The role of drug use in a conceptual model of intimate partner violence in men and women arrested for domestic violence.

In a previous study, alcohol problems in perpetrators and their partners contributed directly and indirectly to intimate partner violence (IPV), even after including other correlates of violence in the model (G. L. Stuart et al., 2006). The present study extends these findings by examining the role of illicit drug use. We recruited 271 men and 135 women arrested for IPV and used structural equation modeling to examine the data. Results showed that drug use, as reported by the perpetrators, was a stronger predictor of IPV than were alcohol problems in perpetrators and their partners. Arrested males' marijuana use and stimulant use (i.e., cocaine and amphetamines) were associated with perpetration of IPV, and their report of their female partners' stimulant use was associated with her violence perpetration. In arrested women, specific substances used did not predict violence perpetration beyond other model variables; however, female perpetrators' report of male partners' stimulant use predicted male psychological and physical aggression, after controlling for other variables. These results provide further evidence that drug problems by both partners may be important in the evolution of aggression. Implications for batterer intervention programs are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Subtypes of partner violence perpetrators among male and female psychiatric patients.

The goal of this naturalistic study was to examine heterogeneity among female and male civil psychiatric patients with a history of intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration. Participants were 567 patients drawn from the MacArthur Violence Risk Assessment Study (J. Monahan et al., 2001). The authors examined subtype composition among 138 women and 93 men with positive histories of IPV and compared these groups with 111 women and 225 men with no histories of IPV. Findings for men and women were consistent with reports from studies of male perpetrators in forensic and community settings in that generally violent/antisocial, borderline/dysphoric, and family only/low-psychopathology subtypes of perpetrators were identified in both men and women. This study provides preliminary evidence for the generalizability of typologies derived from nonpsychiatric partner violence perpetrators to psychiatric populations and suggests that typologies derived from studies of male IPV perpetrators may provide useful guidance for the investigation of female IPV perpetration. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Longitudinal risk factors for intimate partner violence among men in treatment for alcohol use disorders.

Objective: This study examined static and time-varying risk factors for perpetration of intimate partner violence (IPV) among men in treatment for alcohol use disorders. Method: Participants were 178 men diagnosed with alcohol abuse or dependence and their partners. Most (85%) of the men were European American; their average age was 41.0 years. Participants completed measures assessing initial alcohol problem severity, baseline beliefs related to alcohol use, antisocial personality characteristics, alcohol and drug use, relationship adjustment, and IPV. Results: According to couples' reconciled reports, 42% of participants perpetrated IPV at baseline. Among this group, the IPV recurrence rate was 43% at 6-month follow-up and 36% at 12-month follow-up. For participants without IPV perpetration at baseline, new incidence of IPV was 15% and 7% at the 6-month and 12-month follow-up points, respectively. Fixed marker predictors of IPV rates included baseline alcohol problem severity variables, baseline beliefs related to alcohol use, and antisocial personality characteristics. Variable risk factor predictors included alcohol and drug use variables, relationship adjustment factors, and anger. Alcohol use variables and anger were associated with new incidents of IPV among those without reported IPV at baseline only. Conclusions: Findings suggest that assessing and monitoring IPV occurrence by both partners is important for men in treatment for alcohol use disorders. Results indicate vulnerability factors that may identify individuals at risk for IPV and provide targets for IPV prevention among those with alcohol use disorders. These findings can aid in the development of more comprehensive models that more precisely predict IPV. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-regulatory failure and intimate partner violence perpetration.

Five studies tested the hypothesis that self-regulatory failure is an important predictor of intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration. Study 1 participants were far more likely to experience a violent impulse during conflictual interaction with their romantic partner than they were to enact a violent behavior, suggesting that self-regulatory processes help individuals refrain from perpetrating IPV when they experience a violent impulse. Study 2 participants high in dispositional self-control were less likely to perpetrate IPV, in both cross-sectional and residualized-lagged analyses, than were participants low in dispositional self-control. Study 3 participants verbalized more IPV-related cognitions if they responded immediately to partner provocations than if they responded after a 10-s delay. Study 4 participants whose self-regulatory resources were experimentally depleted were more violent in response to partner provocation (but not when unprovoked) than were nondepleted participants. Finally, Study 5 participants whose self-regulatory resources were experimentally bolstered via a 2-week training regimen exhibited less violent inclinations than did participants whose self-regulatory resources had not been bolstered. These findings hint at the power of incorporating self-regulation dynamics into predictive models of IPV perpetration. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Adolescent psychosocial risk factors for severe intimate partner violence in young adulthood.

