Situational determinants in intimate partner violence

A situational or event perspective examines the connections between unfolding events and their surrounding contexts. This perspective offers great promise for increasing our understanding of violence among intimate partners, yet, has been rarely applied to this problem. Using such an approach, this review summarizes what is known in this area and highlights gaps in our knowledge about the connections between specific event characteristics. Surprisingly, domestic violence researchers rarely examine domestic violence events per se. We suggest ways of doing this: By collecting rich data on the heterogeneity of violent events among intimate partners, we can close outstanding gaps in our knowledge of this problem.     

Attachment insecurity and intimate partner violence

We argue that human attachment encompasses a broad spectrum of attachment insecurities including fearful and preoccupied attachment style, negative emotionality (NEM), and borderline personality organization (BPO). These, in turn, have a developing literature to link them as causative factors for intimate partner violence (IPV) in both adolescents and adults. These broad spectrum attachment disorders constitute the major psychological predictor of IPV. Direct assessments indicate that they increase the likelihood of aggression in adolescents and intimate partner violence in adults. Some of the proposed mechanisms increasing aggression in insecurely attached people include alterations in the appraisal of threat due to an inability to call on memories of parental support and diminished ability to implement affective controls and impulsivity.     

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.     

Severe intimate partner violence risk prediction scale-revised

The aim of this study was to describe the psychometric properties of the Severe Intimate Partner Violence Risk Prediction Scale and to revise it in order to ponderate the 20 items according to their discriminant capacity and to solve the missing item problem. The sample for this study consisted of 450 male batterers who were reported to the police station. The victims were classified as high-risk (18.2%), moderate-risk (45.8%) and low-risk (36%), depending on the cutoff scores in the original scale. Internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha=.72) and interrater reliability (r=.73) were acceptable. The point biserial correlation coefficient between each item and the corrected total score of the 20-item scale was calculated to determine the most discriminative items, which were associated with the context of intimate partner violence in the last month, with the male batterer's profile and with the victim's vulnerability. A revised scale (EPV-R) with new cutoff scores and indications on how to deal with the missing items were proposed in accordance with these results. This easy-to-use tool appears to be suitable to the requirements of criminal justice professionals and is intended for use in safety planning. Implications of these results for further research are discussed.     

Attitudes toward intimate partner violence in dating relationships

Prevention of intimate partner violence on college campuses includes programs designed to change attitudes, and hence, a scale that assesses such attitudes is needed. Study 1 (N = 859) cross validates the factor structure of the Intimate Partner Violence Attitude Scale-Revised using exploratory factor analysis and presents initial validity data on the scale. In Study 2 (N = 687), the obtained three-factor structure (Abuse, Control, Violence) is tested using confirmatory factor analysis, and it is shown to be concurrently related to assault in romantic relationships and to predict psychological aggression 14 weeks later. The findings are discussed in the context of how understanding and modifying attitudes assessed by the Intimate Partner Violence Attitude Scale-Revised may improve interventions aimed at reducing intimate partner violence.     

Hazardous alcohol use and intimate partner violence in the military: Understanding protective factors

Hazardous alcohol use is a well-established risk factor for men's intimate partner violence (IPV), with dozens of studies demonstrating the association. The current study extends understanding of the hazardous alcohol use-IPV link by examining what factors moderate this association in a more systematic and broader way that has been done in past studies. Individual, family, workplace, community, and developmental factors were tested as moderators of the hazardous alcohol use and IPV link in a large, representative sample of active duty service members (the 2006 Community Assessment), and the results were tested for replicability in a hold-out sample. Two family variables (relationship satisfaction and parent-child satisfaction), 1 community variable (community safety), and 3 developmental variables (years in the military, marital length, and family income/pay grade) cross-validated as significant moderators of the association between men's hazardous alcohol use and IPV. Across the significant moderators, the association between hazardous alcohol use and men's IPV was weakened by maturation/development, improved community safety, and better relationship functioning. No individual or workplace variables were significant moderators for men, and there were no significant moderators found for women. The results support the importance of a developmental and relational perspective to understanding the hazardous alcohol use-IPV link, rather than solely an individual coping perspective. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved).     

