Journal of Interpersonal Violence最新文献

Intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization is a risk factor for drug use, which has the potential to negatively impact survivor health and well-being. However, few studies have explored the role of emotion regulation in the association between IPV exposure and drug use. Understanding whether difficulties with emotion regulation mediate the association between IPV victimization and drug use may be important to better understand the mechanisms driving drug use and identify potential intervention targets. Thus, the present study aims to test the role of emotion dysregulation in the link between IPV exposure and drug use among violently injured adults. A total of 367 adults who had experienced a violent injury from any source (M_age = 32.7, 73% male, 80% Black/African-American) from an Urban Level 1 Trauma Center were recruited. Participants completed self-report surveys on their IPV victimization experiences, emotion regulation difficulties, and drug use. Results showed that IPV victimization was associated with greater emotion regulation difficulties and higher levels of drug use. In addition, several domains of emotion regulation difficulties (strategies, non-acceptance, goals, and impulse) were associated with more engagement in drug use, and those domains of emotion regulation difficulties partially mediated the associations between IPV victimization and drug use. These findings highlight the importance of exploring mechanisms of IPV victimization outcomes, such as drug use that can guide education (e.g., stigma prevention), prevention (e.g., early and hospital-based screening), and intervention (e.g., treatments to target emotion regulation) efforts.

Sexual minority youth (e.g., lesbian, queer, bisexual) encounter higher rates of abuse compared to their heterosexual peers. Similarly, Black youth are disproportionately affected by adverse experiences, including abuse. Seeking help after experiencing abuse has been shown to improve both mental and physical health outcomes. There is a lack of research on how the intersection of these identities affects help-seeking behaviors when experiencing different types of abuse. To address this gap, our study analyzed national data from 716 Black cisgender sexual minority women (SMW) aged 18 to 21 (M_age = 19.5) who participated in the Healthy Minds Study and examined the likelihood of seeking formal and informal support based on past year emotional, physical, and sexual abuse experiences. Formal help-seeking was assessed by whether participants received counseling or therapy, and informal help-seeking was defined as seeking support from a non-professional source (e.g., family member, friend, and significant other). We found participants who reported abuse experiences, including physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, or combined abuse experiences, were significantly more likely to seek informal support, with odds ratios of 2.20, 1.66, 2.77, and 2.38, respectively. However, there was no difference in formal help-seeking compared to participants without abuse experiences. Specific sources of informal support sought were explored descriptively by participants with and without abuse experiences, showing that participants who experienced abuse primarily sought informal support from friends, family members, significant others, and roommates. This trend was consistent among participants who did not report any abuse experiences. Overall, findings suggest that there were no significant differences in the likelihood of seeking formal support regardless of participants' abuse history. However, those who experienced abuse were significantly more likely to seek informal support compared to those who did not. Findings suggest Black adolescent SMW who have endured abuse may face barriers accessing formal support networks; therefore, targeted interventions are needed.

Youth with mental health and neurodevelopmental conditions may be at increased risk for interpersonal violence victimization and perpetration as compared to counterparts without these conditions. To investigate this possibility, we conducted an analysis using U.S. nationally representative data collected from youth ages 11 to 21 years old (N = 846). We calculated the prevalence of any dating abuse victimization or perpetration, as well as four specific subtypes of dating abuse-physical, sexual, psychological, and cyber dating abuse-for youth with eight types of mental health and neurodevelopmental disorders (i.e., anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder [PTSD], oppositional defiant or other conduct disorder, bipolar disorder [BD], attention deficit disorder/attention deficit hyperactivity disorder [ADHD], autism, or learning disability). Nearly one-half (43%) of the sample reported that they had one or more of the eight mental health or neurodevelopmental conditions (n = 337), 75% of those reported experiencing at least one act of dating abuse victimization in the past year, and 62% reported one or more acts of dating abuse perpetration. Ordinal regression model analyses demonstrated that youth with mental health and neurodevelopmental conditions had substantially elevated odds of more frequent physical, sexual, psychological, and cyber dating abuse victimization (adjusted odds ratios ranged from 1.2 to 7.4) and dating abuse perpetration (adjusted odds ratios ranged from 1.0 to 6.9) controlling for gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, age, and household income. Compared to youth with no mental health or neurodevelopmental conditions, youth with BD were particularly likely to report more frequent experiences of all types of dating abuse victimization. Also, sexual dating abuse perpetration was elevated among youth with anxiety, depression, PTSD, BD, and ADHD. Funders are called upon to invest strategically in the development and rigorous testing of healthy relationships promotion programs and strategies that will benefit the millions of youth in U.S. schools who have these conditions.