The authors examined prospective measures of psychosocial risk factors as predictors of severe intimate partner violence among a community sample of 610 young adults at risk for intergenerational transmission of depression. The hypothesized risk factors were youth history of depression by age 15 and maternal history of depression. Youth social functioning at age 15 was tested as a mediator of these associations. Results showed that youth history of depression by age 15 predicted victimization at age 20. Severe violence perpetration was predicted by maternal depressive history among women but not men. Youth social functioning was a partial mediator of both associations. In sum, the findings suggest that psychosocial factors observed in adolescence may contribute to the risk of experiencing severe intimate partner violence during young adulthood. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Recognition of wives’ emotional expressions: A mechanism in the relationship between psychopathology and intimate partner violence perpetration.

Among a community sample of 88 couples, husbands’ emotion recognition skills were examined as a mechanism accounting for the relationships between two dimensions of psychopathology that commonly describe violent husbands (i.e., borderline/dysphoric and psychopathic personality characteristics) and their perpetration of intimate partner violence (IPV). Husbands’ diminished sensitivity to their wives’ expressions of happiness partially mediated the relationship between their borderline/dysphoric characteristics and their IPV perpetration, supporting Dutton’s (1995) theory of IPV. These relationships were specific to expressions displayed by husbands’ wives (as opposed to unfamiliar men and women), demonstrating the significance of the intimate relationship. Partial support was found for Blair’s (1995) violence inhibition mechanism model, such that husbands’ IPV was associated with their diminished sensitivity to expressions of fear and their psychopathy was associated with misidentifying fearful expressions as neutral. However, the strength of husbands’ diminished sensitivity to fear as a mediator of the psychopathy–IPV relationship was suboptimal. Moreover, sensitivity to wives’ expressions of happiness also mediated the psychopathy–IPV relationship, potentially because of overlap in psychopathology constructs or inadequate examination of the temporal specificity of the two theories tested. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Associations of substance use problems with intimate partner violence for at-risk men in long-term relationships.

Associations of substance use problems in men--defined as a man's meeting at least 1 criterion of dependence on each of a number of substances by his mid-20s--with their perpetration of intimate partner violence (IPV) were examined in an at-risk community sample of 150 men in long-term relationships from their late adolescence to their late 20s. Men who had a problem with substances other than sedatives (especially cannabis and hallucinogens) committed more IPV than did men without such problems. Most of the men who had a problem with marijuana also had an alcohol problem, which explains why alcohol was found to have only an indirect association with IPV. The failure of previous alcohol-use studies to control for co-occurrence of alcohol and marijuana problems may explain the discrepancy with conclusions from past research that alcohol problems contribute directly to the perpetration of IPV. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Correlates of expressed and received violence across relationship types among men and women substance abusers.

This study examined expressed and received violence among men and women in substance abuse treatment. Rates of past-year partner violence (PV) did not differ by gender, although men reported markedly higher rates of nonpartner violence (NPV). Compared with PV, NPV was associated with more demographic and background factors (e.g., childhood aggression and conduct problems, family history of violence). The most consistent correlates of violence across relationship types were age, minority status, drug-related consequences, psychiatric distress, and frequency of childhood aggression. Only a few gender-specific correlated were identified; most notably, witnessing father-to-mother violence was related to received PV only for women. Identification of correlates of expressed and received violence in partner and nonpartner relationships is essential for the assessment and treatment of individuals in substance abuse treatment settings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cognitive–behavioral therapy for PTSD and depression symptoms reduces risk for future intimate partner violence among interpersonal trauma survivors.

