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Remission of PTSD after victims of intimate partner violence leave a shelter
Author(s) -
Johnson Dawn M.,
Zlotnick Caron
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
journal of traumatic stress
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.259
H-Index - 134
eISSN - 1573-6598
pISSN - 0894-9867
DOI - 10.1002/jts.21673
Subject(s) - domestic violence , psychiatry , poison control , injury prevention , suicide prevention , longitudinal study , clinical psychology , occupational safety and health , psychology , social support , medicine , posttraumatic stress , human factors and ergonomics , abusive relationship , public health , medical emergency , social psychology , nursing , pathology
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant public health problem associated with high rates of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Few longitudinal studies have investigated IPV‐related PTSD and we know of only 1 longitudinal study to date that has explored IPV‐related PTSD in residents of battered women's shelters. The current report describes a prospective study of IPV‐related PTSD in an initial sample of 147 residents of battered women's shelters. Baseline correlates of remission of IPV‐related PTSD (i.e., PTSD and IPV severity, loss of personal and social resources, cessation of abuse, reunion with abuser, and length of shelter stay) over a 6‐month follow‐up period were investigated. Although findings are consistent with prior research suggesting a natural recovery of PTSD in IPV‐victims, they also show that a significant number (46.8%) of women exhibit chronic PTSD. Participants whose PTSD remitted over follow‐up had at baseline less severe IPV‐related PTSD (partial η 2 = .104) and fewer loss of personal and social resources (partial η 2 = .095), and were less likely to reunite with their abuser after leaving the shelter than participants with chronic PTSD (3.3% and 22.4%, respectively). Clinical implications and limitations of findings are discussed.