Posttraumatic stress disorder among low-income women exposed to perinatal intimate partner violence

Abstract

Women exposed to intimate partner violence (IPV) and other forms of lifetime trauma may be at risk for negative mental health outcomes including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The purpose of this study was to examine potential predictors of PTSD among low-income women exposed to perinatal IPV. This study analyzed baseline cross-sectional data from 239 low-income pregnant women in the USA who participated in a nurse home visitation intervention between 2006 and 2012 after reporting recent IPV. PTSD was assessed with the Davidson Trauma Scale (DTS) in which participants answer questions about the most disturbing traumatic event (MDTE) in their lifetime that affected them the week before the interview. In total, 40 % of the women were identified as having PTSD (DTS ≥40). PTSD prevalence significantly increased with age to nearly 80 % of women ages 30 and older (n = 23). Age was also the strongest predictor of PTSD (p < 0.001). Most participants (65 %) identified non-IPV-related traumas as their MDTEs. Psychological (94 %), physical (82 %), and sexual (44 %) violence were not significantly associated with PTSD status. Despite recent exposure to IPV, most participants identified other traumatic events as more disturbing than IPV-related trauma. Further, the risk for PTSD increased with age, suggesting that the cumulative effect of trauma, which may include IPV, increases the risk for PTSD over a lifetime. Implementing comprehensive screening for trauma during prenatal care may lead to the early identification and treatment of PTSD during pregnancy in a community setting.

Prevalence and predictors of anxiety disorders amongst low-income pregnant women in urban South Africa: a cross-sectional study

“…The Revised Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS-2) was used to assess IPV in the current relationship. The CTS-2 has good cross-cultural reliability and has been used in low-resource settings (Nayak et al 2010; Shamu et al 2011; Kastello et al 2015) and in South Africa (Dawes et al 2006; Choi et al 2014). A short form of the U.S. Household Food Security Survey Module (HFSSM) measured inadequacy of food each month, frequency of going hungry, and not having money to buy enough food for the individual or their household in the preceding 6 months (Blumberg et al 1999).…”

“…Much of the existing research is focused on trauma and stressor-related disorders, and may be specific to the South African context, where there is frequent exposure to community and interpersonal violence or gender-based violence and trauma (Dunkle et al 2004; Myer et al 2008b; Troeman et al 2011; Mahenge et al 2013; Kastello et al 2015). A history of childhood trauma and abuse (Choi et al 2015) and exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV) (Hartley et al 2011) significantly increase the vulnerability for antenatal PTSD, especially in contexts where there are numerous stressors such as poverty, community-based violence and HIV (Shisana et al 2010; Shisana et al 2014).…”

Decriminalisation of gender-based violence is a global health problem

“…The significant mental health consequences of physical and sexual violence have been well established by the literature, including higher rates of depression, 13 post-traumatic stress disorder, 14 anxiety, 15 alcohol and drug abuse, 16 and suicidal ideation. 13 However, an emerging body of evidence points to the health consequences of more insidious forms of violence, such as emotional violence and controlling behaviours.…”

Prevalence of Covert Violence in Intimate Partner Relationships. A Study with Spanish University Students

“…An intimate partner is a person with whom you have or had a close personal or sexual relationship [1]. Intimate partner can be characterized by: emotional connectedness, regular contact, on-Intimate partner violence has a direct impact on physical and psychological health of those people who suffer it [2], which leads in many cases those women who are victims of intimate partner violence to suffer post-traumatic stress disorder [3]. But violence does not arise spontaneously during cohabitation; it normally arises during dating relationships [4].…”