Psychological risk factors in Salvadoran women victims of conjugal violence

Abstract

Marital violence against women has unfortunately become a dramatic phenomenon that affects practically all societies, being more deeply rooted in those in the process of development, as in the case of El Salvador.
This violence is defined as a set of negative attitudes and behaviors that the aggressor (almost always the man) manifests toward the victim (the woman).
Heise and García-Moreno (2002) define it as any conduct within an intimate relationship that causes physical, psychological or sexual harm to any member, including physical aggression (beatings, kicks, beatings, etc.), psychological abuse (intimidation), contempt, humiliation, etc.), forced sexual relations or behaviors and control behaviors such as isolation, control of activities and restrictions on access to information and assistance.