Trauma history of sheltered battered women

The purpose of this nursing research was to describe the trauma experience of sheltered battered women. Trauma history was operationalized as the participant's experience with traumatic life events in general (Trauma History Questionnaire [B. L. Green, 1995]) and with battering specifically (Conflict Tactics Scale, including a Physical Injury Severity scale). A convenience sample of 50 ethnically diverse women in the San Francisco Bay area was obtained from those residing in 2 shelters. Participants had experienced an average of 8.1 +/- 4.6 traumatic events (battering and nonbattering) over the course of their lives. Analysis of relationships between selected biopsychosocial and trauma history variables revealed the importance and beneficial effects of spiritual beliefs to many sheltered battered women.