The objectives of this research were to analyze data from literature based on studies of battered women to determine (a) the correlation of domestic violence and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), (b) the best treatment strategies for PTSD, and (c) the evidence of PTSD treatment effectiveness with battered women. Findings were (a) symptoms of battered women are consistent with PTSD symptoms; (b) certain populations are at higher risk of developing PTSD symptoms; (c) intensity, duration, and perception of the battering experience is a significant factor in the severity of the PTSD symptoms; (d) demographic variables influence PTSD severity; (e) standardized PTSD assessment is needed by professionals working with women experiencing domestic violence; (f) there is a need for greater public health involvement for prevention, identification, and medical treatment of domestic violence and PTSD; and (g) certain treatment strategies are recommended for PTSD but lack rigorous testing of their efficacy.

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The objective of this research was to identify case characteristics of domestic violence cases in a child protective services (CPS) caseload. The sample was drawn from a large California county, and consisted of 442 children chosen at random from among all children who had a newly substantiated abuse case over a 6-month period. Files of sample children were reviewed to derive study data. There were 187 children (42.3%) from families with at least one domestic violence incident. Parents with a domestic violence incident were significantly more likely to have problem characteristics such as substance abuse, and to have more previous CPS referrals than nondomestic violence families. Domestic violence victims were more likely to rely on public assistance, and were less likely to have an employed parent than nonvictims. Domestic violence cases were more likely than nondomestic violence cases to contain a charge of physical abuse, emotional abuse, or failure to protect, and were more likely to have been reported to CPS by the police. Domestic violence victims received more services, conditions in the service plan, and contact from their social workers than nonvictims. Variables that predicted new referrals during a 6-month follow-up period were examined in logistic regression. Domestic violence, previous referrals to CPS, the number of social work contacts, and having an unemployed father were variables that predicted a new referral. More contact with social workers predicted new referrals. These findings suggest that either interventions with domestic violence cases are ineffective or the chronic nature of domestic violence makes new referrals for child maltreatment more likely because mandated reporters such as police intervene with domestic violence.