Physiological and Traumatic Effects of Childhood Exposure to Intimate Partner Violence

• NCJ Number: 223668
• Journal: Journal of Emotional Abuse Volume: 8 Issue: 1/2 Dated: 2008 Pages: 83-101
• Author(s): Steve Stride; Robert Geffner; Alan Lincoln
• Date Published: 2008
• Length: 19 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study compared the physiological functioning and trauma symptoms of 31 college students exposed to intimate partner violence (IPV) as children, 22 college students who had been directly physically or sexually abused as children, and 29 college students with no childhood history of abuse or exposure to IPV.

Abstract

The study found that those exposed to IPV and those who had been physically or sexually abused as children reported significantly higher peritraumatic dissociation scores than those in the no-abuse group. The students exposed to IPV as children had higher heart rates at rest than the students who had been physically or sexually abused as children, as well as those students with no abuse history. Students with physical/sexual abuse histories had the highest cortisol levels and diagnosable trauma symptoms for posttraumatic stress disorder. Cortisol is a hormone that is part of the parasympathetic response to stress; it slows down the body during and after removal of a stressor. The findings suggest that although intervention/treatment regimens have tended to focus on children who have directly experienced physical and/or sexual abuse, it is also important to provide appropriate treatment for children exposed to IPV. Trauma symptoms may decrease or be eliminated if a child exposed to IPV is treated quickly. Timely intervention may curtail the long-term symptoms of increased heart rate and other symptoms related to high stress levels. At baseline, participants' heart rate was measured, and they were given a salivary cortisol test while listening to and participating in relaxation exercises. They then watched a 5-minute video (the stressor) that showed a child witnessing IPV, and heart rate and salivary cortisol were again measured. A relaxation phase followed the stressor, during which salivary cortisol was measured once and heart rate was measured four times. 3 tables and 39 references