The effect of early-life harshness and unpredictability on intimate partner violence in adulthood: A life history perspective

2019 ◽  
Vol 36 (5) ◽  
pp. 1542-1556 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ohad Szepsenwol ◽  
Osnat Zamir ◽  
Jeffry A. Simpson
Keyword(s):  
Intimate Partner Violence ◽  
Life History ◽  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Relationship Functioning ◽  
Prospective Longitudinal Study ◽  
Stable Conditions ◽  
Prospective Longitudinal

According to life history theory, exposure to harshness and/or unpredictability early in life should promote a fast life history strategy. Such a strategy entails, among other traits, elevated aggression and impaired relationship functioning. While detrimental under safe and stable conditions, these characteristics become more evolutionary adaptive in a harsh and/or ever-changing environment in which risks are uncertain and the future is difficult to predict. Hence, individuals who experienced harshness and/or unpredictability in their early home environment should grow up to have more conflictual relationships and be at greater risk for experiencing or perpetrating intimate partner violence (IPV). We tested this hypothesis on 179 participants in the Minnesota Longitudinal Study of Risk and Adaptation, an ongoing prospective longitudinal study that has followed individuals from before they were born into adulthood. IPV was assessed by the Conflict Tactics Scale at ages 23, 26, and 32. As expected, experiencing more unpredictability during the first 5 years of life (indexed by frequent changes in parents’ employment status, cohabitation status, and residence) prospectively predicted both perpetrating and being the victim of IPV between ages 20 and 32. Experiencing harshness during the first 5 years of life (indexed by low socioeconomic status) only predicted being the victim of IPV. The early unpredictability effect on IPV perpetration was partially mediated by having more conflictual friendships during adolescence (assessed by a coder-rated friendship interview at age 16). These findings highlight the roles of early-life harshness and unpredictability both in promoting interpersonal conflict and violence and in impairing the capacity of individuals to maintain satisfying romantic relationships.

scholarly journals The Role of Pornography Use in Intimate Partner Violence in Different-Sex Couples: A Prospective Longitudinal Study

2021 ◽  
pp. 088626052110551
Author(s):  
Katherine Jongsma ◽  
Patti Timmons Fritz
Keyword(s):  
Intimate Partner Violence ◽  
Romantic Relationships ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Prospective Longitudinal Study ◽  
Pornography Use ◽  
Prospective Longitudinal ◽  
Over Time

Pornography use and intimate partner violence (IPV) are both prevalent in romantic relationships. However, information is lacking about whether pornography use predicts IPV. This study examined the relation between frequency of pornography use (FPU) and IPV across a span of 4 months in a sample of 132 different-sex couple dyads. At least one partner in each couple was attending a Canadian university. Participants ( N = 264) completed online measures of pornography use, IPV, and social desirability at baseline and at a 4-month follow-up. Two longitudinal actor–partner interdependence models using a structural equation framework to conduct path analyses demonstrated that (a) higher FPU among men at baseline predicted increases in IPV perpetration and victimization from baseline to 4-month follow-up for both men and women and (b) women’s baseline FPU did not predict change in IPV over time for themselves or their partners. These findings suggest that frequent pornography use among male partners in different-sex romantic relationships may represent an under-recognized risk factor for IPV, and further research is needed to identify latent factors that may be contributing to this relation. Although women’s baseline FPU did not predict changes in IPV over time, this may be because women used pornography less frequently than men.

The influence of prenatal intimate partner violence exposure on hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis reactivity and childhood internalizing and externalizing symptoms

2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cecilia Martinez-Torteya ◽  
G. Anne Bogat ◽  
Alytia A. Levendosky ◽  
Alexander von Eye
Keyword(s):  
Intimate Partner Violence ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Externalizing Problems ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Cortisol Secretion ◽  
Prospective Longitudinal Study ◽  
Internalizing And Externalizing Problems ◽  
Maternal Reports ◽  
Prospective Longitudinal ◽  
Internalizing And Externalizing

