of abuse.  This
medical record keeping is eye-opening because it shows that even people who
are trained to deal with the public in emergencies are not yet aware of the
extent of abuse.  And if they do suspect it, they may be reluctant to ask the
probing questions that may reveal the problem.  This attitude merely keeps the
battered woman quiet about her situation.  Already subject to physical abuse,
she has also been mentally and emotionally battered, and feels that she is to
blame for the problem.  The way she sees it, why should she tell someone else
if it will only subject her to more criticism and humiliation?  Even when she
does get temporary freedom from her abuser, she is in much more danger from
the now enraged spouse if she has to return to the home.  Almost every
practicing physician has seen women with injuries that just don't match the
explanation offered for them.  Another reason a lay person like yourself may
not see the problem is because many abused women hide inside the house for a
few days after each incident or they are injured in bodily areas that are
protected by clothing.  Wife abuse results in psychiatric problems, suicide
attempts, aborted pregnancies, and behavioral problems in children (child
abuse usually coexists in the home).  If you increase your suspicions, you
will undoubtedly come across an abused woman.  Battered wives need referrals
to legal, social services and health care agencies, and most important,
understanding from us all, if they are to beat the problem.

----------------

The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace
the counsel and advice of your personal physician.  Promptly consulting your
doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical
problem.