Child Abuse Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Child Abuse, including details on family violence, examinations, long-term effects, psychiatrics disorders.

Relationships of depression to child and adult abuse and bodily pain among women who have experienced intimate partner violence.

Koopman C, Ismailji T, Palesh O, Gore-Felton C, Narayanan A, Saltzman KM, Holmes D, McGarvey EL

Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305-5718, USA. koopman@stanford.edu

This study investigates whether depression in women who experienced intimate partner violence is associated with having also experienced childhood sexual and physical abuse, psychological abuse by an intimate partner, recent involvement with the abusive partner, and bodily pain. Fifty-seven women who had left a violent relationship with an intimate partner completed measures assessing their demographic characteristics, experiences of abuse in childhood and in their relationship with their intimate partner, and depressive symptoms. Multiple regression analysis showed that women's depression was significantly greater among those who had experienced childhood physical and sexual abuse, more severe psychological abuse, and greater bodily pain (p<.001), adjusted R(2)=.32. These results suggest characteristics that can help to identify abused women who are most at risk for depression, and they suggest specific issues that may need to be addressed in this population.

Published 19 March 2007 in J Interpers Violence, 22(4): 438-55.
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