Objective: Women who develop symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression subsequent to interpersonal trauma are at heightened risk for future intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization. Cognitive–behavioral therapy (CBT) is effective in reducing PTSD and depression symptoms, yet limited research has investigated the effectiveness of CBT in reducing risk for future IPV among interpersonal trauma survivors. Method: This study examined the effect of CBT for PTSD and depressive symptoms on the risk of future IPV victimization in a sample of women survivors of interpersonal violence. The current sample included 150 women diagnosed with PTSD secondary to an array of interpersonal traumatic events; they were participating in a randomized clinical trial of different forms of cognitive processing therapy for the treatment of PTSD. Participants were assessed at 9 time points as part of the larger trial: pretreatment, 6 times during treatment, posttreatment, and 6-month follow-up. Results: As hypothesized, reductions in PTSD and in depressive symptoms during treatment were associated with a decreased likelihood of IPV victimization at a 6-month follow-up even after controlling for recent IPV (i.e., IPV from a current partner within the year prior to beginning the study) and prior interpersonal traumas. Conclusions: These findings highlight the importance of identifying and treating PTSD and depressive symptoms among interpersonal trauma survivors as a method for reducing risk for future IPV. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

The complexities of domestic violence.

Comments on the article by Robert Bornstein, "The complex relationship between dependency and domestic violence: Converging psychological factors and social forces," (see record 2006-11202-003). Although a more focused examination of the psychological factors involved in domestic violence is welcome, there are some factual errors in Bornstein's article that need attention and represent a general problem in reports of domestic violence. Bornstein wrote, "Studies indicate that more than 95% of abuse perpetrators are men" (p. 595) and then proceeded to assess dependency in male perpetrators and female victims of intimate partner violence (IPV). The study indicating that more than 95% of IPV perpetrators are men was not cited and is, in fact, fictitious. The best empirical evidence indicates an entirely different finding. Clinical predictions of dangerousness made in psychiatric emergency rooms often underestimate female dangerousness. Risk of harm to children has often been based on wife abuse-child abuse incidence co-occurrence estimates from shelter house samples of women and erroneously generalized to community samples. For these reasons, regeneration of the gender paradigm by Bornstein, or others, serves to misinform the profession. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Risk Factors for Partner Violence Among a National Sample of Combat Veterans.

In this study, the authors identified potential risk factors for partner violence perpetration among a subsample (n=109) of men who participated in a national study of Vietnam veterans. Partner violent (PV) men with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were compared with PV men without PTSD and nonviolent men with PTSD on family-of-origin variables, psychiatric problems, relationship problems, and war-zone factors. PV men with PTSD were the highest of the 3 groups on every risk factor other than childhood abuse. Group contrasts and a classification tree analysis suggest some potential markers and mechanisms for the association between PTSD and partner violence among military veterans and highlight the need for theory development in this area of inquiry. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Child maltreatment polyvictimization: Rates and short-term effects on adjustment in a representative Hong Kong sample.

Objective: This article examines the unique effects of multiple forms of victimization, namely child abuse and neglect (CAN) and exposure to parental intimate partner violence (IPV), on children's self-blame, feelings of being threatened, self-esteem, and ability to control anger. Method: The cross-sectional study recruited a population-based sample of 2,062 children aged 12–17 years in Hong Kong. Structured questionnaires were used to collect data from the children. The prevalence rate of the co-occurrence of exposure to IPV and CAN in the Chinese population, and the unique impacts of exposure to IPV and CAN on children were examined. Results: The results show that 13.1% of the children had experienced CAN, and 6.5% had witnessed parental IPV. Among those families characterized by IPV, 61.1% were involved in child abuse in the preceding year of the study. Participants who had experienced both CAN and exposure to parental IPV reported lower levels of self-esteem and higher rates of being aggressive and violent, and feeling threatened. These children also reported the highest levels of feeling that their well-being was threatened and of blaming themselves for parental violence and parental discipline. Conclusions: The findings reemphasize the important need for public policy on child and youth victimization that encourages social workers and Child Protective Services to screen for child polyvictimization in cases of suspected/reported child abuse. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Enduring vulnerabilities, relationship attributions, and couple conflict: An integrative model of the occurrence and frequency of intimate partner violence.

