Intimate partner violence (IPV) accounted for 62.4% of the total interpersonal violence burden in women. Various studies have identified the mental health consequences of intimate partner violence, with PTSD and depression as the most commonly identified disorders, but less have analysed the role of different type of violence.

The aim of this study was to assess the contributions of different forms of intimate partner violence (physical violence, sexual violence, psychological abuse, and stalking) on symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression.

In all 160 women consecutively receiving a protection order in the South of Italy were assessed by an external interviewer. Hierarchical regressions tested the unique effects of different types of intimate partner violence on PTSD and depression.

In terms of PTSD symptoms, more than half (68.2%) of the sample reported PTSD and 77.4% reported severe depression symptoms. Two types of intimate partner violence (physical and sexual) were significantly associated with depressive symptoms, while only psychological violence was moderately correlated with PTSD symptoms. Physical abuse contributed to the prediction of depression and psychological abuse to PTSD.

A significant number of women with protection orders suffer from PTSD and depression. The results confirm a relationship between severity of intimate partner violence and mental health problems (PTSD and depression). Assessment of intimate partner violence should incorporate the multiple dimensions that have been identified as contributing to poor mental health.