가정폭력에 기인하여 배우자를 살해한여성 재소자의 심리특성에 관한 연구 = An Empirical Study on Psychological Characteristics of the Battered Women who Killed Husbands

국문 초록 (Abstract)

일반적으로 여성 살인자에 대한 사회의 이미지는 ‘정신이상(madness)’에 의한 것과 ‘사악하거나 못된 여성(badness)’으로 이분화 되어 있다. 그러나 실제 여성들에 의한 살인의 일정량은 남성에 의해 오랜 시간 지속적으로 학대를 받아온 경험을 가진 여성에 의해 저질러지고 있다. 우리나라의 경우에도 청주여자교도소에 남편살해로 현재 수감된 133명의 수감자 중 82.9%가 피학대 경험이 있었으며 이 중 44.5%는 남편살해의 직접적인 범행동기가 피학대경험이었다. 본 연구에서는 이들에게 있어 남편에 의해 발생되는 위험요인이 어떤 것들이며 학대가 어떤 심리적 변화를 야기하는지 확인하였다. 결과 분석에서는 본 연구에 참여하였던 남편살해 여성들의 피학대 강도와 그로 인한 위험요인은 높은 수준인 것으로 나타났다. 학대로 인한 심리적 문제도 심각하였는데, 이들은 높은 수준의 건강염려, 불안, 우울증, 자살관념과 함께 높은 수준의 외상 후 스트레스장애를 경험하고 있는 것으로 나타났다. 그러나 남편살해 여성들의 공격성은 언어적 공격성을 제외하고는 일반 성인의 수준이었다. 이런 결과는 남편을 살해한 여자들은 매우 공격적이라는 일반적인 시각과는 불일치하는 것이다. 또한 결혼기간과 학대강도가 증가함에 따라 일부 심리 징후는 악화되는 것으로 나타났다. 이런 결과는, 오랜 기간 학대받은 여성들에게서는 일반적으로 나타나는 현상으로서, 학대받는 아내들이 단순한 정신착란상태에서 우발적으로 남편을 살해하는 것이기 보다는 생명에 대한 다양한 위험요인들에 민감하게 반응하게 되어 극단적 선택을 하게 된다는 점을 시사한다.

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Social image of female murderers is dichotomized into ‘madness or badness'. However, this description is too simple since women who kill husbands have long history of being abused by their spouses. In this country, 82.9% among 133 female inmates who killed husbands at Chungjoo Women's Prison have experience of being abused by their victims and 44.5% among them reported being battered as their major motive of killing spouses. This study intended to explore how battered women's perspectives and psychological features might be changed. Analyzed results present the level of being abused was very serious. As a result, mental health problems got deteriorated. They suffered from psychosomatic symptoms, anxiety, depression, and suicidal temptations. However, their aggression level was not so high compared to general population. This implies their aggression level didn't fit stereotypes of violent murderers. All these characteristics got deteriorated up to respondents' marital duration and intensity of being abused. As being abused got worse, post-traumatic stress disorder became worse and they experience greater danger of their own life and their kids'. These results imply that battered women' killing their spouses might be caused not by insanity but by motive to defend themselves and their kids.

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