Background: There is ample evidence that both intimate-partner violence (IPV) and childhood abuse adversely affect the physical and mental health of adult women over the long term.
Objective: The authors assessed the associations between abuse, symptoms, and mental health utilization.
Method: The authors performed a cross-sectional survey of 380 adult female, internal-medicine patients.
Results: Although both IPV and childhood abuse were associated with depressive and physical symptoms, IPV was independently associated with physical symptoms, and childhood abuse was independently associated with depression. Women with a history of childhood abuse had higher odds, whereas women with IPV had lower odds, of receiving care from mental health providers.
Conclusion: IPV and childhood abuse may have different effects on women's symptoms and mental health utilization.