Examining the Role of Social Support in the Relationship Between Intimate Partner Violence and Depression

The purpose of the current study was to assess perceived social support as a moderator of the association between intimate partner violence (IPV) and depression. An additional facet of the current study included examination of how IPV measurement might impact results. Participants included 151 racially diverse female survivors of IPV. Two separate path analyses were conducted to assess social support as a moderator of the association between IPV measured both as a unitary construct and as three subtypes (physical IPV, sexual IPV, and psychological IPV) and depression. We expected that differences in findings would emerge based on how IPV was measured, such that social support would influence the relationship between IPV measured as a unitary construct, but not with each subtype and depression. When assessed as a unitary construct, the model examining whether perceived social support moderated the association between IPV and depression was not significant. When assessed as subtypes, the model examining whether perceived social support moderated the association between each type and depression was significant. Results indicated that social support moderated the association between sexual IPV and depression. At low levels of social support, lower levels of depression were noted at low levels of sexual IPV compared to high levels of sexual IPV. This association was not significant at higher levels of social support. Social support did not moderate the association between physical IPV or psychological IPV and depression. These findgins suggest that perceived social support, more specifically low perceived social support, may be particularly relevant with regard to sexual IPV. The current findings suggest that stratifying IPV by type rather than as a unitary construct may be relevant in understanding which variables impact the association between IPV and mental health outcomes