AbstractThis prospective longitudinal study examines the long-term influence of intimate partner violence (IPV) exposure in utero. We hypothesized that (a) prenatal IPV increases risk for internalizing and externalizing problems as well as for a profile of dysregulated cortisol reactivity, and (b) patterns of cortisol hyper- and hyporeactivity are differentially associated with internalizing and externalizing problems. The participants were 119 10-year-old children. Their mothers reported their IPV experiences and distress during pregnancy. Child and maternal reports of internalizing and externalizing problems as well as lifetime IPV exposure were obtained. Salivary cortisol was assessed at baseline, 20 min, and 40 min after challenge. The results partially supported our hypotheses: Exposure to IPV during pregnancy predicted child-reported internalizing and externalizing problems, mother ratings of child externalizing problems, and a profile of high cortisol secretion before and after stress challenge. The results were significant above and beyond the influence of maternal distress during pregnancy and IPV that occurred during the child's life. In addition, a profile of high cortisol secretion was associated with maternal reports of child internalizing behaviors. Findings support the growing consensus that prenatal stress can lead to lasting disruptions in adaptation and highlight the need for more longitudinal examinations of prenatal IPV exposure.

scholarly journals Intergenerational Continuity of Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration: An Investigation of Possible Mechanisms

2020 ◽  
pp. 088626052095962
Author(s):  
Sania Shakoor ◽  
Delphine Theobald ◽  
David P. Farrington
Keyword(s):  
Intimate Partner Violence ◽  
Intergenerational Transmission ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Physical Violence ◽  
Early Adulthood ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Prospective Longitudinal Study ◽  
Ipv Perpetration ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Prospective Longitudinal

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a continuum of abuse that is associated with a number of negative outcomes including substance misuse, depression, and suicidal ideation. This study aims to investigate the intergenerational transmission of IPV perpetration and the mechanisms involved. Intergenerational transmission was investigated using information from two generations of the Cambridge Study in Delinquent Development which is a prospective longitudinal study of 411 males from an inner London area in the UK who have been followed up over a period of 50 years. Information with regard to IPV perpetration, specifically physical violence, was garnered from self-reports by the male at age 32, from their female partner at age 48, and from their male and female children in early adulthood. Regression analyses were used to investigate intergenerational transmission and examine whether psychosocial risk factors could be identified as potential intergenerational pathways. Having a father who was a perpetrator of IPV significantly increased the odds of daughters being perpetrators by 2 times. It did not significantly increase the odds for sons. The intergenerational transmission of IPV perpetration remains between fathers and their daughters over and above a series of psychosocial factors such as accommodation problems and alcohol misuse. Identification of factors associated with the intergenerational transmission of IPV perpetration will inform practitioners and policymakers. Information garnered from studies such as this may contribute to the development of prevention and intervention strategies for those at risk.

Early Life Adversity and Clinical Intimate Partner Violence in Adulthood: The Mediating Role of Interpersonal Conflict in Adolescence

2021 ◽  
pp. 088626052110572
Author(s):  
Jordan L. Thomas ◽  
Danielle Keenan-Miller ◽  
Jennifer A. Sumner ◽  
Constance Hammen
Keyword(s):  
Intimate Partner Violence ◽  
Conflict Resolution ◽  
Life Events ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Interpersonal Conflict ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Relationship Violence ◽  
Early Life Adversity ◽  
Prevention And Intervention

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is associated with adverse outcomes for both victims and perpetrators, though there is significant heterogeneity in manifestations of relationship violence. A growing amount of research has focused on elucidating predictors of clinical IPV—defined as severe violence involving institutional or medical intervention due to actual or potential injury—so as to better understand potential prevention and intervention targets. Early life adversity (ELA) is associated with IPV in adulthood, yet this literature focuses on discrete, retrospectively reported adversities (e.g., physical abuse and neglect) and has yet to consider clinical IPV as an outcome. Little is known about if and how broadly adverse early environments may confer risk for this specific form of relationship violence. We investigated associations between exposure to ELA prior to age five and clinical IPV victimization and perpetration by age 20 in a longitudinal, community-based sample of men and women in Australia ( N = 588). Early life adversity was prospectively indexed by maternal reports of financial hardship, child chronic illness, maternal stressful life events, maternal depressive symptoms, parental discord, and parental separation. Youth interpersonal conflict life events at age 15—an interviewer-rated assessment of episodic stressors involving conflict across relationships in mid-adolescence—was tested as a potential mediator for both victims and perpetrators. Among women, ELA predicted IPV victimization and perpetration, and interpersonal conflict life events partially mediated the link between ELA and victimization, but not perpetration. Neither ELA nor interpersonal conflict life events predicted victimization or perpetration among men. Women exposed to ELA are at-risk for conflictual interpersonal relationships later in life, including violent intimate relationships, and deficits in conflict resolution skills may be one mechanism through which ELA leads to IPV victimization among this subgroup. Violence prevention and intervention efforts should target interpersonal skills, including conflict resolution, among women and girls exposed to adverse early environments.

