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Stacey Kaltman, PhD, Ayodola Anise, MHS, Katherine De Meo, BA, and Mary Ann Dutton, PhD. Department of Psychiatry, Georgetown University Medical Center, 613 Kober Cogan, 3800 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20007, 202-687-6571, sk279@georgetown.edu
Levels of IPV-related mental health problems in underserved populations of battered women are staggering. Despite the frequency with which PTSD and its common comorbidities (e.g., depression) are observed in battered women, little research has examined how to effectively treat these disorders in low-income communities where access to mental health care is limited. An important first step in developing effective interventions for this vulnerable population of battered women will be to understand how PTSD and depression impact natural coping efforts. Toward this end, the current study examined prospectively the relationship between PTSD and depression and the strategies battered women employ to control and cope with the violence they experience. The data presented are derived from a larger longitudinal study of a low-income, primarily African American community sample of battered women. Overall, the sample employed many and varied strategies during the four month interval between the baseline and second assessment. Both PTSD and depressive symptoms were positively correlated with the number of strategies utilized. Specifically, level of PTSD symptoms predicted the increased use of placating strategies (β = .24, p = < .001), safety planning (β = .19, p = < .001), and help-seeking from both informal (β = .20, p = < .01) and formal (β = .16, p = < .05), controlling for level of violence. Level of depressive symptoms predicted only the increased use of placating strategies (β = .14, p = < .05), controlling for level of violence. The clinical implications of these findings will be discussed.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Mental Health, Domestic Violence
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.