It’s Complicated: Incident- and Observer-Level Predictors of Blame and Justification for Reciprocated Psychological and Minor Physical Violence

We examined whether incident- and observer-level factors found previously to influence blame assignment and foster justification for severe unidirectional partner aggression would replicate in the context of reciprocated psychological and minor physical dating violence. We employed a factorial vignette methodology, simultaneously varying the form of the violence (i.e., psychological or minor physical), gender of the initiator and retaliator, alcohol use, history of aggression, and commitment status. Observer-level variables included participant gender, history of dating violence perpetration and victimization, and social desirability. Using a sample of 321 undergraduates, we found that initiating violence with physical versus psychological tactics was judged comparably in terms of blame, but responding with symmetrical physical violence was viewed more negatively than the reciprocation of psychological aggression. Men’s aggression was more negatively evaluated only in situations involving physical force, except in cases where the woman’s capacity to inflict physical harm was comparable. Other characteristics of the incident (e.g., alcohol use) and observer (e.g., gender) were also relevant, but their effects were tethered to the particulars of the violent exchange or the type of attribution being solicited. Asymmetrical violence (e.g., physical response to psychological initiation) appeared to elicit the most attributional activity with respect to the predictors. Exploratory analyses also revealed that participants with intimate partner violence (IPV) histories responded differently to vignettes wherein the violence initiator had aggressed previously. The overall pattern of results highlights that attributions about dating violence are complexly determined and contextualized, and that the form and relative symmetry of the violence may shape how incident- and observer-level variables impact evaluations of blame and justification.

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Discrepant Drinking and Partner Violence Perpetration Over Time in Lesbians’ Relationships

Violence Against Women ◽

10.1177/1077801218781925 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 24 (10) ◽

pp. 1149-1165 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Robin J. Lewis ◽

Barbara A. Winstead ◽

Abby L. Braitman ◽

Phoebe Hitson

Keyword(s):

Alcohol Use ◽

Physical Aggression ◽

Partner Violence ◽

Market Research ◽

Physical Violence ◽

Intimate Partner ◽

Psychological Aggression ◽

Heterosexual Couples ◽

Relationship Aggression ◽

Violence Perpetration

Discrepant drinking (i.e., differences in alcohol use) and perpetration of intimate partner violence in same-sex female couples were examined. Self-identified lesbian participants were recruited from market research firms and reported on their own and their partner’s alcohol use and their own perpetration of psychological aggression and physical violence at baseline, then 6 and 12 months later. Cross-lagged panel analyses revealed that discrepant drinking predicted participants’ subsequent perpetration of psychological aggression but not physical violence. Both psychological aggression and physical aggression predicted subsequent discrepant drinking. Consistent with findings in heterosexual couples, differences in alcohol use appear to be a risk factor for relationship aggression.

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The Relationship Between Dating Violence and Bystander Behavior: An Initial Investigation

Partner Abuse ◽

10.1891/1946-6560.7.1.55 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 55-69 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

William C. Woods ◽

Ryan C. Shorey ◽

Catherine V. Strauss ◽

Tara L. Cornelius ◽

Theresa Rowland

Keyword(s):

Sexual Assault ◽

Dating Violence ◽

Physical Violence ◽

Preliminary Evidence ◽

Psychological Aggression ◽

Future Research ◽

Bystander Behavior ◽

History Of ◽

The Relationship ◽

Bystander Behaviors

Preliminary research has demonstrated the utility of bystander interventions in reducing sexual assault (Coker et al., 2011; Moynihan & Banyard, 2008), and initial research has begun extending this type of intervention to dating violence broadly (i.e., physical and psychological aggression). However, there are many unexplored factors that may increase or decrease the likelihood that individuals will engage in bystander behavior. One such factor is previous experiences with dating violence and sexual assault. Thus, this study examined prior dating violence and sexual assault experiences and endorsement of bystander behaviors in a large sample of college students (N = 2,430). We hypothesized that individuals with a history of dating and sexual assault victimization would be more likely to report engaging in bystander behaviors relative to nonvictims. The relationship between prior dating violence perpetration on bystander behavior was also explored. Results demonstrated that individuals with physical and sexual, but not psychological, victimization histories reported more frequent bystander behavior. Furthermore, perpetrators of physical violence were more likely than nonperpetrators to report bystander behavior, particularly among females. Findings provide preliminary evidence that prior experiences with dating violence and sexual assault may impact bystander behavior. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

