Interpersonal trauma and psychotic experiences: an investigation of the psychological health consequences of intimate partner violence

Abstract

The role of adverse life events and trauma on the onset and development of psychotic experiences and psychosis has been widely researched. Findings from such studies have revealed that prior to the onset of psychosis or psychotic experiences individuals tend to have encountered a number of stressful or personally significant events (Shevlin et al., 2008: Beards et al., 2013). Previous research in the area of female sexual victimisation has found that sexual victimization significantly increased the likelihood of an anxiety disorder diagnosis, furthermore, an earlier study of the same sample demonstrated a 10 fold increase in the likelihood of a psychosis diagnosis following sexual victimisation (Elkit & Shevlin, 2011; Elkit & Shevlin, 2013). The aim of this thesis was to develop and test a model that demonstrates how experiencing psychological and physical intimate partner violence with and without sexual victimisation in childhood can negatively impact on psychological functioning and increase the risk of psychotic experiences. Retrospective data were collected from 107 female intimate partner violence survivors and 79 control participants. Results demonstrated that the associations with all abuse related outcomes were significant for the traumatised group with the exception of alcohol use. Moreover, subsequent analysis revealed that females who experience IPV with and without childhood trauma have very different sequelae of psychopathology. Both groups experience significantly more depression, stress, anxiety and loneliness than non-traumatised females, however the experience of intimate partner violence (alone) predicts increased shame, which then mediates the relationship from IPV to paranoia. Experience of childhood abuse compounded by revictimisation in adulthood directly and indirectly increases the risk of psychotic experiences significantly. The results further demonstrate that victims of childhood sexual abuse may be more vulnerable to revictimisation, highlighting the need for appropriate early intervention. Mental health issues uncovered in the course of IPV counselling and treatment, for many, may be better understood within the wider context of lifetime abuse rather than as a direct consequence of the individuals’ current circumstances.

Date of Award	May 2016
Original language	English
Supervisor	Mark Shevlin (Supervisor) & Jamie Murphy (Supervisor)