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Abstract

This dissertation tackles the domestic violence phenomenom, focusing on the complexity of victimis' psychodynamic dimensions from the perspective of relational traumatization. The design of this study corresponds to a non-experimental, correlational and cross-sectional research. The aim of this investigation is to characterize a sample of domestic violence Chilean victims by means of an operationalized psychodynamic diagnosis (OPD-2), exploring in a differentiated way their structural functions, dysfunctional interpersonal patterns and intra-psychic conflicts. The associations between the structural functioning of the victims and the relational trauma features: type, severity and extension of domestic violence and childhood adverse relational experiences are studied. Interpersonal patterns and intrapsychic conflicts were found and described, and the main associations with structural vulnerabilities are presented and the clinical implications are discussed. The dissertation is composed by four papers or articles in which the following topics and results are presented: Paper 1: "Complex relational traumatization: a useful notion to understand the psychological functioning in domestic violence victims" (published in Spanish in Revista Argentina de Clínica Psicológica, 21: 65-73 (2012) Paper 2: "Vulnerability in Self capacities of Chilean women victims of domestic violence, with diverse levels of childhood relational adversity: Clinical implications" Paper 3: "Dysfunctional relational patterns and intra-psychic conflicts in Chilean women victims of domestic violence" Paper 4: "Psychological functioning in women victims of Intimate partner violence attending domestic violence centers in Santiago de Chile" (published in Spanish in Tesis Pais 2010, Annual Publication, Chile)