The Psychological Effects of Abuse on Women in Ethiopia

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the forms of abuse, the causes of abuse, physical and the psychological impact of abuse in Ethiopia. Methodology: The study adopted a desktop methodology. Desk research refers to secondary data or that which can be collected without fieldwork. Desk research is basically involved in collecting data from existing resources hence it is often considered a low-cost technique as compared to field research, as the main cost is involved in executive's time, telephone charges and directories. Thus, the study relied on already published studies, reports and statistics. This secondary data was easily accessed through the online journals and library. Results: The results revealed that there exist conceptual and contextual gaps relating to the study on psychological impact of abuse on women in Ethiopia. Preliminary empirical review reveals that several forms of abuse exists in the Ethiopian communities which were due to inequality between men and women, patterns of using violence to resolve conflicts, male authority and control of decision making and transgression of gender roles. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: Intra-individual theory and social-learning theory may be used to provide insight to the forms of abuse, the causes of abuse, physical and the psychological impact of abuse.