A Longitudinal Investigation of Interpersonal Violence in Relation to Mental Health and Substance Use

• Published in: Journal of consulting and clinical psychology 2008-08, Vol.76 (4), p.633-647
• Main Authors: Hedtke, Kristina A, Ruggiero, Kenneth J, Fitzgerald, Monica M, Zinzow, Heidi M, Saunders, Benjamin E, Resnick, Heidi S, Kilpatrick, Dean G
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; At Risk Persons; Biological and medical sciences; Correlation; Crime Victims - psychology; Crime Victims - statistics & numerical data; Death; Depression; Depression (Psychology); Depressive Disorder - diagnosis; Depressive Disorder - epidemiology; Depressive Disorder - psychology; Drug Abuse; Family Violence; Female; Females; Follow-Up Studies; Human; Human Females; Humans; Incidence; Injuries; Interviews; Interviews as Topic; Intimate Partner Violence; Life Change Events; Longitudinal Studies; Major Depression; Medical sciences; Mental Health; Middle Aged; Miscellaneous; Post traumatic stress disorder; Posttraumatic Stress Disorder; Probability; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Recurrence; Risk Factors; Sex Offenses - psychology; Sex Offenses - statistics & numerical data; Sexual Abuse; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - diagnosis; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - epidemiology; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - psychology; Substance abuse; Substance-Related Disorders - diagnosis; Substance-Related Disorders - epidemiology; Substance-Related Disorders - psychology; Victimology; Violence; Violence - psychology; Violence - statistics & numerical data; Women; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0022-006X; 1939-2117
• DOI: 10.1037/0022-006X.76.4.633

The authors examined longitudinally the mental health status of women as a function of different types and combinations of exposure to interpersonal violence. A structured telephone interview was administered to a household probability sample of 4,008 women (18-89 years of age), who were then recontacted for 1- and 2-year follow-up interviews. Interviews assessed lifetime violence history (i.e., sexual assault, physical assault, witnessed serious injury or violent death), past-year mental health functioning (i.e., posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD], depression, and substance use problems), and new instances of violence occurring after the baseline interview. Results indicate that (a) lifetime violence exposure was associated with increased risk of PTSD, depression, and substance use problems; (b) odds of PTSD, depression, and substance use problems increased incrementally with the number of different types of violence experienced; (c) relations were fairly stable over a 2-year period; and (d) new incidents of violence between the baseline and follow-up interviews were associated with heightened risk of PTSD and substance use problems. Greater understanding of the cumulative impact of violence exposure will inform service provision for individuals at high risk.