Toward an interactional perspective on intimate partner violence

This article aims to provide the basis for shifting the research attention in the study of intimate partner violence (IPV) from the individual perspective (violent behavior) toward an interpersonal one (interactions in which violent behaviors emerge). The first part of the article examines critically the prevalent approaches and theoretical frameworks in the field. Based on the main findings in the first part, the second part proposes an integrative model that describes and maps the basic constituents of IPV from an individual and behavioral perspective. The model includes four levels of reference: One focuses mainly on the violent behavior, the second addresses the situation in which violence emerges, the third level focuses on the relationship between the parties, and the forth level refers to the socio-cultural context of the relationship. The discussion reveals many drawbacks to the widespread unit of observation on which the model is based and therefore the third and final part of the article proposes an interactional approach to the study of IPV.     

亲密伴侣暴力中儿童的社会适应及干预

亲密伴侣暴力是指现在或曾经处于亲密关系中的伴侣之间发生的攻击或控制行为。亲密伴侣暴力不仅对妇女的身心造成伤害,对家庭中儿童的社会适应也有不利影响。亲密伴侣暴力与儿童外化行为、内化行为有紧密联系。作为保护因素,年龄、情绪调节能力、社会支持等可以减少亲密伴侣暴力环境中儿童的适应问题。认知-背景理论、情绪安全理论、外溢理论和发展心理病理学理论对亲密伴侣暴力影响儿童社会适应的机制进行了解释。为了促进亲密伴侣暴力中儿童的社会适应,实践工作者提出了不同的干预方案。未来研究应在区分亲密伴侣暴力的不同评估、控制共生风险因素、重视神经生物学研究、改进干预研究等方面做出努力。     

Personality disorders and psychopathy in men convicted for severe intimate partner violence

In this paper, a study of personality disorders and psychopathy in imprisoned male batterers is carried out. A sample of 76 batterers sentenced for a severe offence of violence against their intimate partner was selected. All the participants were assessed with the MCMI-II before beginning a treatment program in prison for gender violence. Likewise, all participants were assessed with the PCL-R in order to identify psychopathic symptoms. According to the results, 86.8% of the sample showed at least one personality disorder. The most prevalent one was the Obsessive-compulsive Personality Disorder (57.8% of cases), followed by the Dependent Personality Disorder (34.2% of cases) and Paranoid Personality Disorder (25%). Regarding psychopathy, the results of PCL-R showed that there were 11 people (14.4% of the sample) who met the criteria for psychopathy or probable psychopathy. Finally, implications of this study for clinical practice and future research in this field are commented upon.     

Desistance from intimate partner violence: A critical review

Evidence suggests that a significant proportion of men who have been violent towards their partners desist from such violent behaviors; yet, research examining desistance from intimate partner violence (IPV) is limited. This omission is surprising given that an understanding of desistance processes is required to inform evidence-based IPV interventions. In this critical review of the empirical literature, eligible studies included 15 publications, identified through electronic databases and hand searches of bibliographies that directly investigated the cessation of physical violence against an intimate partner, by heterosexual men. No single theory was identified that explains desistance from IPV. However, empirical studies reveal that the severity and frequency of violence is associated with desistance, with those using moderate levels of violence being more likely to desist than those who engage in severe violence. Typology research suggests differences in individual characteristics (e.g., low psychopathology and impulsivity) can distinguish desisters from persisters. In addition, the nature of the dyad within which the violence occurs is also influential in desistance processes. It is concluded that much more research is needed to inform practice and in particular to examine the role of protective factors in mitigating risk and enabling individuals to desist from IPV.     

Selecting outcomes for intimate partner violence intervention trials: Overview and recommendations

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is endemic in societies around the world and detrimental to women's wellbeing. Abused women are frequent users of health services. Despite the recent World Health Organization guidelines on IPV and sexual violence, we need more evidence on effective responses to women in health care settings. Developing robust evidence with potential to inform policy and clinical practice requires greater clarity and consistency across studies in the selection and use of outcomes to evaluate interventions. Drawing on systematic reviews and individual trials aimed at reducing abuse and improving women's health, we discuss critical issues in respect of outcomes. We discuss primary, secondary, intermediate and proxy outcomes and measures used to evaluate interventions for women who experience IPV. We offer recommendations about which outcomes to assess and approaches to doing so within the context of trials in health care settings.     

