Associations between disordered eating and intimate partner violence mediated by depression and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in a female veteran sample

Objective: This study established a link between intimate partner violence (IPV) and eating disorders (EDs) via mediators of depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in female veterans. Method: A nationally representative sample of female veterans (N = 190, Mean age = 48.41 years) completed online surveys assessing IPV and symptoms of depression, PTSD, and EDs, at three time points from 2014 to 2017. Results: Approximately 14.11% of participants met criteria for any ED (7.83% Bulimia Nervosa; 6.28% Binge Eating Disorder), and 49.42% reported lifetime histories of IPV. Eating disorder symptoms were significantly associated with lifetime IPV, PTSD and depression symptoms at the bivariate level. Mediation model results revealed that lifetime IPV was indirectly associated with EDDS scores, via PTSD symptoms and depression symptoms. Conclusion: Findings confirmed elevated rates of probable EDs and lifetime IPV among female veterans; significant associations between EDs, lifetime IPV, depression, and PTSD; and mediation of the association between IPV and EDs by PTSD and depression symptoms. Implications for screening, treatment and research are discussed.