Symptom Trajectory among Formerly Abused Women: An Exploratory Study

Abstract

Women who have experienced intimate partner violence suffer from symptoms that persist long after the abuse has ended. However, the patterns and trajectory of these symptoms are poorly understood. The objective of this longitudinal research was to explore symptom trajectory typologies. A latent class growth analysis with multi-outcomes modeling was used to explore typologies based on women’s (N = 30) trajectories over 4 months. Two distinct symptom typologies were identified: (1) consistently lessening symptom group (n = 16); (2) moderately worsening symptom group (n = 14). Women who experienced severe psychological vulnerability exhibited better symptom trajectories; a potential reflection of resilience in this population.

Acknowledgments and credits

The authors are grateful for the financial support of the Duke University School of Nursing and to the 30 brave and committed women who participated in this study. The authors would also like to acknowledge Daniel Hatch, PhD, for his assistance with the SAS coding.

Ethical conduct of research

The research described in this manuscript was reviewed and approved by the Duke University Institutional Review Board prior to the implementation of any study procedures.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Duke University School of Nursing under the Small Grant Program from Center for Nursing Research.