Intimate Partner Violence Predicts Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Severity Independent of Early Life and Deployment-Related Trauma in Deployed Men and Women Veterans

2020 ◽  
pp. 088626052093851
Author(s):  
Meghan E. Pierce ◽  
Catherine Fortier ◽  
Jennifer R. Fonda ◽  
William Milberg ◽  
Regina McGlinchey
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Intimate Partner Violence ◽  
Posttraumatic Stress ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Ptsd Severity

Intimate partner violence (IPV) refers to emotional, physical, and/or sexual abuse perpetrated by a current or former partner. IPV affects both genders, though little is known about its effects on men as victims. The aims of this study were to determine if IPV is a factor contributing to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) severity independently of deployment-related trauma, and to determine if there are gender differences in these associations. Participants were 46 female and 471 male post-9/11 veterans. Four sequential regressions were employed to examine the independent contribution of IPV among multiple trauma types on PTSD severity in men and women at two epochs, post-deployment (participants were anchored to deployment-related PTSD symptoms) and current (within the past month). Models were significant for both epochs in men ( ps < .001) but not in women ( ps > .230). In men, IPV independently predicted PTSD severity in both epochs (β > .093). However, in women, early life trauma (β = .284), but not IPV was a significant and independent predictor for current PTSD. Thus, there are distinct gender differences in how trauma type contributes to PTSD symptom severity. Although the statistical models were not significant in women, we observed similar patterns of results as in men and, in some cases, the β was actually higher in women than in men, suggesting a lack of power in our analyses. More research is clearly needed to follow-up these results; however, our findings indicate that IPV is a contributing factor to PTSD severity in veterans.

scholarly journals INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE AND NEW-ONSET DEPRESSION: A LONGITUDINAL STUDY OF WOMEN'S CHILDHOOD AND ADULT HISTORIES OF ABUSE

2015 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. 316-324 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabelle Ouellet-Morin ◽  
Helen L. Fisher ◽  
Marianna York-Smith ◽  
Stephanie Fincham-Campbell ◽  
Terrie E. Moffitt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Intimate Partner Violence ◽  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
New Onset

Use and Experience of Recent Intimate Partner Violence Among Women Veterans Who Deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan

Partner Abuse ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 251-271 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzannah K. Creech ◽  
Alexandra Macdonald ◽  
Casey Taft
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Intimate Partner Violence ◽  
Relationship Satisfaction ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Women Veterans ◽  
Intimate Relationship ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Relationship Functioning ◽  
Significant Variance ◽  
The Past

Background: Women veterans may be at high risk for intimate partner violence (IPV), which increases susceptibility for negative physical and mental health. IPV experiences and use have not previously been studied among the newest generation of women veterans who deployed to the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Method: This study examined the correlates of IPV in a sample of 102 women veterans who had deployed to the conflicts in Iraq or Afghanistan and who were in current intimate relationships. Using an anonymous web-based survey, participants completed measures of combat and sexual harassment exposure during deployment, measures of mental health and substance abuse, intimate relationship satisfaction, and recent IPV. Results: Results indicated that 63% of the sample reported experiencing any IPV in the past 6 months, whereas 73% reported using IPV toward their partner in the past 6 months. Linear regressions indicated intimate relationship satisfaction explained significant variance in recent psychological IPV, whereas alcohol misuse and recent psychological IPV experiences explained significant variance in physical IPV experiences and use and sexual IPV experiences. Conclusion: Women veterans in this study reported high levels of recent IPV experiences as well as the use of IPV. Results suggest the need to assess for both IPV use and IPV experiences in medical settings, and that for some women veterans, IPV prevention that focuses on healthy relationship functioning may be beneficial.

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