Journal of Interpersonal Violence最新文献

Although many psychosocial strengths have been explored, there remains a need to identify under-appreciated strengths that help people overcome trauma. The objective of this study was to explore the resilience potential of 16 psychosocial strengths-including 4 understudied strengths (positive emotion regulation, self-reliance, relational motivation, and group connectedness)-for helping people overcome trauma. The understudied strengths were identified in previous qualitative work as salient in the southeastern communities where the study took place. The sample was comprised of 357 adults recruited from community events in Tennessee. Their average age was 37.6 years (SD 15.6), and the sample was 65.8% female. They completed a survey with measures of 16 psychosocial strengths, polyvictimization, and a range of outcomes. Blockwise logistic regressions were conducted using subjective well-being and trauma symptoms as the outcome. Results indicated that positive emotion regulation was the best predictor of positive functioning after experiencing trauma. Polystrengths (an indicator of the breadth of a person's resilience portfolios), a sense of purpose, and social support received were also associated with better functioning after controlling for polyvictimization, other adversities, and demographics. In multivariate analyses, religious meaning-making and relational motivation were unexpectedly associated with worse outcomes. Most studies of emotion regulation only explore the regulation of negative emotions, such as distress and anger, but the capacity to regulate positive emotions shows promise for helping people overcome trauma. The support for polystrengths, despite mixed findings for some strengths, points to the urgent need to identify the most helpful elements of resilience portfolios.

Sexual coercion is a widespread public health concern, especially among college students, and is associated with a multitude of negative consequences for survivors. Prior studies document an association between exposure to violent pornography and engagement in sexual coercion among men, although longitudinal examination of this association is largely absent. Using a prospective design, the current study examined how exposure to violent pornography relates to increased engagement in sexually coercive behaviors among college men over time. It was hypothesized that increased exposure to violent pornography would be associated with higher levels of gender inequitable attitudes, higher rape myth acceptance, greater problems with alcohol use, lower recognition of rape scenarios as rape, greater ascription of responsibility to the woman in instances of rape, and lower ascription of responsibility toward the man in instances of rape, all of which in turn would predict greater engagement in sexually coercive behavior over time. Data was collected from 247 college men who completed self-report surveys at baseline, 4-month, and 7-month intervals. Higher gender inequitable attitudes, greater problems with alcohol use, and lower levels of responsibility assigned to men for rape mediated the relation between exposure to violent pornography at baseline and endorsement of sexually coercive behavior at the 7-month. Findings highlight the need to address pornography literacy in sexual assault prevention programs for college men.

This study explores whether and how respondents' racial/ethnic identity affects racial/ethnic hate crime perception, considering the races/ethnicities of the offender and the victim. The data of this study comes from a factorial survey experiment with random vignette assignments among U.S. adults from MTurk (n = 2,021). A set of logistic regression models with robust standard errors was estimated to test the two-way and three-way moderation effects of the races/ethnicities of the offender, victim, and respondent. Results reveal how racial/ethnic groups recognize hate crimes, considering not only the identities of the offenders and victims but also the respondents' own backgrounds. Subgroup analyses further revealed different patterns of racial/ethnic hate crime recognition among minority respondents and non-Hispanic white respondents. Integrating a power-relation perspective and social identity theory, this study concludes that there are racial/ethnic variances in the recognition of racial/ethnic hate crimes, which not only concern the race/ethnicity of the offender and victim but are also related to respondents' identity. Social identity theory partially explains the observations through group image management and ingroup favoritism. Additionally, the perception of racial/ethnic hate crimes is primarily driven by the Majority-Minority pattern, regardless of the group membership. This study calls for further efforts not only in researching the role of race/ethnicity in relation to racial/ethnic hate crime recognition but also in advancing the practice of hate crime reporting and data collection by an enhanced understanding of group identity among individuals as well as law enforcement.

Many men experience strong negative emotions and a "diminished masculinity" following sexual victimization. These men may be more willing to express anger, rather than more vulnerable emotions (e.g., shame), in an attempt to maintain their masculinity. However, increased expression of anger among men is linked to other negative outcomes such as increased substance abuse (Eftekhari et al., 2004), suggesting that anger is an ineffective coping strategy for distress. Compared to women, men are understudied in the sexual violence literature. Studies that have been conducted have focused primarily on child sexual abuse, adult males in prison, or military sexual violence samples. Few studies have investigated men's sexual abuse across their lifetime. This study intended to fill this gap by investigating sexual violence against men across the lifespan. The goal of the current study was to examine how conformity to masculine norms and emotional dysregulation influence the relationship between lifetime sexual violence (LSV) and anger. We hypothesized that the relation between LSV and anger would be mediated by conformity to masculine norms and emotion dysregulation. Data were collected from 532 community and 185 college men. Participants completed measures focused on childhood maltreatment, adult sexual victimization, masculinity, anger, and emotion dysregulation. Two hundred and one (27.1%) men reported LSV experiences. Results suggest men with LSV reported significantly higher scores on conformity to masculine norms, anger, and emotion dysregulation. Regression analyses revealed that LSV directly predicted increased conformity to masculine norms, emotion dysregulation, and anger. Additionally, the indirect effects of emotion dysregulation and masculinity were significant. Findings indicate trauma interventions need to target masculine ideology and emotion dysregulation to help reduce anger as a traditionally acceptable emotional outlet for men.

