A cross-sectional survey was conducted of 1,245 women who presented for enrollment in a multisite clinical trial of women's health in San Antonio, TX. Postmenopausal women, aged 50 to 79 years, were included in the study. Between September 1997 and October 2001, women who enrolled at the San Antonio site were invited to participate in an interviewer-administered survey regarding their exposure to domestic abuse and gun accessibility in the home. All 1,245 women completed a one-on-one interview that used the Domestic Violence Screening Questionnaire, which measures exposure to abuse and mistreatment in functionally independent older adults. Of the total sample, 58.5 percent of the women reported exposure to some type of abuse in their adult lifetime, with 5.2 percent to 22.8 percent reporting some type of abuse in the past 12 months. Regarding type of abuse, 26.6 percent reported exposure to physical abuse, 49.6 percent reported experiencing verbal abuse, and 7.9 percent reported exposure to gun-related threats. Although reported exposure to abuse was not associated with impaired physical health, abuse did have significant effects on mental health. These mental health effects of exposure to abuse in older women may have lingering effects by accelerating an age-related decline in health. Lower health status is associated with poorer overall life expectancy and greater health service use. These findings suggest that it is important for health practitioners to screen their older women patients for exposure to intimate partner violence. 2 tables, 11 references, and appended interview questions about abuse and mistreatment