Attachment Anxiety as a Risk Factor for Subsequent Intimate Partner Violence Victimization: A 6-Month Prospective Study Among College Women

2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (7) ◽  
pp. 1410-1427 ◽  
Author(s):  
David A. Sandberg ◽  
Christine E. Valdez ◽  
Jessica L. Engle ◽  
Ekta Menghrajani
Keyword(s):  
Intimate Partner Violence ◽  
Prospective Study ◽  
College Women ◽  
Adult Attachment ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Attachment Anxiety ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Attachment Difficulties

Recent research suggests that individuals with attachment difficulties are at increased risk for experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization. However, most studies conducted on this topic have been cross-sectional, leaving it unclear whether attachment difficulties actually precede this type of violence. The current 6-month prospective study examined the relation between adult attachment and subsequent IPV victimization in a sample of 133 college women. At Time 1, participants completed the Experiences in Close Relationships (ECR) questionnaire to assess the two underlying orthogonal dimensions of adult attachment (anxiety and avoidance) and the Traumatic Life Events Questionnaire (TLEQ) to assess prior exposure to interpersonal traumatic events. At follow-up, participants completed a modified version of the Revised Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS-2) to assess IPV victimization. Results indicated that attachment anxiety was associated with an increased risk for experiencing physical assault during the 6-month follow-up period, even after statistically adjusting for prior interpersonal trauma. In contrast, attachment avoidance was unrelated to subsequent IPV victimization.

Interpersonal Problems and Personality Features as Mediators Between Attachment and Intimate Partner Violence

2013 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 414-428 ◽  
Author(s):  
David M. Lawson ◽  
Daniel F. Brossart
Keyword(s):  
Intimate Partner Violence ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Male Partner ◽  
Interpersonal Problems ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Attachment Anxiety ◽  
Criterion Variable ◽  
Anxious Attachment ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
The Relationship

We examined whether hostile dominant interpersonal problems (HDIP), antisocial features, and borderline features mediated the relationship between attachment (anxiety or avoidance) and intimate partner violence (IPV) with a sample of 132 male partner abusers. We conducted two path analyses with avoidant attachment as the predictor in one model and anxious attachment as the predictor in a second model. In both models, HDIP, antisocial features, and borderline features were the mediators with IPV as the criterion. For both models, the attachment variable had statistically significant path values to the mediating variables. However, neither antisocial nor borderline features had statistically significant path values from the mediating variable to the criterion variable (IPV). Only HDIP had a statistically significant path value from the mediating variable to the criterion variable in both models. However, only the avoidant model produced a statistically significant specific indirect effect indicating that HDIP clearly mediated the relationship between attachment and IPV. Results suggest that partner abusive men with predominantly avoidant and, to a lesser degree, anxious attachment may be at increased risk for addressing conflicts in a coercive, controlling, and vengeful manner that is manifested in physical aggression toward a partner. Further, interpersonal constructs may be better measures of psychopathology and provide more relevant clinical targets than personality constructs with male partner abusers.

scholarly journals Perceptions of firearms in a cohort of women exposed to intimate partner violence (IPV) in Central Pennsylvania

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Leuenberger ◽  
Erik Lehman ◽  
Jennifer McCall-Hosenfeld
Keyword(s):  
Intimate Partner Violence ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Demographic Factors ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Childhood Experiences ◽  
Perceived Safety ◽  
Central Pennsylvania ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Psychological Harm

Abstract Background Almost one-half of U.S. women will experience intimate partner violence (IPV), defined as physical, sexual, or psychological harm by a current or former partner. IPV is associated with an increased risk of homicide, with firearms as the most commonly used weapon. We designed this study to better understand the correlation of interpersonal trauma exposures and demographic factors on firearm perceptions among a cohort of IPV-exposed women. Methods Two hundred sixty-seven women in central Pennsylvania with exposure to IPV were surveyed about perceptions of gun access, safety, and gun presence in the home. Trauma variables included IPV type, IPV recency, unwanted sexual exposure, and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Multivariable analyses examined three questions examining firearm perceptions controlling for trauma exposures and demographics. Results Ease of firearm acquisition: Women who were older (mean 44.92 years +/− SD 12.05), compared to women who were younger (40.91 +/− SD 11.81 years) were more likely to describe it as easy or very easy to acquire a gun (aOR 1.05, 95%CI 1.004, 1.10). Perceived safety in the proximity of a gun: Women with the highest ACE score were less likely to feel safe with a gun nearby (aOR 0.31, 95%CI 0.14, 0.67). Odds of guns in the home: Women who were divorced or separated (aOR 0.22, 95%CI 0.09, 0.54), women were widowed or single (aOR0.23, 95%CI 0.08, 0.67), and women who were partnered (aOR 0.45 95%CI 0.20, 0.97) had lower odds of having a gun in the home, compared to married women. There was no significant effect of the trauma variables on the odds of having a gun at home. Conclusions Women with more severe childhood trauma felt less safe around firearms, but trauma exposures did not predict the perception of gun prevalence in the local community or gun ownership. Instead, demographic factors of marriage predicted presence of a gun in the home.