Victims of childhood maltreatment often experience revictimization later in life. However, there is scant knowledge of the explanatory mechanisms that generate this phenomenon. Problematic substance use is a maladaptive coping strategy that may increase the risk of revictimization after maltreatment. We used linear regressions and mediation analyses to investigate the explanatory role of problematic substance use in the association between childhood maltreatment and violent revictimization in young adulthood. We analyzed linked survey-register data on a sample of senior high school graduates in Norway (n = 3,156) who were followed longitudinally until ages 32 to 33 (2021). Ordinary least squares regression analyses showed that childhood maltreatment was associated with both problematic substance use and violent revictimization, adjusted for a wide range of covariates. Moreover, problematic substance use was associated with an increased risk of violent revictimization in young adulthood. Mediation analyses showed that about one eighth (12.0%) of the association between childhood maltreatment and violent revictimization was mediated by problematic substance use. Sensitivity tests indicated that the mediation may be susceptible to unmeasured confounding. Thus, it is unclear whether the mediating role of problematic substance use can be interpreted causally within a counterfactual framework. In conclusion, reducing problematic substance use among victims of childhood maltreatment may mitigate the risk of violent revictimization later in life. Early detection and tailored treatment of problematic substance use could be one way to prevent violent revictimization following childhood maltreatment. Therefore, equitable access to primary and specialized healthcare services is essential, both for victims of maltreatment and individuals with habits of (borderline) problematic substance use. However, the majority of the maltreatment-revictimization pathway (88.0%) is not statistically explained by substance use, which implies that other mechanisms are also at play.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) within heterosexual relationships affects both men and women, yet an in-depth description of IPV against men in developing countries is still limited. This study explored community perceptions of male IPV victimization in an informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya. We conducted 12 focus group discussions (FGDs) with 118 ever-married participants (59 men and 59 women), divided into 6 FGDs for each gender. We performed thematic analysis using NVivo software. This article presents three main themes that emerged during data analysis: (a) triggers, (b) manifestations, and (c) consequences/effects of IPV against men. Both male and female participants perceived male IPV victimization as a significant concern in the community. The poor living conditions, coupled with alcohol use, seemed to be major underlying factors, often forming the basis of spousal conflict. Emotional abuse, including denial of basic needs, acts of humiliation, and coercive control, were the most frequently cited forms of violence. The consequences of what was considered IPV against men affected victims and their families including the violent female spouses, children, and the society at large. These effects upset the health, economic, and social spheres of life with some retriggering male IPV, thus creating a vicious cycle of abuse. Notably and of concern, IPV against women was highlighted as a consequence of male victimization. Although we set out to explore community perceptions, study participants openly shared their experiences of male IPV perpetration and victimization. These findings underscore the importance of recognizing men as potential victims of IPV and contextualizing IPV prevention strategies targeting the urban poor with the goal of designing and implementing policies and interventions that address IPV holistically.

Understanding the experiences of intimate partner violence (IPV) is a critical first step in developing effective responses. However, the majority of research has focused on male perpetration against women, with male victimization being relatively marginalized. This study aims to explore the experiences of men with IPV in the context of Chinese society, where adherence to masculinity and the societal pursuit of face and harmony contribute to tolerance of IPV and hinder the understanding of male victim experiences. This study analyzes the IPV experiences shared by 57 men on public internet forums and invited 11 of them to participate in semi-structured interviews through private messages. Finally, thematic analysis was employed to qualitatively analyze the collected textual data. This study revealed seven key themes in the narratives of men. This study has significant implications for future research on IPV in China, as well as for policy formulation and service provision.

According to the just world hypothesis, people need to believe that they deserve what they get and get what they deserve. This belief in a just world (BJW) seems to be related to antisocial behavior. However, the mechanisms that underlie this relationship have not been fully explored. This study aimed to investigate the relationships between BJW for others (BJW-Other; the belief that people, other than themselves, get what they deserve) and BJW for the self (BJW-Self; the belief that people feel they get what they deserve) with intentions to commit everyday crimes, victim deservedness, and anticipated guilt. A cross-sectional study was conducted with a sample of 364 undergraduate students (79.1% female, 18.7% male, 2.2% diverse) aged between 19 and 54 (M = 19.87; SD = 3.02) (Study 1). It was replicated in a further study that also measured perceptions of everyday crime as just punishment of its victims (e.g., for their privilege or complacency) in a sample of 302 (57.6% female, 41.4% male, and 1% diverse) non-university students aged between 20 and 99 (M = 41.76; SD = 13.12) (Study 2). In both studies, results indicated that the negative relationship between BJW-Self and intentions to commit everyday crimes was mediated by increased anticipated guilt. The more the participants in both samples endorsed BJW-Self the more they felt anticipated guilt, and in turn, the less they intended to offend. The results suggest that BJW-Self may play a role in fostering anticipated guilt and in turn deterring them from committing everyday crimes.