Comparison of impulsive and premeditated perpetrators of intimate partner violence

Violence occurs in four to five million intimate relationships each year in the United States. Past research has investigated the concept of batterer subtypes based on the nature of the violent behavior. To extend this research, the present study used the Impulsive/Premeditated Aggression Scale (IPAS) along with a battery of relevant self-report measures in a sample of men (N = 113) convicted of domestic violence and court ordered into an intervention program. Batterers whose violence was classified as premeditated scored higher on psychopathic traits and a measure of treatment rejection. Batterers whose violence was classified as impulsive in nature reported a wider range of serious psychopathology. It is suggested that the use of a bimodal classification (Impulsive/Premeditated) in batterers may have significant clinical and legal policy implications. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Reciprocal pathways between intimate partner violence and sleep in men and women

Toward explicating associations and directionality of effects between relationship processes and a fundamental facet of health, we examined cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between the perpetration of intimate partner violence (IPV) and men and women's sleep. During two assessments, a diverse community sample of couples reported on their perpetrated acts of psychological and physical IPV and their sleep quality. Cross-sectional associations between IPV and sleep were evident for both partners, in particular between psychological IPV and sleep. A dyadic path analysis controlling for the autoregressive effects and within-time correlations revealed longitudinal links between men's perpetration of IPV and their sleep quality. Even though high levels of stability in all IPV and sleep measures were observed over time, results indicated that sleep problems predicted increases in the perpetration of psychological IPV over time for both men and women. Cross-partner effects emerged for men, revealing that men's sleep problems were strongly affected by their partner's earlier perpetration of IPV and sleep difficulties. Findings illustrate the significance of contemporaneous, dyadic assessments of relationship processes and sleep for a better understanding of both facets of adaptation, and have implications for those wishing to understand the etiology and consequences of the perpetration of IPV for both men and women.     

Systematically identifying implicit theories in male and female intimate partner violence perpetrators

This review systematically examines the empirical literature to determine the support available for seven proposed Implicit Theories (ITs) held by heterosexual male and female perpetrators of intimate partner violence. Based on previous literature that has hypothesized and identified ITs in intimate partner violence (IPV) and other types of offenders, we suggest six potential ITs likely to be held by men and women: “Opposite sex is dangerous”, “Relationship entitlement”, “General entitlement”, “Normalization of relationship violence”, “Normalization of violence”, and “It's not my fault”. We suggest one extra IT held by male perpetrators: “I am the man”. Electronic databases were searched from 1980 onwards, using predetermined relevant key words, to identify IPV research that has examined factors associated with each of the proposed seven ITs. Support was found for the existence of all seven ITs, but it differed in terms of strength, mainly due to the dearth or poor quality of empirical research on specific areas, especially in female perpetrated IPV. Implications for treatment and future directions are discussed.     

Gender differences in the link between intimate partner physical violence and depression

Studies show that, in violent relationships, both partners suffer from higher levels of depression than in non-violent relationships. Most of these studies were based on samples of battered women. Very little research has examined the depression levels of women who physically assault a marital or dating partner or men who assault or are victims of female assaults. Moreover, the association between intimate partner physical violence and depression does not provide a theoretical framework or an explanation for the differences in depression levels of male and female perpetrators and victims. This article presents a preliminary, yet empirically grounded, foundation for explaining research findings on depression levels for males and females in three “Dyadic Types” of intimate partner physical violence: Male-Only, Female-Only, and Both Violent. The theoretical framework involves identifying the relation of intimate partner physical violence to be of greater male than female concern with status enhancement and greater female than male concern with risk reduction, and how these play out in each of the Dyadic Types.     

Shame,posttraumatic stress disorder,and intimate partner violence perpetration

Drawing from theoretical and empirical literature linking shame to aggression and violence, the authors propose that shame may be an important variable to examine in studies of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration. The authors review the literature linking shame, PTSD, and IPV, propose ideas for future research, and suggest that shame and shame regulation may be a useful target of clinical interventions aimed at violence perpetrators.