Social support and loss of resources as predictors of mental health and quality of life in battered women over time

This study investigated the effects of perceived social support and resource loss on battered women's mental health (depression, PTSD) and quality of life, in the context of two longitudinal studies of battered women's experiences over time. A total of 802 primarily African American, low-income battered women who had experienced intimate partner violence (IPV) within the previous 12 months were interviewed. Exploratory factor analytic procedures were employed to determine the most appropriate factor structure of a common social support measure, the Interpersonal Support Evaluation List (ISEL), in the present samples. Results indicated that social support was best conceptualized as a unidimensional construct. Cross-sectional and longitudinal regression analyses examined how battered women's level of social support and loss of resources predicted outcomes. Results revealed differential concurrent and long term outcomes across samples. In a help-seeking population of battered women, social support and resource loss significantly predicted all concurrent mental health and quality of life outcomes, but these effects did not hold up consistently over time. In a non-help-seeking population of battered women, social support did not have a significant effect on concurrent mental health or quality of life, but did demonstrate significant predictive value for long term depression.