We tested an integrative model of individual and dyadic variables contributing to intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration. Based on the vulnerability-stress-adaptation (VSA) model, we hypothesized that three “enduring vulnerabilities” (i.e., antisocial behavior, hostility, and depressive symptoms) would be associated with a “maladaptive process” (i.e., negative relationship attributions) that would lead to difficulties in couple conflict resolution, thus leading to IPV. Among a community sample of 167 heterosexual couples who were expecting their first child, we used an actor–partner interdependence model to account for the dyadic nature of conflict and IPV, as well as a hurdle count model to improve upon prior methods for modeling IPV data. Study results provided general support for the integrative model, demonstrating the importance of considering couple conflict in the prediction of IPV and showing the relative importance of multiple predictor variables. Gender symmetry was observed for the prediction of IPV occurrence, with gender differences emerging in the prediction of IPV frequency. Relatively speaking, the prediction of IPV frequency appeared to be a function of enduring vulnerabilities among men, but a function of couple conflict among women. Results also revealed important cross-gender effects in the prediction of IPV, reflecting the inherently dyadic nature of IPV, particularly in the case of “common couple violence.” Future research using longitudinal designs is necessary to verify the conclusions suggested by the current results. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Intimate partner violence among female sex workers in two Mexico–U.S. Border cities: Partner characteristics and HIV risk behaviors as correlates of abuse.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) has been associated with greater vulnerability to HIV infection among women. We examined prevalence and correlates of IPV among female sex workers (FSWs) in Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez, two large Mexico–U.S. border cities in which HIV prevalence is rising. Participants were 300 FSWs with a current spouse or a steady partner. Participants' mean age was 33 years, and mean number of years as a sex worker was 6. The prevalence of IPV in the past 6 months among participants was 35%. Using multivariate logistic regression, factors independently associated with IPV included having experienced abuse as a child, a partner who had sex with someone else, and lower sexual relationship power. Our findings suggest the need for previous abuse screening and violence prevention services for FSWs in the Mexico–U.S. border region. Careful consideration of relationship dynamics such as infidelity and relationship power is warranted when assessing for IPV risk. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

On integrating variables and separating facts in the complex relationship between dependency and domestic violence.

Presents a reply by Robert Bornstein to comments from Chronister (see record 2007-14606-021) and Dutton (see record 2007-14606-022) regarding his article, "The complex relationship between dependency and domestic violence: Converging psychological factors and social forces," (see record 2006-11202-003). In addition to raising some important issues regarding the link between dependency and domestic violence, the comments by Chronister and Dutton illustrate the importance of integrating variables and separating facts. Chronister's call for scrutiny of the bidirectional influence between emotional and economic dependency not only enhances our understanding of the dependency-abuse relationship but also points to useful interventions that may reduce the incidence and severity of domestic violence among married and cohabiting couples. Dutton's conflation of gender differences in abuse perpetration rates with the underlying causes of domestic violence tells us little about the state of the discipline but illustrates the importance of separating facts-in this case distinguishing epidemiological data from data that assess directly the intra- and interpersonal dynamics of abuse perpetration and victimization. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Longitudinal moderators of the relationship between excessive drinking and intimate partner violence in the early years of marriage.

Alcohol problems are one of the most well-established risk factors for physical intimate partner violence. Nonetheless, most individuals who drink heavily do so without ever aggressing against a partner. Laboratory research identifies hostility as an important moderator of the association between alcohol and general aggression, and correlational research suggests that stress and coping may also be important moderators of the alcohol-aggression link. Building on this research, the authors examined hostility, coping, and daily hassles as moderators of the associations between excessive drinking and intimate partner violence across the first 4 years of marriage in a sample of 634 newly married couples. Excessive drinking was a significant cross-sectional correlate, but it did not emerge as a unique longitudinal predictor of intimate partner violence perpetration in this sample. However, alcohol was longitudinally predictive of husband violence among hostile men with high levels of avoidance coping. Findings generally supported the moderation model, particularly for men. These findings implicate hostility, coping, and daily hassles, as well as alcohol, as potentially important targets for partner violence prevention strategies for young married couples. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Neuroticism, marital violence, and the moderating role of stress and behavioral skills.