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Head Trauma in a Community-Based Sample of Victims of Intimate Partner Violence: Prevalence, Mechanisms of Injury and Symptom Presentation

Journal of Interpersonal Violence ◽

10.1177/08862605211016362 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 088626052110163

Author(s):

Jessica E. Meyer ◽

Varna Jammula ◽

Peter A. Arnett

Keyword(s):

Intimate Partner Violence ◽

Brain Injury ◽

Head Trauma ◽

Partner Violence ◽

Physical Violence ◽

Structured Interview ◽

Intimate Partner ◽

Difficulty Breathing ◽

History Of ◽

Subconcussive Head Trauma

Objective. The present study aimed to explore the prevalence of subconcussive head trauma, traumatic brain injury (TBI), potential hypoxic events, and hypoxic brain injury (HBI) in victims of physical intimate partner violence (IPV). The study also aimed to characterize the injury presentation and mechanisms of injury in this population. Method. A group of 47 female participants with a history of at least one relationship that included physical violence completed a structured interview assessing for subconcussive hits, TBI, and HBI. Participants ranged in age from 19 to 55, and had an average of 15.3 years of education. Forty-four participants completed the structured interview in person and three participants completed the interview over the phone. Results. The majority of participants reported sustaining at least one impact to the head and approximately half of the participants sustained at least one impact that resulted in a mild TBI. Approximately half of the participants experienced at least one incident of having difficulty breathing due to a violent act from their partner, and approximately one-third of participants reported symptoms consistent with mild HBI. The most common mechanisms of injury were being hit with a closed fist and being strangled. Conclusions. The high levels of head trauma observed in this study highlight the need for clinical and community providers to screen victims of physical IPV for head trauma. The unique characteristics of this population (female sex, high frequency of injuries, and presence of HBIs) indicate that research evaluating the cognitive effects of injuries in this population is needed.

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Violent Couples Seeking Therapy: Bilateral and Unilateral Violence

Partner Abuse ◽

10.1891/1946-6560.3.1.43 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

pp. 43-58 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Chelsea A. Madsen ◽

Sandra M. Stith ◽

Cynthia J. Thomsen ◽

Eric E. McCollum

Keyword(s):

Relationship Satisfaction ◽

Partner Violence ◽

Couples Therapy ◽

Physical Violence ◽

Intimate Partner ◽

Conflict Theory ◽

Psychological Aggression ◽

Future Research ◽

Male Violence ◽

Female Violence

Little information is available about couples experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV) who voluntarily seek couples therapy. We examined the characteristics of 129 couples who sought therapy for IPV to learn more about this population. A majority of the sample, 74%, experienced bilateral physical violence, 16% experienced unilateral male violence, and 5% experienced unilateral female violence. Conflict theory is used to explain the finding that couples experiencing bilateral violence reported higher levels of physical violence and injury than did those experiencing unilateral violence. Bilaterally violent couples also experienced more jealousy and psychological aggression and less relationship satisfaction than either group of unilaterally violent couples. Implications and suggestions for clinicians are offered, as well as ideas for future research.

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Beliefs on Marital Violence Among Portuguese Adolescents: Monitoring Their Evolution and Relationship With Dating Violence

Violence and Victims ◽

10.1891/vv-d-18-00050 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 36 (3) ◽

pp. 363-380

Author(s):

Sofia Neves ◽

Miguel Cameira ◽

Sónia Caridade

Keyword(s):

