Intimate Partner Violence, Mental Health, and Aging-Related Health Among Men and Women Veterans Across the Lifespan

• Published in: Journal of general internal medicine : JGIM Vol. 39; no. 6; pp. 931 - 939
• Main Authors: Gibson, Carolyn J., Bahorik, Amber, Xia, Feng, Peltz, Carrie, Yaffe, Kristine
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 01.05.2024; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Aggression; Aging; Aging - psychology; Brain Injuries, Traumatic - epidemiology; Brain Injuries, Traumatic - psychology; Chi-square test; Comorbidity; Cross-Sectional Studies; Dementia disorders; Demographics; Demography; Diabetes mellitus; Domestic violence; Electronic health records; Electronic medical records; Female; Head injuries; Humans; Hypertension; Internal Medicine; Intimate Partner Violence - psychology; Intimate Partner Violence - statistics & numerical data; Life span; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Men; Mental depression; Mental disorders; Mental Disorders - epidemiology; Mental Disorders - psychology; Mental health; Mental Health - statistics & numerical data; Middle Aged; Original Research; Post traumatic stress disorder; Psychological stress; Sleep disorders; Statistical analysis; Substance use; Traumatic brain injury; United States - epidemiology; United States Department of Veterans Affairs; Veterans; Veterans - psychology; Veterans - statistics & numerical data; Violence; Women; Young Adult; United States; intimate partner violence; veterans; mental health; chronic disease; gender differences
• ISSN: 0884-8734; 1525-1497; 1525-1497
• DOI: 10.1007/s11606-023-08466-z

Background A growing body of evidence suggests adverse health outcomes related to intimate partner violence (IPV), including traumatic brain injury (TBI). However, most research in this area has focused on reproductive-aged women. Objective To examine relationships between IPV (with and without TBI), mental health, and aging-related health outcomes among men and women Veterans across the lifespan. Design Cross-sectional analysis of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) administrative data from fiscal years 2000–2019. Descriptive statistics and chi-square analyses were used to compare key comorbidities in matched samples of Veterans with and without IPV (gender-stratified and matched 1:3 based on demographics and index date). Comparisons between those with IPV and TBI relative to IPV alone were also examined. Subjects Veterans aged 18 + with and without documented IPV in Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) electronic health records ( n  = 4108 men, 2824 women). Main Measures ICD codes were used to identify IPV, TBI, and aging-related medical (sleep disorder, hypertension, diabetes, dementia) and common psychiatric (depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, alcohol use disorder, and substance use disorder) diagnoses. Key Results Demographic characteristics were reflective of VA-enrolled Veterans (men: mean age 66, SD 16; 72% non-Hispanic White; women: mean age 47, SD 13; 64% non-Hispanic White). Relative to Veterans without IPV, both men and women with IPV had higher rates of all examined medical (e.g., sleep disorders, men: 33% vs. 52%; women: 45% vs. 63%) and psychiatric diagnoses (e.g., depression, men 32% vs. 74%; women 59% vs. 91%; all p s < .001), with evidence of an additive effect of TBI on some psychiatric outcomes. Conclusions IPV is broadly associated with aging-related and mental health, and TBI is a common correlate that may further contribute to psychiatric outcomes. Findings highlight the importance of trauma-informed care and recognizing the potential role of these exposures on men and women Veterans’ health across the lifespan.