Do high levels of neuroticism predict intimate partner violence (IPV)? Although neuroticism may predispose partners to increased risks of IPV perpetration, the extent to which it predicts such perpetration is likely to depend on the broader context of the relationship. Consistent with this prediction, the current longitudinal study of 169 community couples revealed that the effects of neuroticism on IPV perpetration over the first 4 years of marriage were moderated by observations of problem-solving behavior and objective ratings of chronic stress. Specifically, although husbands and wives who scored higher on a measure of neuroticism at the outset of marriage engaged in more IPV throughout the marriage on average, those who possessed more effective problem-solving skills or experienced lower levels of stress were significantly less likely to engage in IPV. Results highlight the importance of considering the broader relationship context when examining predictors of specific interpersonal processes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Additional adverse events among women exposed to intimate partner violence: Frequency and impact.

Objective: To assess additional adverse life events that women exposed to intimate partner violence (IPV) may have endured and to ascertain whether, and in what ways, problems in adjustment are related more to IPV or to IPV plus other adverse life events. Method: Predictors of the effects of exposure to adversities were investigated in this study of 104 women exposed to severe IPV who reported conflict tactics, adverse life events, as well as symptoms of distress. Results: The majority of participants experienced additional adversities (86%). Significant differences were found between those exposed to IPV-only and those exposed to IPV plus other adverse events in terms of IPV frequency and current symptoms of distress. Women with IPV plus other adverse events had twice as many physical assaults and 4 times as many sexual assaults from an intimate partner compared to IPV-only women. The number of adverse events contributed significantly to variance in trauma symptoms over and above that of exposure to IPV alone. Women exposed to additional events had approximately twice as many avoidance and physiological arousal symptoms as IPV-only women. Conclusions: The results of this study suggest a variety of implications for IPV treatment and interventions. Specifically, the role that additional interpersonal violence, especially sexual violence, plays in the expression of distress may relate to the type of service offered to the survivor. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Development of personality disorder symptoms and the risk for partner violence.

In a community sample (N = 543) followed over 20 years, the authors studied associations among childhood family violence exposure, personality disorder (PD) symptoms, and adult partner violence. PD symptoms (DSM-III-R Clusters A, B, and C) in early adulthood partially mediated the effect of earlier childhood risks on the odds of perpetrating partner violence. The authors tested whether stability of PD symptoms from adolescence to the early 20s differs for individuals who later perpetrated partner violence. Cluster A ("Odd/Eccentric") symptoms declined less with age among partner violent versus nonviolent men and women. Cluster B ("Dramatic/Erratic") symptoms were more stable through late adolescence in partner violent men, compared with nonviolent men and violent women. Cluster C ("Anxious") symptoms were most stable among partner violent men. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Emotion regulation and intimate partner violence in newlyweds.

Is the inability to regulate negative emotions a risk factor for intimate partner violence (IPV)? To address this question, the authors asked 72 newlywed couples to report their levels of negative affect every day for 7 days and examined whether variability in those reports was associated with the IPV self-reported to have been perpetrated over the previous year. Although main effects of variability in both husbands' and wives' negative affect did not reach statistical significance, variability in husbands' negative affect significantly interacted with wives' reports of IPV to account for husbands' IPV, even after overall levels of husbands' negative affect, marital satisfaction, and chronic stress were controlled. Specifically, whereas variability in negative affect was unrelated to IPV among husbands with wives who reported no IPV, such variability was positively associated with the IPV perpetrated by husbands with wives who also reported having perpetrated IPV during the previous year. Although preliminary, these results support theories suggesting that the ability to regulate negative emotions may help intimates avoid perpetrating IPV, particularly when faced with a partner's IPV perpetration. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)