A General Look at Women Taking Shelters: What are they living through? What can we do?

Şiddet, en fazla kadınların maruz kaldığı önemli bir toplumsal sorundur. Şiddete uğrayan kadınlara yönelik müdahale hizmetlerinden biri kadın sığınmaevleridir. Bu araştırmada, sığınmaevinde kalan kadınların sosyodemografik özellikler, yaşadıkları şiddet ve köken aileleriyle ilişkili durumsal saptama yapmayı ve analiz sonuçlarına göre uygulanabilecek ek sosyal destek ve koruyucu önlemleri araştırmayı planladık. Ankara Kadın Sığınmaevlerinde barınmakta olan 46 olgu ile yüz yüze görüşülerek, sosyodemografik form, SCID-1 ve Çocukluk Çağı Travmaları Ölçeği (CTQ-28) uygulandı. Olguların yaş ortalaması 31.46±8.36 yıldır. CTQ-28 ile %75'inde duygusal, %65.4'ünde fiziksel ve %51.9'unda cinsel istismar, %69.2'sinde fiziksel ve %55.8'inde duygusal ihmal öyküsü saptandı. Olguların %28.8'inin annesinde, %36.5'inin babasında ve %15.4'ünün kardeşinde şiddet davranışı bulunmaktaydı. Evlilik süresi 10.52±9.96 yıl, evlilik yaşı 18.48±4.29 ve evliyken şiddete maruz kalma süresi ortalama 11.44±8.27 yıldır. Olguların %96.2'si fiziksel, %84.6'sı duygusal, %92.3'ü sözel, %25'i cinsel ve %78.8'i ekonomik şiddete maruz kaldığı, %65.4'ünün gebelikte de şiddete gördüğü ve %35.3'ünün gebeliğinin şiddetten etkilendiğini saptanmıştır. Olguların %54.2'sinde intihar girişimi öyküsü ve en fazla (%65.4) majör depresyon birincil tanısı saptandı. Mevcut bulgularımız ile sığınmaevine başvuran şiddet mağduru kadınların çocukluklarından beri şiddetle karşı karşıya kaldığı, ailelerinden yeterli sosyal ve ekonomik destek alamadıkları ve yaşadıkları travma ile çeşitli ruhsal rahatsızlıklar yaşadıkları söylenebilir. Bireysel güçlendirme, destekleme, gerekli koşullarda psikiyatrist başvurularının ve farmakoterapi tedavilerinin sağlanması, grup ve bireysel terapilerin yapılması sığınmaevlerinden ayrılana kadar kadınların psikolojik güçlenmelerine katkı sağlayacaktır. Öte yandan kadınlara eğitim- meslek geliştirme ve çalışma imkanlarının sağlanması kadınların sığınmaevlerinden çıktıktan sonra yaşantılarının sürdürmelerini kolaylaştıracaktır. (Bilişsel Davranışçı Psikoterapi ve Araştırmalar Dergisi 2016; .:...-...)Violence is an important social issue to which the women are exposed the most. Women shelters are one of the responsive services for the women experiencing violence. In this research, we planned to make situational detection on socio-demographic characteristics and the properties related to the violence they experienced and origin families for the women taking shelters and search for feasible additional social support and protective precautions in light of the analysis. By interviewing 46 cases living in Ankara Women Shelter face to face, a socio-demographic form, SCID-1, Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ-28) were applied. The average age of cases is 31.46±8.36 years. By CTQ-28, it is detected emotional in 75%, physical in 65.4% and sexual abuse in 51%, other than that 69.2% physical and 55.8% emotional neglect story. There were behavior of violence in mothers of 28.8%, fathers of 36.5% and siblings of 15.4% of the cases. Duration of marriages 10.52±9.96 years, marriage age is 18.48±4.29 years and the average duration of getting exposed to violence in their marriage is 11.44±8.27 years. It is declared that the cases were exposed to 96.2% physical, 84.6% emotional, 92.3% verbal, 25% sexual and 78.8% economical violence, 65.4% of them experienced violence also in pregnancy and for 35.3% pregnancy was effected from the violence. In 54.2% of the cases there were detected suicide attempt history and the most (65.4%) has major depression as a primary diagnosis. It can be said with our current findings that the women taking shelters has been facing violence since their childhood, couldn’t get enough economical and social support from their families and experienced several mental illnesses with their trauma. Individual strengthening, supporting, providing the psychiatrist applications and pharmacotherapy treatments in necessary conditions, applying group and individual therapies will provide women to be strengthened psychologically until they leave the shelters. On the other hand, providing educational-professional development and labor facilities will enable women to survive after they leave the shelter. (Journal of Cognitive Behavioral Psychotherapy and Research 2016; .:…-…

The reliability and validity of the Turkish Version of the Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation (Turkish BSSI)

