Timing of Physical and Emotional Intimate Partner Violence Exposure and Women's Health in an Australian Longitudinal Cohort Study

Abstract

Drawing on data from a prospective pregnancy cohort (N = 1,507), this study examines the relationship between exposure to physical and emotional intimate partner violence (IPV) across the first 10 years of motherhood and women's mental and physical health. A measure of IPV (Composite Abuse Scale) was included at 1, 4, and 10 years postpartum. Past year and prior experiences of IPV were associated with mental and physical health issues at 10 years, both for mothers who had experienced combined IPV and emotional IPV alone. Awareness of the health issues associated with different types of IPV can assist in tailoring responses for women who experience IPV.

Keywords

Intimate partner violence posttraumatic stress symptoms anxiety symptoms depressive symptoms physical health longitudinal analysis

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