NCJ Number
223710
Journal
Violence Against Women Volume: 14 Issue: 6 Dated: June 2008 Pages: 634-654
Date Published
June 2008
Length
21 pages
Annotation
This study examined the contributions of understudied partner abuse, specifically psychological abuse and stalking, to mental health issues.
Abstract
The results indicate that psychological abuse and stalking contribute uniquely to the prediction of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression symptoms, even after controlling for the effects of physical violence, injuries, and sexual coercion. After considering that battered women are exposed to multiple forms of intimate partner abuse, the study explored the independent contributions of physical violence, sexual coercion, psychological abuse, and stalking on symptoms of PTSD and depression among a sample of severely battered, help-seeking women. The study tested the unique effects of psychological abuse and stalking on mental health outcomes, after controlling for physical violence, injuries, and sexual coercion. Mean scores for the sample fell into the moderate to severe range for PTSD and within the moderate category for depression scores. Hierarchical regressions also tested the unique effects of stalking and psychological abuse, after controlling for physical violence, injuries, and sexual coercion. The results also highlight the importance of examining multiple dimensions of intimate partner abuse. The data was derived from a sample which consisted of 413 women drawn from community battered women’s programs. Seven instruments were used to gather the data, to include established checklist, inventories, and interview. Tables, references