Dating Violence ◽

Partner Violence ◽

Physical Violence ◽

Marital Violence ◽

Traditional Beliefs ◽

Attitudes And Behaviors ◽

The Past ◽

The Family ◽

And Behaviors ◽

Portuguese Adolescents

In the last two decades, the problem of violence in the family sphere in particular and in intimate relationships in general has been on the agenda for Portuguese governmental and nongovernmental agencies. Several initiatives and campaigns have been launched, which are aimed at reducing occurrence of this violence, particularly among teenagers. This present study aims to assess the evolution in adolescents' attitudes and behaviors concerning intimate partner violence. We collected data from a sample of adolescents (n = 913) to compare with corresponding data collected 7 years ago by Neves and Nogueira (2010) in a sample that had identical sociodemographic characteristics (n = 899). Both cohorts resided in the same areas in the northeastern region of Portugal. The instruments used were the Scale of Beliefs about Marital Violence (ECVC) and the Marital Violence Inventory (IVC; Neves & Nogueira, 2010). The results indicate that although respondents tend to reject traditional beliefs on marital violence more now than in the past, especially male and older respondents, the percentage of dating violence reports has not decreased. Among girls, there was even an increase in perpetration of emotional and mild physical violence. We discuss possible reasons for this discrepancy between the evolution of attitudes and behaviors and make suggestions for improvement in the actions implemented among teenagers to increase their effectiveness.

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A Review of Research on Women’s Use of Violence With Male Intimate Partners

Violence and Victims ◽

10.1891/0886-6708.23.3.301 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 23 (3) ◽

pp. 301-314 ◽

Cited By ~ 171

Author(s):

Suzanne C. Swan ◽

Laura J. Gambone ◽

Jennifer E. Caldwell ◽

Tami P. Sullivan ◽

David L. Snow

Keyword(s):

Partner Violence ◽

Service Providers ◽

Physical Violence ◽

Research Literature ◽

Psychological Aggression ◽

Intimate Partners ◽

Negative Effects ◽

Couple Violence ◽

The Many ◽

The Military

This article provides a review of research literature on women who use violence with intimate partners. The central purpose is to inform service providers in the military and civilian communities who work with domestically violent women. The major points of this review are as follows: (a) women’s violence usually occurs in the context of violence against them by their male partners; (b) in general, women and men perpetrate equivalent levels of physical and psychological aggression, but evidence suggests that men perpetrate sexual abuse, coercive control, and stalking more frequently than women and that women also are much more frequently injured during domestic violence incidents; (c) women and men are equally likely to initiate physical violence in relationships involving less serious “situational couple violence,” and in relationships in which serious and very violent “intimate terrorism” occurs, men are much more likely to be perpetrators and women victims; (d) women’s physical violence is more likely than men’s violence to be motivated by self-defense and fear, whereas men’s physical violence is more likely than women’s to be driven by control motives; (e) studies of couples in mutually violent relationships find more negative effects for women than for men; and (f) because of the many differences in behaviors and motivations between women’s and men’s violence, interventions based on male models of partner violence are likely not effective for many women.

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Predictors of Physical and Dating Violence in Middle and High School Students in the United States

Crime & Delinquency ◽

10.1177/0011128717719428 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 64 (5) ◽

pp. 625-649 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

George E. Higgins ◽

Catherine D. Marcum ◽

Jason Nicholson ◽

Phillip Weiner

Keyword(s):

High School ◽

High School Students ◽

Dating Violence ◽

Partner Violence ◽

The United States ◽

Routine Activities ◽

Routine Activities Theory ◽

Psychological Aggression ◽

Youth Risk Behavior Survey ◽

School Students

Dating violence is a growing and prominent problem for today’s middle and high school students. Intimate partner violence, which can include physical, sexual, emotional, and psychological aggression, affects millions of individuals worldwide. This specific study will examine one age group affected by this rampant phenomenon: adolescents under the age of 18. The purpose of this study is to continue the examination of correlates of dating violence, specifically physical and sexual, through the analysis of data from the 2015 Youth Risk Behavior Survey and application of Routine Activities Theory. Results support hypotheses that the components of Routine Activities Theory are moderate to strong predictors of physical and sexual dating violence in adolescents.

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Predictors of Neurobehavioral Symptoms in a University Population: A Multivariate Approach Using a Postconcussive Symptom Questionnaire

Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society ◽

10.1017/s1355617713000763 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 19 (9) ◽

pp. 977-985 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Mark L. Ettenhofer ◽

Lindsay E. Reinhardt ◽

David M. Barry

Keyword(s):

