Trauma, posttraumatic stress disorder symptom clusters, and physical health symptoms in postabused women

The purpose of this retrospective, descriptive-correlational research was to examine the relationships between violent and nonviolent trauma, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and its symptom clusters of avoidance, intrusive/re-experiencing, and hyperarousal, and self-reported physical health symptoms in 50 postabused women. Results indicated: (1) PTSD hyperarousal and avoidance symptom clusters were positively associated with physical health symptoms, and (2) childhood physical abuse accounted for a significant and unique portion of the variance in physical health symptoms. The results highlight the need for health care practitioners in all settings to assess for a history of trauma in a woman’s life.