This study delves into the intricate association between women's empowerment and physical intimate partner violence (PIPV) in Afghanistan. In this country, nearly half of all women have experienced PIPV at some point in their lifetime. Utilizing data from the Afghanistan Demographic and Health Survey 2015, a nationally representative survey of women and men aged 15 to 49 years, this study employs multiple logistic regression analysis to elucidate the association between women's empowerment and PIPV prevalence. The findings reveal a compelling association between women's empowerment and lower PIPV risk. Women with higher levels of education and income, considered empowered individuals, exhibit a lower likelihood of experiencing PIPV. In addition, rural women face a heightened risk of PIPV compared to their urban counterparts. In contrast, women residing in the poorest quintile are twice as likely to endure PIPV compared to those in the wealthiest quintile. Notably, the husband's educational attainment also bears a significant inverse relationship with IPV occurrence. These findings underscore the transformative potential of education and economic empowerment in safeguarding Afghan women from PIPV. The implications of this study extend to policymakers, particularly the international community and the United Nations, who are actively engaged in PIPV reduction efforts in Afghanistan. Investing in the educational empowerment of Afghan women holds immense promise in alleviating the scourge of PIPV.

Image-based sexual abuse (IBSA), defined as the non-consensual creation, use, and/or distribution of sexually explicit photos, is an under-researched yet common form of violence against women. Victims of this form of violence are often blamed for the abuse they endure, which influences their likelihood to seek help and recover. While in-person sex work stigma is known to increase the likelihood of negative reactions to victims, it is unknown whether women who share their own sexual images online for money are viewed in similar ways. The current study used an experimental vignette design to understand the influence of the context of IBSA, specifically related to how the original image was produced, and gender, on individuals' attributions of blame to a female victim and male perpetrator of IBSA and their empathy for the victim, while controlling for rape myth endorsement. Results showed that participants placed more blame on the victim, less blame on the perpetrator, and displayed less empathy toward the victim when she took the explicit photo herself compared to a victim whose photo was taken by someone else. Moreover, participants blamed a perpetrator of IBSA less when he had paid for access to the explicit photo on a subscription-based website and displayed lower empathy for a victim of IBSA who earned a monetary reward for their explicit photo. On average, women reported more empathy for victims of IBSA compared to men, and individuals of all genders who endorsed rape myths to a greater degree placed more blame on victims of IBSA. This study is the first step in understanding the ways in which the context of image production affects the views of victims and perpetrators of IBSA and provides important information for prevention and education efforts.

University students are often victims of sexual assault (SA) with a wide range of severity, but they are the least likely to disclose the assault or to take any concrete (legal) steps against the perpetrator. Prior work reported 13 main factors that influence university students' choice of reaction post-assault: (a) Fear of personal consequences, (b) distrust in authorities, (c) downplay of assault severity, (d) psychological factors, (e) situational factors, (f) lack of evidence, (g) emotional factors, (h) fear of interpersonal consequences, (i) social factors, (j) giving a benefit of doubt, (k) seeking justice, (l) needing support, and (m) presence of witnesses. In this experimental study, we included a student sample pre-screened not to have a history of SA (N = 419), and we provided them with a vignette. Vignettes were either neutral (control condition, n = 32) or manipulated to present each of listed factors (13 conditions, 26 < n_s > 33). Students were randomly assigned to 1 of 14 conditions in total and were asked to imagine being a protagonist who was assaulted and to rate the likelihood of 8 different post-SA reactions (tell friends, tell family, confront the person, report, police report, do nothing, try to forget, and [falsely] deny). We investigated to see which of the 13 factors had the most impact on each of the reactions. Overall, our results indicate that, when comparing the manipulation groups to the neutral condition, social factors (e.g., religious family, stigma) have the highest impact on students' decision-making post-assault. Social factors increase the likelihood of all passive reactions (e.g., false denial, contrast = 1.82, p < .001) and decrease the odds of taking pro-active actions (e.g., making the report, contrast = -0.96, p = .002). The implications and the limitations of this study are discussed.

