Cyber Abuse and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Among Racially Diverse Women Who Have Resided in Domestic Violence Shelters: A Longitudinal Approach

Objective: The present study presents a longitudinal examination of the impact of cyber abuse (CA) on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) severity among a racially diverse sample of women with intimate partner violence (IPV). Method: Using data collected from a completed randomized control trial with women who sought safety in a domestic violence shelter (W-DVS; N = 172), we conducted a secondary data analysis. Participants completed measures of CA, PTSD severity, and other types of IPV at each time point. To examine predictors of the latent change factor, we estimated the influence of CA on each latent change factor while controlling for other (i.e., noncyber abuse) types of IPV and treatment condition across time. Results: Initial results suggested that CA has a negative impact on PTSD severity over time for W-DVS, as CA predicted changes in PTSD severity across five time points when controlling for treatment condition and PTSD symptom severity at the previous time points. However, CA did not predict a change in symptom severity when controlling for other forms of (noncyber abuse) IPV. Conclusions: Although more CA is associated with more severe PTSD symptoms from the time women are in shelter to postshelter, 3, 9, and 15 months postshelter, this is no longer the case when overall IPV is considered. This study extends our understanding of how CA can exacerbate psychological health consequences, including PTSD severity, of W-DVS, suggesting that cyber abuse should be assessed in tandem with other IPV types rather than as a separate phenomenon.