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Treatment of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder in Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence

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Handbook of Interpersonal Violence and Abuse Across the Lifespan

Abstract

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is associated with substantial psychiatric morbidity, with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) being one of the most prevalent outcomes. PTSD symptoms can compromise IPV survivors’ ability to use community resources effectively, as well as their ability to react to potentially dangerous situations. Thus, PTSD symptoms frequently interfere with survivors’ capability to establish safety for themselves and their children. Standard services for IPV survivors often prioritize advocacy, case management, and support/educational groups. Few interventions exist that target the specific and unique needs of IPV survivors with PTSD. This chapter reviews the existing literature on PTSD, and treatment of PTSD, in IPV survivors. Further, this chapter highlights a PTSD treatment designed specifically for residents of domestic violence shelters, Helping to Overcome PTSD through Empowerment (HOPE). HOPE adopts a cognitive-behavioral (CBT) approach to more effectively address IPV survivors’ needs and improve engagement in treatment. HOPE expands upon traditional treatments through its incorporation of the empowerment and stabilization treatment models for IPV survivors; models of care that experts in the field of IPV strongly recommend. In this chapter, we provide an overview of HOPE, as well as a summary of existing research on the efficacy of the program. A case example of HOPE and suggestions for implementing HOPE in clinical practice are also presented.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, The University of Akron, Akron, OH, USA

    Dawn M. Johnson & Alejandra Gonzalez

  2. Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University, Providence, RI, USA

    Caron Zlotnick

  3. Butler Hospital, Providence, RI, USA

    Caron Zlotnick

Authors
  1. Dawn M. Johnson
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  2. Caron Zlotnick
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  3. Alejandra Gonzalez
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Dawn M. Johnson .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute on Violence, Abuse, and Trauma, San Diego, CA, USA

    Robert Geffner

  2. Department of Psychology College of Arts and Sciences, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USA

    Jacquelyn W. White

  3. Department of Family and Community Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA

    L. Kevin Hamberger

  4. Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, USA

    Alan Rosenbaum

  5. Ethelyn R. Strong School of Social Work, Norfolk State University, Norfolk, VA, USA

    Viola Vaughan-Eden

  6. Education and Research, Zero Abuse Project, St. Paul, MN, USA

    Victor I. Vieth

Section Editor information

  1. University of North Carolina- Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, USA

    Jennifer Langhinrichsen-Rohling

  2. Consultant, Alexandria, VA, USA

    Glenna Tinney MSW,ACSW,DCSW,Capt.US Navy(Ret.)

  3. College of Arts and Sciences - Society, Culture, and Language, University of South Florida - St. Petersburg, St. Petersburg, Florida, USA

    Shelly M. Wagers

  4. Department of Family and Community Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA

    L. Kevin Hamberger Ph.D

  5. Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, USA

    Alan Rosenbaum Ph.D

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Johnson, D.M., Zlotnick, C., Gonzalez, A. (2022). Treatment of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder in Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence. In: Geffner, R., White, J.W., Hamberger, L.K., Rosenbaum, A., Vaughan-Eden, V., Vieth, V.I. (eds) Handbook of Interpersonal Violence and Abuse Across the Lifespan. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-89999-2_149

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