Appearance-related residual injury, posttraumatic stress, and body image: Associations within a sample of female victims of intimate partner violence.

One third of women who experience intimate partner violence (IPV) receive some form of injury. After acute injuries have healed, a victim's physical appearance may be altered with residual changes including marks or scars. This study included 56 female victims of IPV (31 with appearance-related residual injury and a comparison group of 25 with no appearance-related residual injury) and examined the associations between violence-related experiences, body image distress, and symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Appearance-related residual injury status moderated the relationship between body image distress and symptoms of PTSD. In addition, within the appearance-related residual injury group, body image distress emerged a unique predictor of PTSD explaining incremental variance beyond that explained by severity of psychological maltreatment.