![Sample our Health and Social Care journals, sign in here to start your FREE access for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/5938/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Health-Social-Care.jpg"})
ABSTRACT
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is prevalent among Veterans. Injuries to head, neck, and face are frequent and elevate risk for traumatic brain injury (TBI). IPV also increases risk for mental health morbidity. A better understanding of IPV’s impact on health and functioning is needed among Veterans to inform assessment and intervention. This study identified lifetime IPV in post-9/11 Veterans and examined the associations between lifetime IPV and health and functioning. A sample of 813 post-9/11 Veterans completed a comprehensive assessment of psychiatric, neurobehavioral and functional outcomes. Thirty-eight percent of female and 22% of male Veterans experienced IPV during their lifetime. Veterans with IPV experience had higher prevalence of TBI, pain, and psychiatric conditions (posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD], mood, anxiety, substance use). Lifetime IPV experience, PTSD, mood disorder, and pain were significantly associated with functional disability in men and women (β’s = .12–.44; ps < .05); the effect was larger for women. Given the clinical complexity of Veterans with a history of IPV, we propose the need for novel, transdiagnostic treatments. The STEP-Home workshop is a skills-based intervention with preliminary effectiveness in treating combat-related TBI and commonly co-occurring psychiatric disorders in post-9/11 Veterans that could expand evidence-based treatments for IPV.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Ethical Standards and Informed Consent
All procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation [Institutional Review Board of Human Studies Research at the VA Boston Healthcare System and Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center] and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2000. Informed consent was obtained from all patients for being included in the study.
Additional information
Funding
Notes on contributors
Sahra Kim
Sahra Kim, Translational Research Center for TBI and Stress Disorders National Network Center, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA
Alyssa Currao
Alyssa Currao, Translational Research Center for TBI and Stress Disorders National Network Center, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA
Jennifer R. Fonda
Jennifer R. Fonda, Translational Research Center for TBI and Stress Disorders National Network Center, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA; Department of Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA
Katherine M. Iverson
Katherine M. Iverson, Women’s Health Sciences Division, National Center for PTSD, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA; Department of Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA
Alexandra Kenna
Alexandra Kenna, Translational Research Center for TBI and Stress Disorders National Network Center, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA
Meghan E. Pierce
Meghan E. Pierce, Translational Research Center for TBI and Stress Disorders National Network Center, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
Brigitta M. Beck
Brigitta M. Beck, Translational Research Center for TBI and Stress Disorders National Network Center, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA
Ricardo E. Jorge
Ricardo E. Jorge, Translational Research Center for TBI and Stress Disorders National Network Center, Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Houston, TX; Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
Catherine B. Fortier
Catherine B. Fortier, Translational Research Center for TBI and Stress Disorders National Network Center and Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.