Browsing by Subject "intimate partner violence"
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Item Childhood Trauma and Dissociative Intimate Partner Violence(Sage, 2018) Webermann, Aliya R.; Murphy, Christopher M.The present study assesses childhood abuse/neglect as a predictor of dissociative intimate partner violence (IPV) among 118 partner-abusive men. One third (36%) endorsed dissociative IPV, most commonly losing control (18%), surroundings seeming unreal (16%), feeling someone other than oneself is aggressing (16%), and seeing oneself from a distance aggressing (10%). Childhood physical abuse/neglect predicted IPV-specific derealization/depersonalization, aggressive self-states, and flashbacks to past violence. Childhood emotional abuse/neglect predicted derealization/depersonalization, blackouts, and flashbacks. Childhood sexual abuse uniquely predicted amnesia. Other potential traumas did not predict dissociative IPV, suggesting dissociative IPV is influenced by trauma-based emotion dysregulation wherein childhood abuse/neglect survivors disconnect from their abusive behavior.Item Correlates of PTSD Symptoms and Symptom Clusters Among Female Partners of Men in Treatment for Relationship Abuse(2009-01-01) Norwood, Amber E. Q.; Murphy, Christopher; Psychology; PsychologyThe study intended to investigate the relation between abuse exposure and PTSD symptoms among female partners of men in treatment for relationship abuse. The association between sexual abuse (both coercion and violence) and PTSD symptoms was of particular interest. It was hypothesized that the female participants who had experienced any form of sexual abuse would report more PTSD symptoms and have higher rates of probable PTSD diagnosis than the female participants who had not. Sexual violence was expected to be a unique predictor of PTSD symptoms relative to sexual coercion. Self-report data (via a structured phone interview) were gathered from 216 female partners of men in treatment for relationship abuse. The results indicated that the female partners who had experienced sexual abuse reported more PTSD symptoms and had higher rates of probable PTSD, however, these differences may have been accounted for by the presence of psychological abuse. In contrast to what was hypothesized, sexual coercion was a unique predictor of PTSD symptoms relative to sexual violence. The findings from the study suggest that many female partners report sexual abuse exposure and that this is an important area for assessment and treatment. Overall, psychological abuse appeared to be an important variable in nearly all analyses, making the case for further consideration of its influence on PTSD symptoms.Item An Examination of the Media Portrayal of Femicide-Suicides: An Exploratory Frame Analysis(Feminist Criminology, 2013-12) Richards, Tara N.; Gillespie, Lane K.; Smith, M. DwayneRecent research has been focused on the portrayal of intimate partner homicides in the news media with specific emphasis on the most commonly occurring type, femicides (the murder of a female intimate partner by a male intimate partner). One important finding in the analysis of intimate partner homicide is the striking number of femicides that are followed by perpetrator suicide. Whereas homicide followed by suicide is a rare occurrence in the context of crime generally, within the context of intimate partner homicide, femicide–suicide is common. The present research utilized content analysis to explore the media coverage of a near population of femicide–suicide cases in the North Carolina from 2002 to 2009 (n = 86). An examination of the article titles showed that the majority of titles (54%) assigned to the articles describe the crime as an ambiguous homicide or homicide–suicide and do not indicate the relationship between the perpetrator and victim. In comparison, results show that 78% of the articles’ text defined the homicide–suicide as domestic violence. Specifically, in cases where the news coverage defined the femicide–suicide as domestic violence, the authors identified 4 media frames used (1) femicide–suicide by a male perpetrator, (2) femicide–suicide due to loss of perpetrator control, (3) femicide–suicide as a mercy killing, and (4) femicide– suicide due to jealousy. Implications for societal perceptions of violence against women as well as corresponding victims’ policies/services are presented and discussed.Item Experiential Avoidance as a Mediator of the Relationship Between Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms and Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration(2020-01-20) LaMotte, Adam Douglas; Murphy, Christopher M.; Psychology; PsychologyPast research has established that trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are important risk factors for intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration. Much of the research conducted to better understand this phenomenon has focused on cognitive biases as explanatory mechanisms (e.g., hypervigilance to threat cues, difficulties generating non-aggressive responses to conflict). The current study aims to contribute to this literature by investigating experiential avoidance (i.e., a tendency to avoid unwanted internal experiences) as a mediator between PTSD symptoms and IPV perpetration. Seventy-four men presenting for services at an Abuse Intervention Program were recruited to participate in the study. Participants completed assessments of trauma exposure, PTSD symptoms, trait experiential avoidance, and IPV perpetration. In addition, they completed a novel measure of experiential avoidance in the context of hypothetical distressing relationship situations, in which they reported: 1) their experience of negative emotions, 2) their inclination to avoid these emotional experiences, 3) the extent to which they believed different aggressive and non-aggressive responses would reduce their negative emotions, and 4) their perceived likelihood of engaging in these actions. Results indicated that trauma and PTSD symptoms were associated with a greater intensity of negative emotions during distressing relationship situations, as well as greater experiential avoidance. Experiential avoidance significantly mediated the relationship between PTSD symptoms and Emotional Abuse perpetration, but not Physical Assault or Sexual Coercion perpetration. The belief that aggressive actions would reduce negative emotions did not moderate this mediating relationship. Participants generally reported that non-aggressive actions were more likely than aggressive actions to reduce negative mood states. Anticipated reduction in negative emotion was strongly predictive of one'sperceived likelihood of engaging in each action, and this relationship was attenuated for participants higher in experiential avoidance. Study findings suggest that people with PTSD are more likely to view immediate emotion reduction as a primary goal during difficult relationship situations, and are then more