title: Self-rated health in relation to rape and mental health disorders in a national sample of women.
abstract: Overall health status is associated with long-term physical morbidity and mortality. Existing research on the correlates of mental health effects of rape suggests that rape victims are at higher risk for poor overall health status. Little is known, however, about how different rape tactics may relate to health status in rape victims. Our aim was to examine prevalence and correlates of self-rated health in a community sample of women, with particular emphasis on lifetime rape history (distinguishing between rape tactics), psychopathology, and substance use outcomes. A nationally representative sample of 3,001 U.S. women (age range: 18-86 years) residing in households with a telephone participated in a structured telephone interview. Poor self-rated health was endorsed by 11.4% of the sample. Final multivariable models showed that poor self-rated health was associated with older age (p<.001), lower educational attainment (p=.01), African American ethnicity (p=.03), lifetime posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD; p<.001), lifetime major depressive episode (MDE; p=.01), and history of forcible rape (p=.01). Self-rated health was associated with three potentially modifiable variables (forcible rape, PTSD, and MDE). Therefore, trauma-focused interventions for rape victims should include collaboration on treatment or prevention modules that specifically address both mental and physical health.
authors.affiliation: National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center, Medical University of South Carolina, USA. abamstadter@vcu.edu
authors.forename: Ananda B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Amstadter
authors.forename: Jenna L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: McCauley
authors.forename: Kenneth J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Ruggiero
authors.forename: Heidi S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Resnick
authors.forename: Dean G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Kilpatrick
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D011902:Rape / Q000523:psychology*; D057566:Self Report; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires