ABSTRACT
This study examines the interrelationships between childhood abuse, exposure to maternal domestic violence, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomatology in a multiethnic sample of 111 adult female residents of a domestic violence (DV) shelter. Participants completed structured interviews about the DV and their prior violence exposure, as well as the Impact of Event Scale-Revised. As hypothesized, there was high co-occurrence between exposure to maternal DV and childhood physical and sexual abuse, and the frequency of lifetime violence exposure predicted PTSD symptomatology. A series of multiple regressions indicated a more complex pattern of relationships, in which specific forms of prior violence exposure predicted different PTSD symptom dimensions. A history of witnessing maternal DV predicted intrusion symptoms, and a history of childhood sexual abuse predicted hyperarousal symptoms. Ethnicity was not related to levels of violence exposure or to PTSD symptoms. Clinical implications of the findings are discussed.
Subject(s)
Battered Women/psychology , Domestic Violence/psychology , Life Change Events , Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic/diagnosis , Survivors/psychology , Women's Health , Adult , Child , Child Abuse/psychology , Female , Humans , Predictive Value of Tests , Psychiatric Status Rating Scales , Regression Analysis , Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic/psychology , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
Research suggests that the use of disengaged or avoidant strategies to cope with interpersonal violence contributes to the development of depressive symptoms and other psychological difficulties. Survivors of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) who are exposed to subsequent episodes of abuse may be more likely to rely on disengaged coping strategies, placing them at elevated risk of psychological symptomatology. In this study, we explored the interrelationships between coping, depression, and self-esteem in an ethnically diverse sample of domestic violence survivors (N = 219) with and without a history of CSA. As predicted, CSA survivors (n = 86) reported significantly greater use of disengaged coping strategies (wishful thinking, self-criticism, and social withdrawal) than non-CSA survivors (n = 133). As hypothesized, both a CSA history and the use of disengaged coping significantly predicted higher levels of depression and lower self- esteem. Clinical implications of the findings are discussed.
Subject(s)
Battered Women/psychology , Child Abuse, Sexual/psychology , Depression/diagnosis , Self Concept , Survivors/psychology , Adaptation, Psychological , Adult , Child , Expressed Emotion , Female , Humans , Interpersonal Relations , Psychiatric Status Rating Scales , Regression Analysis , Social Adjustment , Stress, Psychological/psychology , Surveys and Questionnaires , Women's HealthABSTRACT
This study examines the differential effects of adult and childhood physical and psychological abuse, abuse-specific coping, and psychological adjustment in battered women seeking emergency shelter. Multivariate regression analyses confirmed the devastating impact of psychological abuse (childhood and concurrent) on battered women's adjustment. The results corroborated prior research suggesting a cumulative vulnerability to psychological victimization in a substantial proportion of residents. Unexpectedly, frequency of physical violence was unrelated to women's distress. The study argues that modes of coping traditionally considered adaptive (e.g., engaged, proactive) may be unsafe for battered women and children. The multifaceted nature of survivors' coping choices is discussed.