Intimate partner violence (IPV) has significant long-term effect on women?s health. In spite of persistent findings of increased infections, assessment of immune function is one of the weakest areas of current research. Conceptualizing the response to abuse within a stress response framework linking mental health effects on hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis regulation with Thl/Th2 cell modulation may help to explain the impact of IPV on immune function. The major purposes of this predictive correlational study are to: (1) identify the prevalence of IPV in women who receive care at a clinic for the uninsured in Baltimore, MD.;(2) to identify the relationship of depressive and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms with immune function; and (3) to identify predictors of immune modulation. All women who present for care at the clinic will complete a brief health questionnaire including the Abuse Assessment Screen. Eligible women who screen positive for IPV along with a comparison group will be invited to participate. Quantitative data from interviews and medical chart review will assess partner abuse, depressive/PTSD symptoms, and health problems; serum levels of Thl (IFN-7) and Th2(IL-10) cytokines, which are mediated through cortisol, will assess immune system modulation. Chi-square, ANCIVA, and ANCOVA techniques will be used to determine the relationship of mental health symptoms and immune function. Multiple logistic regression will investigate predictors of TH1/Th2 cell modulation. This proposed study will contribute information on the effects of IPV and mental health symptoms on immune function.
| Woods, Anne B; Page, Gayle G; O'Campo, Patricia et al. (2005) The mediation effect of posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms on the relationship of intimate partner violence and IFN-gamma levels. Am J Community Psychol 36:159-75 |
