INTERPERSONAL VIOLENCE AND POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER AMONG COMMUNITY-DWELLING OLDER WOMEN

• Published in: Innovation in aging Vol. 1; no. suppl_1; p. 819
• Main Authors: Gibson, C.J., Huang, A., McCaw, B., Shan, J., Subak, L., Van Den Eeden, S.K.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: US Oxford University Press 01.07.2017
• Subjects: Abstracts
• ISSN: 2399-5300; 2399-5300
• DOI: 10.1093/geroni/igx004.2955

Because prior research on interpersonal violence (IPV) and sexual violence has largely focused on younger women, little is known about the risk and impact of these experiences among older women. To address that gap, the prevalence of physical and emotional IPV from an intimate partner, lifetime sexual violence, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms were examined in a multi-ethnic sample of community-dwelling midlife and older women (mean age 60.5, range 41–81). Data were drawn from the Reproductive Risk of Incontinence Study in Kaiser (RRISK), an observational cohort study (n=2,106) of long-term enrollees in the Kaiser Permanente Northern California health care system, with home-based assessment using standardized instruments. In this multi-ethnic sample (40% non-Latina White, 20% Latina White, 20% Black, and 20% Asian), 16% of participants reported ever having experienced physical IPV, and 4% reported physical IPV within the past year. A history of emotional IPV was reported by 21% of participants, and 14% reported emotional IPV within the past year. Lifetime sexual violence, including being groped, fondled, or raped, was reported by 19% of the sample. Over 22% of the sample reported symptomatology indicative of clinically significant PTSD, although the incident trauma exposure related to these symptoms was not assessed. The high rates of reported violence and PTSD symptoms in this ethnically diverse sample highlight the importance of systematic screening and early intervention among midlife and older women, which may contribute to otherwise unidentified mental and physical health care needs in this population.