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The purpose of this cross-sectional analysis of the National Violence Against Women Survey was to characterize current symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among 185 men and 369 women survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV). In this subsample, 24% of women and 20% of men had current moderate-to-severe PTSD symptoms. PTSD scores were higher for women than men. Protective factors that appear to increase resiliency of survivors were higher education and income, being currently married, and reporting that IPV had stopped. Higher physical or psychological IPV scores, current depressive symptoms, and the survivor having left the relationship at least once were associated with risk of moderate-to-severe symptoms of PTSD. Protective factors may be used to boost resiliency of IPV survivors and reduce PTSD symptoms. Keywords: spouse abuse; posttraumatic stress disorder; depressive symptoms; resilience

Debilitating injury is accompanied by hypercortisolemia, muscle wasting, and disruption of the normal anabolic response to food. We sought to determine whether acute hypercortisolemia alters muscle protein metabolism following ingestion of a potent anabolic stimulus: essential amino acids (EAA). A 27-h infusion (80 [micro]*[kg.sup.-1]*[h.sup.-1]) of hydrocortisone sodium succinate mimicked cortisol (C) levels accompanying severe injury (>30 [micro]g/dl), (C + AA; n = 6). The control group (AA) received intravenous saline (n = 6). Femoral arteriovenous blood samples and muscle biopsies were obtained during a primed (2.0 [micro]mol/kg) constant infusion (0.05 [micro]mol*[kg.sup.-1]*[min.sup.-1]) of L-[ring-[sup.2][H.sub.5]] phenylalanine before and alter ingestion of 15 g of EAA. Hypercortisolemia [36.5 [+ or -] 2.1 (C + AA) vs. 9.0 [+ or -] 1.0 [micro]g/dl (AA)] increased postabsorptive arterial, venous, and muscle intracellular phenylalanine concentrations. Hypercortisolemia also increased postabsorptive and post-EAA insulin concentrations. Net protein balance was blunted (40% lower) following EAA ingestion but remained positive for a greater period of time (60 vs. 180 min) in the C + AA group. Thus, although differences in protein metabolism were evident, EAA ingestion improved muscle protein anabolism during acute hypercortisolemia and may help minimize muscle loss following debilitating injury. cortisol; stress; metabolism; injury; stable isotopes