Intimate Partner Violence, Psychological Distress, and Suicidality:A Path Model Using Data from African American WomenSeeking Care in an Urban Emergency Department

摘要

Intimate partner violence (IPV) and suicidalbehavior are major public health problems in the AfricanAmerican community. This study investigated whether ornot IPV and suicidal ideation are correlated in urbanAfrican American women, and if the IPV—suicidal ideationlink is explained by symptoms of depression and posttrau-matic stress disorder (PTSD). With 323 abused AfricanAmerican females, path analysis revealed that: (1) IPV -->depressive symptoms → suicidal ideation, and (2) IPV -->PTSD symptoms→→ depressive symptoms → suicidalideation. When evaluating abused women, depressive andPTSD symptoms and suicidal thoughts must be assessed.Interventions for reducing suicidal behavior in abused, lowincome African American women should reduce symptomsof depression and PTSD.