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Intimate Partner Violence, Depression, and PTSD Among Pregnant Latina Women

¹ Department of Family Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles
² School of Nursing, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles
³ Department of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles
⁴ Kaiser Permanente, Los Angeles, California
⁵ School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles

CORRESPONDING AUTHOR: Michael A. Rodriguez, MD, MPH Department of Family Medicine University of California, Los Angeles 10880 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 1800 Los Angeles, CA 90024 mrodriguez{at}mednet.ucla.edu

PURPOSE We undertook a study to describe factors related to depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among pregnant Latinas who were or were not exposed to intimate partner violence.

METHODS We interviewed 210 pregnant Latinas attending prenatal clinics located in Los Angeles, California. Latinas who did and did not have histories of intimate partner violence were recruited. We then assessed the women for strengths, adverse social behavioral circumstances, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and depression.

RESULTS Significantly more women exposed to intimate partner violence scored at or above the cutoff point for depression than women who were not (41% vs 18.6%; P<.001). Significantly more women exposed to intimate partner violence scored at or above the cutoff point for PTSD than women who were not (16% vs 7.6%; P <.001). Lack of mastery, which measures feelings of being in control of forces that affect life (odds ratio [OR], 0.72; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.62–0.84), a history of trauma not associated with intimate partner violence (OR, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.08–1.63), and exposure to intimate partner violence (OR, 2.43; 95% CI, 1.16–5.11) were associated with depression after adjusting for age, language of interview, and site effects. Stress (OR, 1.72; 95% CI, 1.34–2.2) and a history of trauma (OR, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.03–2.04) were independently associated with PTSD, whereas higher income was associated with decreased risk of PTSD (OR, 0.10; 95% CI, 0.02–0.63), after adjusting for age, language of interview, and site effects.

CONCLUSIONS Intimate partner violence was significantly associated with depression and PTSD but was associated with depression only after controlling for other factors in the multivariate model. The risk for depression declined with greater mastery but increased with a history of trauma or exposure to intimate partner violence. Stress, a history of trauma not associated with intimate partner violence, and lower income were all independently associated with increased risk for PTSD.

Key Words: Domestic violence • pregnancy • Latinas • Hispanic Americans

This article has been cited by other articles:

				M. Rodriguez, J. M. Valentine, J. B. Son, and M. Muhammad Intimate Partner Violence and Barriers To Mental Health Care for Ethnically Diverse Populations of Women Trauma Violence Abuse, October 1, 2009; 10(4): 358 - 374. [Abstract] [PDF]

				K. C. Stange In This Issue: Mental Health and Care Management, Health Behavior Change, and Reflection in Primary Care Ann. Fam. Med, January 1, 2008; 6(1): 2 - 3. [Full Text] [PDF]