Emotional Intelligence of Women Who Experience Domestic Violence

Technological addictions in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: Are they associated with emotional intelligence?

BACKGROUND

The impaired regulation of emotional responses has significant social consequences for patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and can be thought to increase the risk for technological addictions.

AIM

Ditto objective of the present research is to investigate the relationship between technological addictions and trait emotional intelligence (EI) in adolescents with ADHD.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study was conducted in 150 treatment-naïve adolescents with ADHD, aged 12-18 years. The sociodemographic information form, the Emotional Quotient-Inventory: Youth Version (EQ-i: YV), Internet Addiction Test, Smartphone Addiction Scale, and Conners' Parent Rating Scales were used for data collection.

RESULTS

The findings revealed that ADHD-C and female patients have lower mean stress management scores on EQ-i: YV. Patients who have smartphone addiction (SA)/problematic internet usage have lower total EI and stress management scores. The oppositional, hyperactivity, and DSM-total scores were negatively correlated with stress management scores. Intrapersonal and stress management scores were negatively correlated to SA symptoms.

CONCLUSION

The stress management dimension was the strongest factor related to ADHD and technological addictions. In adolescents with ADHD, stress management may be the key factor to cope with daily problems. Therefore, the interventions to develop EI can be a therapeutic option in ADHD and technological addictions.

Indirect Self-Destructiveness in Women who Experience Domestic Violence

Lives of people experiencing domestic or/and intimate partner violence abound in many unpleasant events and physical and psychological suffering, which affects their psychosocial functioning. The aim of this study was to explore indirect self-destructiveness as a generalised behavioural tendency and its manifestations in women experiencing domestic violence. The "Chronic Self-Destructiveness Scale" (CS-DS) was used to study two groups of women: 52 women aged 30-65 years (mean age: 40.15) using assistance of the Crisis Intervention Centre due to experienced domestic violence (V group) and 150 well-matched women not experiencing domestic violence (NV group). Women suffering domestic violence (V) obtained significantly higher scores than women not experiencing domestic violence (NV) for both the general index and a majority of CS-DS subscales; it was only for the A1 (Transgression and Risk) subscale that they achieved somewhat lower scores. Correlation coefficients between particular CS-DS subscales in the V group were higher than in the NV group; there were also certain differences in coefficients between the groups. Subscale factor analysis results were different too: only one factor was isolated in the V group while two were distinguished in the NV group. It can be inferred from the results that the intensity of indirect self-destructiveness as a generalised behavioural tendency as well as of most its categories was higher in women experiencing domestic violence. Tendencies and categories of indirectly self-destructive behaviours in women suffering domestic violence were more closely connected with one another, and the internal coherence of indirect self-destructiveness in those women might also be higher.

Resilience in Women who Experience Domestic Violence

Violence in the family constitutes a serious social and psychological problem with harmful consequences leading, among others, to changes in the psychological functioning of the victim and, secondarily, also the perpetrator. The aim of this study was to examine resilience in women experiencing domestic violence. The "Ego Resiliency Scale" (ERS) was used to study the group of women suffering domestic violence. The study group included 52 women aged 30-65 years (mean age: 40.15) using assistance of the Crisis Intervention Centre due to experienced domestic violence. They most often reported suffering psychological and physical violence, with the husband or intimate partner being the most common perpetrator. Study women experiencing domestic violence obtained significantly lower scores on the ERS. The lowest scores on the ERS were achieved by women suffering paternal violence, while the highest - by women experiencing violence on the part of the intimate partner. Resilience of study women suffering domestic violence was lower than resilience of the general population, i.e. individuals not experiencing domestic violence. Suffered violence inflicted by the father exerted the greatest adverse impact on resilience. It seems advisable to consider resilience in the process of providing women experiencing domestic violence with psychosocial help.

The comparison of socioeconomic status, perceived social support and mental status in women of reproductive age experiencing and not experiencing domestic violence in Iran

BACKGROUND

Given the significant health effects of domestic violence against women, the present study was conducted in 2016, in Tehran, Iran in order to compare the socioeconomic status, perceived social support and mental status in women of reproductive age experiencing and not experiencing domestic violence.

METHODS

This descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study was conducted on 500 women. The data collection tools used included questionnaires: demographic information, Socioeconomic, Beck's Depression, Spielberger's Anxiety, Cohen's Perceived Stress, Sarason's Perceived Social Support and WHO's Domestic Violence Inventory.

RESULTS

The results showed that 43.2% of women said they had experienced at least one case of domestic violence, among which 16.4%, 15% and 36.6% of women had experienced physical, sexual and emotional-verbal types of violence, respectively. The mean age (p less than 0.001) and educational level (p=0/018) of violated women and their spouses (p less than 0.001) were lower than those of non-violated women. Furthermore, violated women experienced lower socioeconomic status (p less than 0.05), higher perceived stress (p less than 0.008), higher depression (p less than 0.001), and higher overt anxiety (0.002. They also perceived lower levels of social support (p less than 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

The issue of domestic violence was rather prevalent in the participants of the present study, particularly the younger, less educated and more socioeconomically deprived communities and families.

Manifestations of Indirect Self-Destructiveness and Dimensions of Emotional Intelligence

While indirect self-destructiveness exerts a rather negative influence on the life and psychological and social functioning of the individual, emotional intelligence may have a favourable effect. The aim of this study has been to explore possible relationships between manifestations of indirect self-destructiveness and dimensions of emotional intelligence. A population of 260 individuals (130 females and 130 males) aged 20-30 (mean age of 24.5) was studied by using the Polish version of the Chronic Self-Destructiveness Scale and INTE, i.e., the Polish version of the Assessing Emotions Scale. Manifestations of indirect self-destructiveness show many significant correlations with variables of the INTE, and those correlations are negative. Generally, it can be said that low emotional intelligence is associated with poor psychosocial and social functioning, which, in turn, is associated with indirect self-destructiveness and its manifestations. It seems advisable to use emotional intelligence in the prophylactic and therapeutic work with individuals suffering from various types of disorders, especially the syndrome of indirect self-destructiveness.

Gender Differentiation of Relationships Between Manifestations of Indirect Self-Destructiveness and Dimensions of Emotional Intelligence

The aim of this study has been to explore the gender differentiation of relationships between individual manifestations of indirect self-destructiveness and particular dimensions of emotional intelligence. A population of 260 individuals (130 women and 130 men) aged 20-30 (mean age of 24.5) was studied by using the Polish version of the Chronic Self-Destructiveness Scale (CS-DS) and INTE, i.e. the Polish version of the Assessing Emotions Scale (AES). Manifestations of indirect self-destructiveness showed significant correlations with INTE variables, and those correlations were mainly negative. Relationships between specific dimensions of emotional intelligence and specific manifestations of self-destructiveness differed between women and men. One of the most important differences was the relationship between transgression and ability to recognize emotions. The knowledge of the differentiation of the above relationships may allow to orient prophylactic and therapeutic actions, and adjust them to the specific gender.