Publication year
2017
Citation Title
Intimate partner stalking: Contributions to PTSD symptomatology among a national sample of women Veterans.
Journal Name
Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy
Journal Volume
9
Issue Number
S1
Page Numbers
67-73
DOI
10.1037/tra0000171
Summary
Female Veterans may be more vulnerable to intimate partner violence (IPV; e.g., stalking) than civilians. Female Veterans' answers to questionnaires were used to examine the prevalence of intimate partner stalking and the association between stalking and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Results revealed that intimate partner stalking was a common form of IPV among female Veterans and it was related to PTSD symptoms.
Key Findings
Most female Veterans (64%) who experienced IPV also reported being stalked by an intimate partner at least once in their lifetime.
Female Veterans who experienced both IPV and stalking were 4.2 times as likely to have PTSD symptoms than those who experienced IPV without stalking.
Female Veterans who had a history of physical and sexual IPV were 2.5 times as likely to be stalked by an intimate partner than those who experienced psychological IPV (e.g., humiliation, being afraid of partner).
Implications for Program Leaders
Offer support groups for Service members and military spouses who experienced IPV
Disseminate information on military bases regarding how to identify IPV and, if it happens, how to seek help
Provide marriage education programs for military couples to promote healthy communication skills
Implications for Policy Makers
Encourage awareness campaign on military bases regarding the importance of preventing, reporting, and intervening in IPV situations
Continue to support marriage education programs that address the unique challenges that military couples encounter
Recommend professional education on improving detection of different forms of IPV in military families
Methods
Data were collected from the Women Veterans and IPV-related Care Survey conducted in 2014; participants were recruited randomly from a national sample, and the response rate was 75%.
Participants completed a 30-minute on-line survey, and measures included their experiences of IPV, intimate partner stalking, and PTSD symptoms.
Data were analyzed to examine the lifetime prevalence of intimate partner stalking as well as the associations between stalking and PTSD symptoms.
Participants
Participants were 225 female Veterans with a history of IPV; the average age of the sample was 49.9 years (SD = 13.3).
Most participants identified themselves as White (63%), followed by Latino (16%) and Black (12%); the race/ethnicity of the other 9% of participants was not reported.
The military branches that the Veterans used to serve in were: Army (44%), Air Force (24%), Navy (23%), Marines (7%), and Coast Guard (22%).
Limitations
The cross-sectional design of the study did not allow for examining the potential causal relationship between intimate partner stalking and PTSD symptoms.
Only four screening questions were used to assess IPV in the study; therefore, they may not fully capture the complexity of IPV (e.g., duration, severity).
It was unclear whether stalking and IPV were perpetrated by the same partner; therefore, it was difficult to know whether partners who perpetrated IPV were also more likely to engage in stalking.
Avenues for Future Research
Examine the prevalence of intimate partner stalking and its association with PTSD symptoms in female Active Duty Service members
Conduct longitudinal studies to explore the causal relationships between IPV, stalking, and PTSD symptoms
Examine factors (e.g., age, personality, socioeconomic status) that are associated with the risk of experiencing IPV and stalking
Focus
Multiple Branches
Target Population
Population Focus
Military Branch
Abstract
Women veterans are at high risk for intimate partner violence (IPV), which has previously been defined as psychological, physical, or sexual violence from an intimate partner. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently added stalking to its uniform definition of IPV, but little is known about the occurrence of stalking victimization among women veterans who experience IPV, its overlap with other forms of IPV, and its contribution to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomatology among this population. Lifetime intimate partner stalking, as well as physical, sexual, and psychological IPV, was assessed as part of a larger study of women veterans who completed a 2014 Web-based survey (75% participation rate). Women with a history of IPV or stalking (55%, n 225) completed the PTSD Checklist-5 to assess PTSD symptoms related to IPV and items assessing military sexual trauma and combat exposure. Among 225 women veterans with a history of IPV, approximately 64% (n 145) reported lifetime stalking by an intimate partner. Women who experienced both stalking and other forms of IPV were 4.2 times more likely to experience probable PTSD than were women who experienced IPV without stalking, odds ratio (OR) 4.18, 95% confidence interval (CI) [1.91, 9.13]. After adjusting for military sexual trauma and lifetime sum of other types of IPV, women who experienced partner stalking remained 2.5 times more likely than women without a history of partner stalking to experience probable PTSD, OR 2.49, 95% CI [1.07, 5.78]. Conclusions: Stalking from an intimate partner is a common form of IPV experienced by women veterans that strongly contributes to risk for probable PTSD. In addition to other forms of IPV, identification and treatment efforts should attend to stalking victimization among this rapidly growing population.
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