Implications of wife abuse and battering for self-esteem, depression, and anxiety as revealed by the second Palestinian national survey on violence against women

The article focuses on the incidence of different patterns of wife abuse and battering and on some of their mental health consequences. Data are based on findings from the Second Palestinian National Survey conducted among a systematic random sample of 1,334 Palestinian women from the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The results reveal that 87.2%, 54%, 40%, and 44% of the Palestinian women indicated they had experienced one or more acts of psychological abuse, physical violence, sexual abuse, and economic abuse, respectively, at least once by their husbands during the 12 months preceding the survey. Also, results indicated that significant amounts of the variances in women's low self-esteem, depression, and anxiety are significantly explained by their experiences with abuse, over and above the explained variances in these psychological consequences by women's sociodemographic characteristics. The study's limitations are discussed, and recommendations for further research and program development in Palestinian society presented.