NCJ Number
213026
Journal
Violence and Victims Volume: 20 Issue: 6 Dated: December 2005 Pages: 645-659
Date Published
December 2005
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This study of women victims of intimate-partner violence (IPV), who were being treated in an urban emergency department, assessed the relationship between their symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the previous 12 months and their current symptoms of depression, along with independent predictors of their PTSD symptoms.
Abstract
Half of the 182 women in the sample had symptoms consistent with PTSD. Those with PTSD symptoms had significantly higher mean total depression scores and mean scores on three of four depression subscales than those without PTSD. Independent predictors of PTSD symptoms were depressive symptoms, being married, violent sexual assault by her intimate partner, severity of physical abuse, and partner's successive consumption of five or more alcoholic drinks at least once a month. Screening for these factors is important in order to intervene as soon as possible in treating for PTSD, which can have significant adverse health outcomes. The study sample was drawn from a larger case-control hospital-based study of White, Black, and Hispanic adult women patients admitted to an urban emergency department in Dallas, TX, from May through October 2002. The dependent variable was IPV-related PTSD symptoms, which were identified with the PTSD portion of the 12-month version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Independent variables were depressive symptoms, measured with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale; sociodemographic factors; family violence; subject's alcohol use and drug use; and her partner's substance use. Pearson chi-square or Fisher exact test were conducted to compare the characteristics of the women with and without PTSD symptoms regarding the presence of the various independent variables. 3 tables and 64 references