scholarly journals Quality of life and risk of feminicide in women victims of intimate partner violence in Campinas

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
M Caicedo Roa ◽  
L Gabrielle Dalaqua ◽  
P Filizola ◽  
R Cordeiro
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Domestic Violence ◽  
Intimate Partner Violence ◽  
High Risk ◽  
Women Victims ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Increased Risk

Abstract Introduction Violence against women is a public health problem with severe consequences. Most women in situations of domestic violence are emotionally involved and/or economically dependent of their intimate partners contributing to the perpetuation and acceptance of violence. Objectives 1) To characterize the women who join the Reference and Support Center for Women (Ceamo) in Campinas, Southeast Brazil. 2) To measure the quality of life in women victims of intimate partner violence 3) To determine the risk of feminicide. Methods The Ceamo is a public specialized service from the mayor of Campinas, it provides psychological, social and legal guidance to women in situations of gender violence. Inclusion criteria: Women attending Ceamo services, speaking Portuguese, age ≥18 years old and having experienced intimate partner violence. Measure instruments: Danger assessment Scale and WHOQOL-BREF. Results During the 11 months of the study, 78 new users were recruited. Average age 38.3 years old, mostly married/stable union, most of them with children (88%). 64% of women do not work and 36% live with the abusive partner. Prevalent types of violence suffered during by the victims in the last year were psychological n = 76, physical n = 62, moral n = 54 and sexual n = 23. The domain most affected in the assessment of quality of life was the environment (average 42% /100%) and psychological domain (42%/100%). 49% of women were classified with increased risk, 22% with severe risk and 1% with extreme risk of femicide. The questions with the most positive answers were those related to believing that the partner can kill her (77%), jealous of the partner (76%) and controlling behavior (73%), being followed/spied by the partner (67%) and threat death (65%). Conclusions The service in general receive very vulnerable women with low perception of their own quality of life, precarious material conditions and high risk of femicide. Key messages The women in domestic violence situation attended by the Ceamo service are at high risk of femicide. Service users have very low perception of their quality of life and poor social conditions.

Positive Correlation Between Women’s Status and Intimate Partner Violence Suggests Violence Backlash in Mwanza, Tanzania

2021 ◽  
pp. 088626052110500
Author(s):  
Joseph A. Kilgallen ◽  
Susan B. Schaffnit ◽  
Yusufu Kumogola ◽  
Anthony Galura ◽  
Mark Urassa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Intimate Partner Violence ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
Women's Empowerment ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Low Fertility ◽  
Women’S Empowerment ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Increased Risk

Urbanization in low and middle-income nations is characterized by economic and demographic shifts largely understood to be beneficial to women’s empowerment. These changes include increased education and wage-labor opportunities, a disruption of traditional patrilocal residence systems, and reductions in spousal age gap and fertility. However, such changes may drive a “violence backlash,” with men increasing intimate partner violence (IPV) in efforts to challenge women’s shifting status. To date, tests of this idea primarily relate to women’s changing economic status, with less known about the demographic correlates of IPV in urbanizing settings. Addressing this, we conducted a cross-sectional study of IPV behavior and attitudes in an urbanizing community in Mwanza, northern Tanzania ( n = 317). Consistent with a violence backlash, IPV was reported more often among women educated at higher levels than their husband, and women earning similar, rather than lower, wages to their husband were more likely to report that he condones IPV. These findings were independent of women’s absolute education and income. Furthermore, less frequent paternal kin contact, and relatively small spousal age gaps, generally understood to boost women’s empowerment, were associated with an increased risk of experiencing IPV. Less frequent paternal kin contact was also associated with an increased likelihood that a husband condones IPV. Contrary to our predictions, relatively lower fertility, generally linked to higher women’s empowerment, did not predict IPV behavior and women with high, rather than low, fertility were more likely to report that their husband condones IPV. Overall, our results support the notion of a violence backlash corresponding to economic changes for women that accompany urbanization. In contrast, demographic changes associated with urbanization have more variable relationships. Drawing on these results, we suggest future research avenues for better understanding the vulnerability of women to IPV in urbanizing settings.

