Differences in physical and mental health symptoms and mental health utilization associated with intimate-partner violence versus childhood abuse
Date
2009
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Publisher
Psychosomatics
Abstract
There is ample evidence that both intimate-partner violence (IPV) and childhood abuse adversely
affect the physical and mental health of adult women over the long term. In this study the authors
assessed the associations between abuse, symptoms, and mental health utilization by performing
a cross-sectional survey of 380 adult internal-medicine patients. They found that while both IPV
and childhood abuse were associated with depressive and physical symptoms, IPV was
independently associated with physical symptoms, and childhood abuse was independently
associated with depression. Women with a history of childhood abuse had higher odds, whereas
women with IPV had lower odds, of receiving care from mental health providers. They
concluded that IPV and childhood abuse may have different effects on women’s symptoms and
mental health utilization
Description
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Keywords
intimate partner violence, long term effects, child maltreatment, health, mental health
Citation
Nicolaidis, C., McFarland, B., Curry, M., & Gerrity, M. (2009). Differences in physical and mental health symptoms and mental health utilization associated with intimate-partner violence versus childhood abuse. Psychosomatics, 50(4), 340-346.