The effect of intimate partner violence on treatment response in an intensive outpatient program for suicide-bereaved military widows

ABSTRACT

Suicide-bereaved military widows can struggle with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and prolonged grief. Intimate partner violence survivors (IPV) are particularly at risk. We examined whether IPV impacts outcomes in a two-week intensive outpatient program for N = 50 suicide-bereaved military widows. Mixed-model regressions were employed to examine the effects of IPV, time, and their interaction on symptoms. Thirty-four percent experienced IPV perpetrated by their deceased veteran. Symptoms improved at post-treatment (ps < .001), one-month (ps < .01), and three-month follow-up (ps< .001). There was no significant effect of IPV or significant interaction (ps > .05), indicating that IPV survivors also benefitted from treatment.

KEYWORDS:

• Suicide bereavement
• intimate partner violence
• military
• prolonged exposure therapy
• prolonged grief therapy

Acknowledgments

We would like to acknowledge the philanthropic support to the Home Base program from the Wounded Warrior Project and the Tragedy Assistance program. We would also like to thank the suicide survivors who participated in the program.

Disclosure statement

The authors have no potential conflicts of interest to report.

Data availability statement

Given the nature of these data, and the small number of suicide-bereaved military spouses, neither the data nor the materials have been made publicly available. Any requests for materials should be directed to the corresponding author [email protected]

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.