Correlates of PTSD Symptoms and Symptom Clusters Among Female Partners of Men in Treatment for Relationship Abuse

The study intended to investigate the relation between abuse exposure and PTSD symptoms among female partners of men in treatment for relationship abuse. The association between sexual abuse (both coercion and violence) and PTSD symptoms was of particular interest. It was hypothesized that the female participants who had experienced any form of sexual abuse would report more PTSD symptoms and have higher rates of probable PTSD diagnosis than the female participants who had not. Sexual violence was expected to be a unique predictor of PTSD symptoms relative to sexual coercion. Self-report data (via a structured phone interview) were gathered from 216 female partners of men in treatment for relationship abuse. The results indicated that the female partners who had experienced sexual abuse reported more PTSD symptoms and had higher rates of probable PTSD, however, these differences may have been accounted for by the presence of psychological abuse. In contrast to what was hypothesized, sexual coercion was a unique predictor of PTSD symptoms relative to sexual violence. The findings from the study suggest that many female partners report sexual abuse exposure and that this is an important area for assessment and treatment. Overall, psychological abuse appeared to be an important variable in nearly all analyses, making the case for further consideration of its influence on PTSD symptoms