Stockholm syndrome in mexican women victims of intimate partner violence

Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate the presence of Stockholm syndrome in Mexican women victims of intimate partner violence. Two hundred and thirty-nine women divided into two groups participated: Single university women who reported some type of intimate partner violence (n =164), and women who cohabited or had cohabited with their partner and who had reported intimate partner violence (n = 75). A demographic questionnaire, a scale of partner violence, and a scale of Stockholm syndrome were applied. The magnitude of the violence was moderate for the first group, while for the second group it was high. The results showed highest scores of Stockholm syndrome for the second group compared to the first. The Stockholm syndrome scale was correlated to a greater extent with psychological violence in the first group and with sexual violence in the second. The results and their implications are discussed.