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Intimate Partner Violence Exposure and Change in Women’s Physical Symptoms Over Time

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Abstract

OBJECTIVE

To examine the change in women’s self-reported physical symptoms over 2 time points in relation to intimate partner violence (IPV) exposure.

DESIGN

Prospective interview study of 267 women recruited from 8 health care settings and surrounding communities in Metropolitan Boston.

METHODS

We created sums of somatic symptoms at 2 separate time points (a mean of 9.5 months apart) using items from a modified PHQ-15. A measure of symptom change was computed to measure the net change in symptoms over time. A negative score indicated reduction in total symptoms, or improvement. Exposure to IPV was measured at both time points.

RESULTS

Women who reported ongoing IPV across both time points experienced an increase in their overall physical symptoms compared to women with past abuse (p = .0054) and no abuse (p = .0006). In multivariate regression analysis, ongoing IPV at both time points was a statistically significant predictor of symptom change. This relationship persisted even after controlling for age, race, education, depression, self-report of co-morbid illness, and history of child abuse and prior sexual assault (p = .0076).

CONCLUSIONS

Women exposed to ongoing IPV report increased physical symptoms over time. Clinicians should consider the possibility of IPV in patients who remain persistently symptomatic over time in addition to employing more traditional means of detecting IPV.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the following for their assistance: Erika Lichter, ScD, University of Southern Maine; Jane Liebschutz, MD, MPH, Boston University, Michael Law, MSc, Department of Ambulatory Care and Prevention, Harvard Medical School, and William R. Bachman, MD.

Conflict of Interest

None disclosed.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ambulatory Care and Prevention, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Megan R. Gerber MD, MPH

  2. Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates, Boston, MA, USA

    Megan R. Gerber MD, MPH

  3. Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, USA

    Eve Wittenberg PhD

  4. Abt Associates, Inc., Lexington, MA, USA

    Michael L. Ganz PhD

  5. Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA

    Michael L. Ganz PhD & Corrine M. Williams ScD

  6. Merrill-Palmer Skillman Institute, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA

    Laura A. McCloskey PhD

Authors
  1. Megan R. Gerber MD, MPH
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  2. Eve Wittenberg PhD
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  3. Michael L. Ganz PhD
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  4. Corrine M. Williams ScD
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  5. Laura A. McCloskey PhD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Megan R. Gerber MD, MPH.

Additional information

This work was presented in abstract form at the UNH International Family Violence Conference, July 2006, Portsmouth, NH. It was supported by a grant from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD.

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Gerber, M.R., Wittenberg, E., Ganz, M.L. et al. Intimate Partner Violence Exposure and Change in Women’s Physical Symptoms Over Time. J GEN INTERN MED 23, 64–69 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-007-0463-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-007-0463-2

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