Objective: Although several self-report tools measuring suicidal ideation are used in Turkey, the validity and reliability of the Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation (BSSI), an important tool administered clinically, has not yet been examined. We hope that establishing the validity and reliability of the BSSI can improve the detection of suicidal ideation. Methods: The sample for this study consisted of 120 individuals who participated voluntarily. One hundred of the 120 participants were administered related relevant instruments, the Beck Depression Inventory [BDI], Beck Anxiety Inventory [BAI], Beck Hopelessness Scale [BHS], and Suicidal Ideation Scale [SIS], to determine concurrent validity. Separately, two clinicians interviewed twenty different participants to assess inter-rater reliability. To assess internal consistency, Cronbach's alpha coefficients were computed. In addition, a principal component analysis with a Varimax rotation was performed to examine the test's factor structure. Results: Cronbach's alpha value was 0.84 and every item was positively correlated to the total scores on the BSSI. Inter-rater correlation was very strong and significant (r=0.94, p<0.01). Correlation coefficients for similar measures showed significant results [i.e., SIS (r=0.40) and BHS (r=0.58)]. There was a mild correlation between the BSSI and BDI (r=0.40) but no correlations were found with the BAI. Conclusion: The BSSI is a valid and reliable measure that has good potential to detect suicidal ideation and behavior in clinical settings when compared to other self-rating measures. These results suggest that measuring suicidal ideation and behaviors using the BSSI across different diagnoses may provide valuable information for clinical research.Objective: Although several self-report tools measuring suicidal ideation are used in Turkey, the validity and reliability of the Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation (BSSI), an important tool administered clinically, has not yet been examined. We hope that establishing the validity and reliability of the BSSI can improve the detection of suicidal ideation. Methods: The sample for this study consisted of 120 individuals who participated voluntarily. One hundred of the 120 participants were administered related relevant instruments, the Beck Depression Inventory [BDI], Beck Anxiety Inventory [BAI], Beck Hopelessness Scale [BHS], and Suicidal Ideation Scale [SIS], to determine concurrent validity. Separately, two clinicians interviewed twenty different participants to assess inter-rater reliability. To assess internal consistency, Cronbach's alpha coefficients were computed. In addition, a principal component analysis with a Varimax rotation was performed to examine the test's factor structure. Results: Cronbach's alpha value was 0.84 and every item was positively correlated to the total scores on the BSSI. Inter-rater correlation was very strong and significant (r=0.94, p<0.01). Correlation coefficients for similar measures showed significant results [i.e., SIS (r=0.40) and BHS (r=0.58)]. There was a mild correlation between the BSSI and BDI (r=0.40) but no correlations were found with the BAI. Conclusion: The BSSI is a valid and reliable measure that has good potential to detect suicidal ideation and behavior in clinical settings when compared to other self-rating measures. These results suggest that measuring suicidal ideation and behaviors using the BSSI across different diagnoses may provide valuable information for clinical research

The Relationship between Symptom Severity and Low Vitamin D Levels in Patients with Schizophrenia.

In recent years, the relationship between schizophrenia and environmental factors has come into prominence. This study investigated the relationship between vitamin D levels and the positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia by comparing vitamin D levels between patients with schizophrenia and a healthy control group.The study included 80 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and 74 age- and sex-matched controls. The Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS) and the Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms (SAPS) were used to evaluate symptom severity. The 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) levels of all subjects both patients and healthy controls were analyzed in relation to measurements of symptom severity.There were no significant differences between the groups in terms of age, sex, or physical activity. Their mean 25OHD levels were also similar (23.46±13.98ng/mL for the patient group and 23.69±9.61ng/mL for the control group). But when patients with schizophrenia were grouped based on their vitamin D levels, the results indicated a statistically significant differences between their vitamin D levels and their total SANS, affective flattening, and total SAPS, bizarre behavior and positive formal thought disorder scores (p = 0.019, p = 0.004, p = 0.015, p = 0.009 and p = 0.019, respectively). There is a negative correlation between 25OHD levels and SANS total points (r = -0.232, p = 0.038); a negative correlation for attention points (r = -0.227, p = 0.044) and negative correlation with positive formal thoughts (r = -0.257, p = 0.021).The results of this study show a relationship between lower levels of vitamin D and the occurrence of positive and negative symptoms, along with increased severity of symptoms at lower levels of vitamin D, suggesting that treatment for schizophrenia should include assessment of patients' vitamin D levels. We recommend that patients with schizophrenia should be assessed with regard to their vitamin D levels

Relationship between 25OHD levels and SANS and SAPS scores.

<p>Relationship between 25OHD levels and SANS and SAPS scores.</p

Distribution of Schizophrenia patients according to vitamin D levels.

<p>Distribution of Schizophrenia patients according to vitamin D levels.</p

Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of the patient and control groups.

<p>Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of the patient and control groups.</p

Comparison of the 25OHD levels of the healthy control group based on smoking, physical activity, and BMI.

<p>Comparison of the 25OHD levels of the healthy control group based on smoking, physical activity, and BMI.</p

Comparison of the 25OHD levels of the patient group based on smoking, physical activity, and BMI.

<p>Comparison of the 25OHD levels of the patient group based on smoking, physical activity, and BMI.</p