title: Remission of PTSD after victims of intimate partner violence leave a shelter.
abstract: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant public health problem associated with high rates of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Few longitudinal studies have investigated IPV-related PTSD and we know of only 1 longitudinal study to date that has explored IPV-related PTSD in residents of battered women's shelters. The current report describes a prospective study of IPV-related PTSD in an initial sample of 147 residents of battered women's shelters. Baseline correlates of remission of IPV-related PTSD (i.e., PTSD and IPV severity, loss of personal and social resources, cessation of abuse, reunion with abuser, and length of shelter stay) over a 6-month follow-up period were investigated. Although findings are consistent with prior research suggesting a natural recovery of PTSD in IPV-victims, they also show that a significant number (46.8%) of women exhibit chronic PTSD. Participants whose PTSD remitted over follow-up had at baseline less severe IPV-related PTSD (partial η(2)  = .104) and fewer loss of personal and social resources (partial η(2)  = .095), and were less likely to reunite with their abuser after leaving the shelter than participants with chronic PTSD (3.3% and 22.4%, respectively). Clinical implications and limitations of findings are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325-4301, USA. johnsod@uakron.edu
authors.forename: Dawn M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: Caron
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zlotnick
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D018585:Battered Women / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012074:Remission Induction; D012747:Sexual Partners; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic; D014481:United States; D014754:Violence / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult