Journal of Interpersonal Violence最新文献

Women with mental health (MH) symptoms are more vulnerable to the adverse effects of intimate partner violence (IPV). Social support (SS) helps those women cope with adversities and regain their overall well-being. Examining specific sources and functions of SS will help expand knowledge about resources for and barriers to MH services for women IPV survivors. However, few studies examined functional and relational SS among women IPV survivors residing in shelters. This cross-sectional study examined how 31 racially diverse women IPV survivors with different MH symptoms perceive relational SS from various sources as they stay in a shelter that provides functional SS. Cluster analyses were performed to classify participants into two groups: more MH or fewer MH symptoms. Results showed that the women with more MH symptoms reported higher tangible support than those with fewer MH symptoms. Results from ANCOVA showed a significant cross-over interaction between MH and race for overall SS, indicating that women of color with more MH symptoms were less likely to perceive overall SS than Caucasians when controlling for functional SS. MANCOVA analyzed the specific sources of overall SS, such as family, friends, and others. There was a significant cross-over interaction of MH and race on SS from others when controlling for functional SS. These findings suggest that women IPV survivors of color who experience more MH symptoms perceive support from others as less supportive and trustworthy. Social service providers must provide culturally sensitive and strengths-based SS programs to help women of color who have experienced social isolation, stigma, and shame associated with IPV and mental illnesses (MIs). They also must engage in community outreach programs by educating community members about the needs and rights of women IPV survivors with MIs and collaborating to build communities that promote safety, trust, diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Sexual harassment is a serious health issue prevalent on campuses worldwide, with significant implications for individuals' well-being. Past research has highlighted the close association between sexual harassment and eating disorders, yet little is known about the mechanisms underlying this relationship. This study aimed to investigate the potential mediating roles of self-objectification and self-control in linking sexual harassment to binge eating, drawing upon objectification theory and self-control resource theory. A sample of 801 Chinese female undergraduates, with a mean age of 19.60 years (SD = 1.42), participated in the study by completing questionnaires on sexual harassment experience, self-objectification, self-control, and binge eating. The results indicated that sexual harassment experience exhibited a significant positive correlation with binge eating and self-objectification, while showing a negative correlation with self-control. And an increased frequency of sexual harassment experiences and self-objectification were associated with lower levels of self-control. Furthermore, mediation analyses utilizing Hayes' PROCESS macro (2013) for SPSS (Model 6) demonstrated that both self-objectification and self-control independently and sequentially mediated the relationship between sexual harassment and young women's binge eating. In other words, young women who had experienced sexual harassment were more likely to exhibit increased self-objectification, leading to decreased self-control and ultimately culminating in binge eating behaviors. This study provides valuable insights into how sexual harassment affects young women's binge eating by elucidating the mediating roles of self-objectification and self-control, thus enhancing our understanding of developing strategies to mitigate the negative consequences of experiencing sexual harassment.

Theory suggests that intolerance of uncertainty (IU), a tendency to perceive uncertain events as threatening, may serve as a potential risk factor for increased intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration; however, few studies have investigated this association, and none have taken a longitudinal approach. We investigated the issue in two longitudinal online investigations (initial N = 282 and 1,118), with time periods ranging from just before the COVID-19 pandemic to the fourth pandemic wave, approximately 1.5 years later. IU was a significant predictor of IPV cross-sectionally, and in the short term longitudinally (i.e., over periods of weeks); however, it did not predict IPV over the longer term (i.e., over periods of months or years). In addition, our longitudinal design allowed assessment of IPV trends across pandemic waves. Physical IPV rates remained low and steady across time. Psychological IPV rates showed an increase in the early days of the pandemic, but then dropped and stabilized, albeit at a somewhat higher rate than pre-pandemic. Study 2 had ample representation of LGBTQ+ respondents and showed that the patterns and processes worked similarly for LGBTQ+ and non-LGBTQ+ individuals.

Despite increasing awareness, sexual harassment remains a significant concern in the workplace. The enduring problem of sexual harassment seems to persist due to a lack of clarity regarding what behaviors qualify as harassment. Furthermore, the interpretation of these behaviors is influenced by contextual and relational factors, contributing to the complexity of addressing and preventing such incidents. This study builds on existing research by investigating how the severity of sexually harassing behavior, the response from the target, and the gender of the participant contribute to labeling behavior as sexual harassment. Using an online experimental scenario-based survey, 1,700 (850 female, 850 male) currently employed participants were presented with a single workplace scenario that manipulated the severity of the sexual harassment behavior and the target's response. Participants were then asked to assess the appropriateness of the behavior, label it as sexual harassment or not, and rate their confidence in their labeling decision. The results revealed that less severe sexual harassment behaviors, targets who displayed interest, and male participants were more likely to perceive the behavior as less inappropriate and were less inclined to label it as sexual harassment. These findings have implications for shaping the definition of sexual harassment and designing training programs for heightened awareness.

Men experience numerous barriers in seeking help or resources after intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization, with one barrier being a reluctance or lack of ability to identify that they have been victims of IPV. This study examines factors relating to male victims of IPV self-identification of abuse. Using a gender socialization approach, demographics and facets of masculine honor ideology were tested to see whether they were significantly related to self-identifying as experiencing abuse in their relationship. Using a sample of 289 men, the frequency of individuals who self-identified as someone who had been in an abusive relationship was compared to the number of individuals who indicated IPV victimization on the Revised Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS2), and percentages of correct identification were calculated. In addition, a binary logistic regression was run to examine factors that were related to someone identifying as a victim of IPV compared to those that were not. When directly asked if they had ever experienced abuse in a romantic relationship, a total of 41 (14.2%) men self-identified as having been a victim of IPV. However, when examining scores on the CTS2, 69 (23.9%) reported some sexual IPV, 201 (69.6%) indicated psychological abuse, and 59 (20.4%) indicated physical abuse. Subscales of the Masculine Honor Belief Scale were not found to have a significant relationship with self-identification, but differences were found among types of IPV and demographics. Specifically, men who identify as LGBTQ+ were significantly more likely to identify when they experienced IPV victimization. Barriers to male self-identification and treatment are discussed.

This study aims to examine the association between exposure to domestic violence and mental health outcomes, such as symptoms of depression and anxiety among married women in Nepal. The 2022 Nepal Demographic and Health Survey was used. Descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate logistic regression analyses were employed. A complex sampling frame was used to ensure the accuracy of the sample. A total of 4,211 women aged 15 to 49 years were analyzed. Among women between the ages of 15 and 49, 22.8% experience anxiety, and 22.5% experience depressive symptoms. Nearly 50% of women who had experienced domestic violence had symptoms of anxiety and depression. At the multivariate level, in Model 1, the study found that wealthy women were less likely to have anxiety (OR = 0.75; 95% CI [0.58, 0.96] and depression (OR = 0.70; 95% CI [0.54, 0.91]) than poor women. Similarly, women of the former untouchable caste were more likely to have anxiety (OR = 1.51; 95% CI [1.14, 2.00]) and depression (OR = 1.20; 95% CI [0.91, 1.58]) than high-caste women. In Model 2, the odds of anxiety and depressive symptoms were 1.70 (95% CI [1.29, 2.24]) and 1.99 (95% CI [1.48, 2.67]), respectively, for those women who had experienced severe physical violence. The odds of experiencing anxiety and depression were 2.88 (95% CI [2.28, 3.64]) and 3.04 (95% CI [2.32, 3.98]) times, respectively, for those women who had experienced emotional abuse. Similarly, women who had been sexually assaulted had 2.34 (95% CI [1.72, 3.20]) and 1.67 times (95% CI [1.23, 2.26]) more likely to experience anxiety and depression than women who had never been sexually assaulted. We found a strong association between mental health problems and women's experience of domestic violence. To address the mental health of Nepalese women, it is critical to strengthen domestic violence prevention programs, especially those targeting the lowest social strata of the population.

The increasing prevalence of adults' prejudice against adolescents on the Internet could cause opposing attitudes and even online aggression against teenagers. Yet, such age discrimination is less challenged compared to other social biases in cyberspace. Employing a social identity approach, this study aims to explore how features of online communication, teen-related personal experiences, and the dual identity of adult aggressors influence online moral disengagement (OMD), motives, and behaviors for cyber-aggression. We conducted an online survey of 767 Chinese adults in May 2023. The results demonstrated that perceived controllability of online speech, negative teen-related online experiences, and generation-based bias were positively associated with OMD. Next, adult respondents' self-serving motives positively predicted moderate and severe cyber-aggression, while educational motives only increased moderate cyber-aggression. Mediation analysis revealed that generation-based bias was the sole significant factor that amplified OMD, self-serving motives, educational motives, and cyber-aggression behaviors. In contrast, the effects of lifestage-based bias were insignificant. Our findings yield insights into individuals' moral transgressions in digital environments and shed light on the dynamics of the identity of adult aggressors in age-based discrimination. This study suggests that empathy from adults and age-appropriate prevention by online platforms are crucial to address online aggression against young generations.

This study examined rates of mental health disorders and health risk behaviors in people with diverse gender identities and associations with five types of child maltreatment. We used data from the Australian Child Maltreatment Study (ACMS), a nationally representative survey of Australian residents aged 16 years and more, which was designed to understand the experience of child maltreatment (physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, neglect, exposure to domestic violence). Mental disorders-major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), alcohol use disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and health risk behaviors-smoking, binge drinking, cannabis dependence, self-harm, and suicide attempt in the past 12 months were assessed. People with diverse gender identities who experienced child maltreatment were significantly more likely to have GAD (43.3%; 95% CI [30.3, 56.2]) than those who had experienced child maltreatment who were either cisgender men (13.8%; [12.0, 15.5]) or cisgender women (17.4%; [15.7, 19.2]). Similarly, higher prevalence was found for PTSD (21.3%; [11.1, 31.5]), self-harm (27.8%; [17.1, 38.5]) and suicide attempt (7.2%; [3.1, 11.3]) for people with diverse gender identities. Trauma-informed approaches, attuned to the high likelihood of any child maltreatment, and the co-occurrence of different kinds may benefit people with diverse gender identities experiencing GAD, PTSD, self-harm, suicidal behaviors, or other health risk behaviors.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a pervasive issue among men who have sex with men (MSM). However, IPV has long been conceptualized as abuse between a male perpetrator and a female victim, leaving gaps in the literature on the unique impacts IPV victimization has for both male victims and victims in same-sex relationships. This study examines relationships between IPV and negative minority stress experiences specific to LGBTQ individuals: overt experiences of homophobia, sexual orientation microaggressions, and internalized homophobia. Participants (N = 168) were recruited through three popular MSM networking applications (i.e., Grindr, Jack'd, and Scruff. Most were recruited from one state in the southeastern United States. Ordinary Least Squares regressions were used to examine IPV as a predictive factor in three separate models, all of which controlled for age, race, outness, and gay community connection (GCC). IPV victimization is associated with increased levels of experiences of overt homophobia, homophobic microaggressions, and internalized homophobia for MSM. Outness, or being open with the people in one's life about one's MSM identity, is associated with lower levels of both sexual orientation microaggressions and internalized homophobia. GCC is also associated with lower levels of internalized homophobia. Results from this study show that IPV victimization is related to minority stressors for MSM. These findings support the existence of unique elements of IPV for LGBTQ victims, specifically MSM. Implications for IPV researchers and service providers are discussed, including the importance of the protective role of outness and GCC against some minority stressors.

Many health organizations recommend that mothers avoid cannabis during pregnancy and breastfeeding because they are concerned about exposing infants to Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive substance in cannabis. Yet, data collected by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control demonstrate that a small percentage of mothers continue to use cannabis despite warnings. The frequency of cannabis use is an important variable because frequent use increases THC exposure. The present study examined two variables related to the frequency of cannabis use during pregnancy and breastfeeding: health problems and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). We examined a possible mediation effect of health problems on the relationship between ACEs and the frequency of cannabis use during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Our sample was entirely comprised of 1,343 women who used cannabis during pregnancy and breastfeeding. We collected data online. The women were recruited from a Facebook group that supports pregnant and breastfeeding mothers who use cannabis. To be included, participants needed to be at least 18 years old and to have used cannabis while pregnant or breastfeeding. The sample was 79% White, 8% Hispanic, and 14% Black, and 1,199 currently resided in the United States, 76 in Canada, 11 in the United Kingdom, and the rest resided in 13 other countries. Ninety-three percent of the sample reported at least one ACE, and 59% reported 4 or more. Ninety-six percent reported that they were using cannabis to treat a health problem, and the number of health problems ranged from 0 to 8. Two mediation analyses found that the total number of ACEs increased the risk of health problems, which increased the frequency of cannabis use. ACE total was not significantly related to the frequency of use once health problems were accounted for. ACEs are related to the frequency of cannabis use in pregnant and breastfeeding women, but indirectly through trauma's impact on health problems. These findings suggest that practitioners might be able to lower the frequency of cannabis if they directly address health problems.