Alcohol Use ◽

Symptom Presentation ◽

Gender History ◽

Mild Tbi ◽

Hyperactivity Disorder ◽

History Of ◽

Neurobehavioral Symptoms ◽

University Population ◽

Orthopedic Injuries ◽

History Of Depression

AbstractSeveral factors have been linked to severity of postconcussive-type (neurobehavioral) symptoms. In this study, predictors of neurobehavioral symptoms were examined using multivariate methods to determine the relative importance of each. Data regarding demographics, symptoms, current alcohol use, history of traumatic brain injury (TBI), orthopedic injuries, and psychiatric/developmental diagnoses were collected via questionnaire from 3027 university students. The most prominent predictors of symptoms were gender, history of depression or anxiety, history of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder or learning disability diagnosis, and frequency of alcohol use. Prior mild TBI was significantly related to overall symptoms, but this effect was small in comparison to other predictors. These results provide further evidence that neurobehavioral symptoms are multi-determined phenomena, and highlight the importance of psychiatric comorbidity, demographic factors, and health behaviors to neurobehavioral symptom presentation after mild TBI. (JINS, 2013, 19, 1–9)

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Intimate Partner Violence and Stalking Behavior: Exploration of Patterns and Correlates in a Sample of Acutely Battered Women

Violence and Victims ◽

10.1891/0886-6708.15.1.55 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 15 (1) ◽

pp. 55-72 ◽

Cited By ~ 89

Author(s):

Mindy B. Mechanic ◽

Terri L. Weaver ◽

Patricia A. Resick

Keyword(s):

Battered Women ◽

Dating Violence ◽

Partner Violence ◽

Emotional Abuse ◽

Physical Violence ◽

Intimate Partner ◽

Descriptive Data ◽

Time Out ◽

Violent Relationship ◽

The Relationship

The aims of this study were to provide descriptive data on stalking in a sample of acutely battered women and to assess the interrelationship between constructs of emotional abuse, physical violence, and stalking in battered women. We recruited a sample of 114 battered women from shelters, agencies, and from the community at large. Results support the growing consensus that violent and harassing stalking behaviors occur with alarming frequency among physically battered women, both while they are in the relationship and after they leave their abusive partners. Emotional and psychological abuse emerged as strong predictors of within- and postrelationship stalking, and contributed a unique variance to women’s fears of future serious harm or death, even after the effects of physical violence were controlled. The length of time a woman was out of the violent relationship was the strongest predictor of postseparation stalking, with increased stalking found with greater time out of the relationship. Results suggest the need to further study the heterogeneity of stalking and to clarify its relationship to constructs of emotional and physical abuse in diverse samples that include stalked but nonbattered women, as women exposed to emotional abuse, and dating violence.

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Screening for Partner Violence Among Family Mediation Clients: Differentiating Types of Abuse

Journal of Interpersonal Violence ◽

10.1177/0886260515614559 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 33 (7) ◽

pp. 1118-1146 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Helen Cleak ◽

Margot J. Schofield ◽

Lauren Axelsen ◽

Andrew Bickerdike

Keyword(s):

Intimate Partner Violence ◽

Partner Violence ◽

Reliability And Validity ◽

Intimate Partner ◽

Psychological Aggression ◽

Financial Control ◽

Screening Instruments ◽

Family Mediation ◽

Parenting Alliance ◽

History Of

Family mediation is mandated in Australia for couples in dispute over separation and parenting as a first step in dispute resolution, except where there is a history of intimate partner violence. However, validation of effective well-differentiated partner violence screening instruments suitable for mediation settings is at an early phase of development. This study contributes to calls for better violence screening instruments in the mediation context to detect a differentiated range of abusive behaviors by examining the reliability and validity of both established scales, and newly developed scales that measured intimate partner violence by partner and by self. The study also aimed to examine relationships between types of abuse, and between gender and types of abuse. A third aim was to examine associations between types of abuse and other relationship indicators such as acrimony and parenting alliance. The data reported here are part of a larger mixed method, naturalistic longitudinal study of clients attending nine family mediation centers in Victoria, Australia. The current analyses on baseline cross-sectional screening data confirmed the reliability of three subscales of the Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS2), and the reliability and validity of three new scales measuring intimidation, controlling and jealous behavior, and financial control. Most clients disclosed a history of at least one type of violence by partner: 95% reported psychological aggression, 72% controlling and jealous behavior, 50% financial control, and 35% physical assault. Higher rates of abuse perpetration were reported by partner versus by self, and gender differences were identified. There were strong associations between certain patterns of psychologically abusive behavior and both acrimony and parenting alliance. The implications for family mediation services and future research are discussed.

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