Different profiles of mental and physical health and stress hormone response in women victims of intimate partner violence

Abstract

To analyse the individual differences in the impact that intimate male partner violence (IPV) has on a woman's depressive and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomatology, and to determine the association of the different profiles of mental dysfunction with cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) basal saliva levels as well as physical health symptoms. A cross-sectional study was carried out in which IPV victims (n=73) and control non-abused (n=31) women participated. Information was obtained through structured interviews and saliva samples were collected for hormonal assays under baseline conditions. There were three profiles of mental symptoms in IPV subjects: no symptoms (n=19); with depressive symptoms (n=36), and depressive/PTSD symptom (n=18). None of the non-abused women had depressive or PTSD symptoms. The stress hormone response differed between groups. Only the IPV-depressive group had higher evening cortisol, and both morning and evening DHEA, but lower morning cortisol/DHEA ratio than non-abused women. Furthermore, there were differences between the IPV groups. The IPV-depressive group had lower morning cortisol and morning cortisol/DHEA ratio than the IPV-no symptoms and lower morning cortisol/DHEA ratio than the IPV-depressive/PTSD group. With respect to the physical symptoms there was an association between the mean of symptoms and the profile of mental health, the incidence being higher in the depressive/PTSD group than in the other groups. This study demonstrates that there are individual differences in the impact that IPV has on the stress response and health status in women victims.