Child Marriage and Intimate Partner Violence: An Examination of Individual, Community, and National Factors

2021 ◽  
pp. 088626052110426
Author(s):  
Brittany E. Hayes ◽  
Michelle E. Protas
Keyword(s):  
Intimate Partner Violence ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
National Level ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Early Marriage ◽  
Child Marriage ◽  
Demographic And Health Surveys ◽  
Age At Marriage ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Nationally Representative

Despite being a human rights violation, child marriage still takes place across the globe. Prior scholarship has shown early marriage to be associated with an increased risk of intimate partner violence (IPV). Drawing on data from the nationally representative Demographic and Health Surveys—conducted in developing and transitional nations where rates of child marriage tend to be higher—the current study provides a cross-national examination of individual-, community-, and national-level predictors of child marriage and their association with physical and emotional IPV. The sample of ever married women includes 281,674 respondents across 46 developing and transitional nations. Findings reveal the prevalence of child marriage was largely consistent with worldwide estimates. Over half of the sample (59.97%) were over the age of 18 when they married and about 1 in 10 women were married at age 14 or younger. A later age at marriage, measured continuously, was associated with lower odds of physical and emotional IPV. When considering the 18 and over cutoff traditionally used to operationalize child marriage, the odds of physical and emotional IPV were lower for women who married over the age of 18 than women who were 14 and younger when they married. However, there was a confounding effect when considering age at marriage as 18 and over when community-level predictors were not included in the model estimating physical abuse. This underscores the need to consider the nested nature of respondents’ experiences. Further, national legislation that protects against child marriage was not associated with risk of physical or emotional IPV. However, population size increased the odds of physical IPV and lowered the odds of emotional IPV. Such findings can be interpreted in light of opportunity theory and provide direction for prevention and intervention programming.

Intimate Partner Violence and Completion of Post-Sexual Assault Medical Forensic Examination Follow-Up Screening

2018 ◽  
pp. 088626051881702 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda K. Gilmore ◽  
Anna E. Jaffe ◽  
Christine K. Hahn ◽  
Leigh E. Ridings ◽  
Kathy Gill-Hopple ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Intimate Partner Violence ◽  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Forensic Examination

scholarly journals Does Having a Living Child Increase Women’s Risk of Intimate Partner Violence? Evidence from 2008- 2013 Nigeria Demographic and Health Surveys

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 201 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bola Lukman Solanke ◽  
Femi Monday Ilevbare
Keyword(s):  
Intimate Partner Violence ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Health Surveys ◽  
Binary Logistic Regression ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Living Child ◽  
Demographic And Health Surveys ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Psychosocial Counselling ◽  
Living Children

This study examined the relationship between number of living children and intimate partner violence. This was with the view to ascertaining whether having living children or not having a living child was associated with increased risk of intimate partner violence among currently married women in Nigeria. The study analyzed data from 2008-2013 Nigeria Demographic and Health Surveys. The binary logistic regression was applied. Results showed that women who had two or more living children were 20.5% more likely to experience intimate partner violence compared with women who had no living child (OR=1.205; CI: 0.993-1.461). The study concluded that having living children increase women’s risk of intimate partner violence in Nigeria. Women experiencing intimate partner violence should seek psychosocial counselling to reduce the incidence of intimate partner violence that may arise from childbearing.

Intimate Partner Violence Perpetrated by College Women within the Context of a History of Victimization

2005 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 278-289 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelly N. Graves ◽  
Stacy M. Sechrist ◽  
Jacquelyn W. White ◽  
Matthew J. Paradise
Keyword(s):  
Intimate Partner Violence ◽  
College Women ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Sexual Victimization ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration ◽  
Concurrent Use ◽  
Violence Perpetration ◽  
History Of

Using a longitudinal design, the current study explored intimate partner violence perpetration among 1,300 college women within the context of one's history of physical and sexual victimization across 4 years of college. Structural equation modeling indicated that sexual victimization does not predict concurrent use of women's intimate partner violence but does predict subsequent use of women's intimate partner violence during the later years of college. In contrast, physical victimization is associated positively with concurrent use of women's intimate partner violence but is negatively associated with subsequent use of women's intimate partner violence for women. Furthermore, the negative relationship of victimization to subsequent perpetration primarily is due to those with high levels of victimization histories. The present study provides the first model of intimate partner violence within the context of victimization history using longitudinal data. The findings indicate that women's intimate partner violence perpetration is not context-free, but rather is influenced by their own physical and sexual victimization histories.

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