Ptsd & Depression Over Time Among Victims of Intimate Partner Violence

The majority of individuals with PTSD have at least one comorbid disorder(Perkonigg et al., 2000; Kessler et al., 1995), and depressive disorders, specifically majordepression, is the most commonly cited secondary disorder (Brand et al., 1996; Cascardi etal., 1999). Research that examines comorbidity over time can provide important informationon the needs of individuals, both initially after traumatic exposure and over more extensiveperiods of time, and can inform long-term prevention and intervention for comorbidindividuals. Examination of the prevalence and predictors of comorbidity in ethnic minoritypopulations can specifically highlight how individual and contextual factors may uniquelyaffect mental health outcomes and can direct future research and clinical intervention withunder-served populations. This study examined initial and long-term predictors of comorbidPTSD and depression among a sample of low-income, African American women exposed tointimate partner violence. Specifically, it (1) identifies the baseline prevalence andpredictors of comorbidity after an initial index event, (2) identifies the prevalence andpredictors of comorbidity one year after an index event, and (3) identifies factors that predictstaying comorbid or transitioning from a single disorder at baseline, either PTSD ordepression, to comorbidity one year later, in hopes of using such information to furtherdisentangle theoretical explanations for comorbidity. Predictors included factors related toviolence as a traumatic stressor, namely current physical violence, current sexual violence,current psychological abuse, and subjective threat appraisal, and contextual, psychosocialand individual factors seen as sources of vulnerability, including prior traumatic experiences including childhood physical and sexual abuse, and prior intimate partner violence, lowsocial support, limited coping strategy utilization, limited helpfulness of copingstrategies, and substance abuse.