Coercive control is a form of violence characterized by patterns of restrictive regulation, including through isolation, threats, psychological manipulation, economic abuse, technology-facilitated control, stalking, and physical and/or sexual violence. While literature has focused on the diverse forms of control imposed by perpetrators of this abuse, few studies have discussed the traumatic impact of coercive control on victim-survivors themselves. Using a theoretical thematic analysis, this study draws upon data from 15 qualitative questionnaires exploring the lived experiences of women as victim-survivors of coercive control in Australia. The first phase of analysis identified the diverse and interconnected methods of coercive control experienced by participants. The second phase found that victim-survivors who have been subjected to these patterns of harm can experience specific emotional trauma, shaped by processes of threat and restraint. This paper, therefore, proposes the concept of "coercive control trauma" to articulate ways in which coercive control in intimate relationships can contribute to the complex and often under-recognized psychological harm experienced by victim-survivors. The concept of coercive control trauma may provide victim-survivors with validation, insight, and an empowering sense of self-understanding during processes of recovery. It may also assist those who are supporting individuals recovering from coercive control by helping to further comprehend the experiences of victim-survivors, and to provide more appropriate forms of support.

The aim of this study is to measure the effectiveness of an acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)-based group intervention program on post-traumatic stress (PTS) symptoms, psychological inflexibility, and self-compassion in intimate partner violence (IPV) survivor university women. The research was conducted at a state university in İstanbul, Türkiye. Participants consisted of 22 IPV survivor university women with 10 in the treatment group and 12 in the waitlist-control group. Participants were assigned to groups based on their preferences. The treatment group participated in a 12-session ACT intervention group, each lasting 120 to 150 min. During this period, no intervention was applied to the waitlist-control group. At the end of the treatment, the intervention group's average PTS symptom scores and psychological inflexibility scores significantly decreased, while their self-compassion scores significantly increased. This effect persisted during the 1-month follow-up period. On the other hand, no changes were observed in the PTS, psychological inflexibility, and self-compassion levels of the control group. When comparing the treatment group with the control group, it was observed that the treatment group had significantly lower levels of PTS and psychological inflexibility and significantly higher levels of self-compassion in both the post-test and follow-up assessments. Consequently, the results revealed the effectiveness of the program on PTS, psychological inflexibility, and self-compassion among a group of IPV survivor university women. Thus, we concluded that ACT may serve as an effective therapy for addressing IPV among university women and that it is culturally applicable to the Turkish context.

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are defined as stressful or traumatic events occurring within a child's family environment during their first 18 years of life. Research examining the associations between exposure to ACEs in childhood and bullying experiences in adolescence is sparse. To address this gap, data from the first 10 sweeps of the Growing Up in Scotland prospective cohort study was used to evaluate the relationship between 6 different ACEs and the risk of being bullied or engaging in bullying others at age 14 among a sample of 2,669 adolescents. Multiple univariable logistic regression models were fitted to explore independent associations between each of the six ACEs measured, 1+ ACE and 3+ ACEs and bullying perpetration and victimization, respectively. Results showed that a high proportion of young people in Scotland experience bullying victimization (31%) and a very high percentage reported exposure to at least one type of adversity (73.6%). Young people whose parents reported drug or alcohol misuse and females whose parents had divorced or separated had higher odds of engaging in bullying others. Having a parent who had mental health problems was the only ACE that predicted higher odds of experiencing bullying. Substance misuse in the family predicted a higher risk of bullying victimization for females. Logistic regression analyses further showed that females with greater exposure to ACEs were more likely to engage in bullying in mid-adolescence. Our findings underscore the importance of understanding bullying perpetration as a maladaptive way to manage life stressors.

Women who experience intimate partner violence (IPV) report multiple and diverse traumas. Exposure to community violence may be important to consider when examining the development, maintenance, and exacerbation of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in this population. The purpose of this study was to examine the relative and unique associations between PTSD symptom clusters and witnessing and experiencing community violence among women experiencing IPV. Participants were 171 community women experiencing IPV (M_age = 40.56; 40.3% white, 31.5% Black, and 17.5% Hispanic or Latina). Experiencing and witnessing community violence were significantly and positively correlated with overall PTSD symptoms and with each PTSD symptom cluster. The PTSD symptom cluster of arousal and reactivity was uniquely associated with experiencing and witnessing community violence above and beyond other PTSD symptom clusters. Findings indicate the relevance of assessing-and intervening-on arousal and reactivity PTSD symptoms in this population.