Discounting of Delayed Consequences in Women with a History of Abuse

Women with a history of abuse often have difficulty escaping abusive relationships. One potential factor that may influence this behavior is inappropriate sensitivity to delayed or diffused outcomes. The purpose of this research was to obtain measurements of sensitivity to delayed consequences in women with histories of abuse. Participants engaged in a hypothetical money choice task to determine the relative subjective value of delayed rewards. A quantitative model relating delay to subjective value was fit to each the data. Based upon comparison with data previously reported in the literature, women with histories ofabuse discount delayed rewards to a lesser degree than the general population. Women with histories ofabuse may be less impulsive and show signs of hypersensitivity to long-term outcomes. This may contribute to the individual sustaining an abusive relationship in hopes that the relationship will prove beneficial in the long run