Associations among symptoms of depression and posttraumatic stress disorder and self-reported health in sexually assaulted women

Symptoms of depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were examin ed for their association with health status in a sample of sexual assault v ictims. Hypotheses were that symptoms of each disorder would account for un ique variance in health status among individuals exposed to traumatic stres sors. Fifty-seven sexually assaulted college women were assessed for prior victimization history, assault characteristics, and depressive and PTSD sym ptoms. When prior history of sexual victimization, assault severity, and ph ysical reactions during the assault were controlled, hierarchical multiple regression models indicated that symptoms of PTSD and depression were signi ficantly associated with global health perceptions and severity of self-rep orted health symptoms. Only PTSD symptoms were significantly associated wit h reproductive health symptoms. The results suggest that both symptoms of P TSD and depression account for the relationship between exposure and health impairment among sexual assault victims.