The Physiological and Traumatic Effects of Childhood Exposure to Intimate Partner Violence

ABSTRACT This study compared the physiological functioning and trauma symptoms of a sample of adult college students who were exposed to intimate partner violence (IPV) as children to a sample physically or sexually abused as children and a sample with no history of abuse. Heart rates, levels of salivary cortisol, and trauma symptoms were measured before a stressor, during a stressor, and after relaxation following the stressor. Repeated measures analysis of variance indicated that there was a strong relationship between childhood exposure to IPV and the development of diagnosable post-traumatic stress symptoms in adulthood. Those exposed to IPV as children also exhibited increased heart rates. Implications for practice and intervention are discussed.