likely to use abusive behaviors (e.g., yelling, violating a partner'sprivacy) in order to reduce negative emotions. Overall, the results of this study highlight experiential avoidance as an important treatment target for trauma-informed IPV intervention programs.Item ‘Of Course She’ll Understand’: Role Strain Experienced by Female Professors When Students Disclose Sexual Violence(The Annual Meeting of the American Society of Criminology, 2010-11) Richards, Tara N.; Branch, Kathryn A.; Hayes, RebeccaAs female faculty teaching classes on sensitive topics (e.g., Family Violence, Women and Crime, Victimology), we have received numerous disclosures of sexual assault and intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization from our students both in and outside the classroom.These experiences have caused each of us to reflect on our teaching practices within the classroom.When college professors receive disclosures from their students they have to develop strategies on how to effectively handle the disclosure, how to manage the classroom environment and assignments knowing that a survivor is in the course, and how to effectively handle their own emotional impact that may result from the disclosure.This paper explores the strategies that faculty report using when responding to disclosures by students and how receiving student disclosures can be used to inform teaching practices.Item Professor Role Strain(Feminist Criminology, 2010-05) Hayes, Rebecca; Richards, Tara N.; Branch, Kathryn A.Sexual assault and intimate partner violence victimisations are a major concern for the college community. College students who experience victimisation at times turn to their female professors as a listening ear. Due to conflicting role expectations, these professors may experience role strain when responding to student disclosures. This paper presents research in which professors were interviewed regarding student disclosures of sexual assault and intimate partner violence and asked about resulting strain. Findings indicate that professors are at times confused as to their exact role in assisting their students and are personally affected by the disclosures.Item Professors’ Experiences With Student Disclosures of Sexual Assault and Intimate Partner Violence: How “Helping” Students Can Inform Teaching Practices(Feminist Criminology, 2011-03) Branch, Kathryn A.; Hayes, Rebecca; Richards, Tara N.As female faculty teaching classes on sensitive topics (e.g., Family Violence, Women and Crime, Victimology), we have received numerous disclosures of sexual assault and intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization from our students both in and outside the classroom. These experiences have caused each of us to reflect on our teaching practices within the classroom. When college professors receive disclosures from their students they have to develop strategies on how to effectively handle the disclosure, how to manage the classroom environment and assignments knowing that a survivor is in the course, and how to effectively handle their own emotional impact that may result from the disclosure. This paper explores the strategies that faculty report using when responding to disclosures by students and how receiving student disclosures can be used to inform teaching practices.Item Skills for Healthy Adult Relationships (SHARe@UMBC): Interest, Risk Factors, and Dissemination(2019-01-01) Lorenzo, Jennifer; Barry, Robin; Murphy, Christopher; Psychology; PsychologySkills for Healthy Adult Relationships (SHARe@UMBC) is a relationship education program designed to prevent intimate partner violence (IPV) and enhance relationship functioning among college students (Khalifian, Murphy, Barry, & Herman, 2016). Preliminary research suggests people who participate in SHARe@UMBC improve in relationship skills and report no IPV perpetration or victimization following their participation. Similar to other relationship education programs (Dion et al., 2010; Wood, et al., 2010), participation in SHARe@UMBC was low even after significant recruitment efforts (Khalifian et al., 2016). The present research includes two studies to address the following objectives: 1) identify predictors of expressed interest in SHARe@UMBC, 2) identify barriers to participation, and 3) determine whether delivering SHARe@UMBC in an alternative format (e.g., web-based or course for credit) may increase interest. Participants were college students recruited through a psychology research participant pool. For Objective 1, I hypothesized the following characteristics would predict expressed interest in SHARe@UMBC: female and White/Caucasian. For Objective 2, I hypothesized students uninterested in SHARe@UMBC would identify the following barriers: time commitment required, no romantic relationship/relationship problems, and concerns about safety/self-disclosure. Additionally, I hypothesized students would identify the following circumstances in which they would consider participating: if they had more time, if there was an incentive, and if they were in a relationship or had relationship problems. Due to limited research and foreseeable pros/cons of alternative delivery formats, there were no hypotheses for Objective 3. Hypothesis 1 was not supported. No demographic variables were associated with expressed interest in SHARe@UMBC. However, being assaulted and being injured by an intimate partner during one's lifetime were weakly positively associated with expressed interest. Consistent with hypotheses for Objective 2, the most common reasons participants were uninterested in participating in SHARe@UMBC were time commitment and perceptions the program is irrelevant/unnecessary. Similarly, students indicated that they would be interested in participating if they perceived it as relevant to them, if they had more time, and if there was an incentive. For Objective 3, there was preliminary evidence that SHARe@UMBC delivered as a web-based program garnered more interest than the traditional group format. Implications for research and prevention are discussed.Item The Role of Mindfulness and Angry Rumination in Intimate Partner Violence(2018-01-01) Farzan-Kashani, Julian; Murphy, Christopher M; Psychology; PsychologyResearchers have identified that angry rumination may mediate the association between mindfulness and aggression. The current investigation aims to replicate and extend prior work by including a clinical sample of partner-violent men and by focusing on intimate partner violence rather than aggression aimed at an unspecified other. This investigation tested the hypothesis that angry rumination would mediate the association between mindfulness and two forms of intimate partner violence: emotional abuse and physical assault. Study 1 consisted of 237 undergraduate students (74.68% identified as women, 24.89% men, and 0.42% other; 1.69% identified as American Indian/Alaskan Native, 34.18% Asian-American, 19.41% Black/African-American, 11.39% Hispanic/Latino, 1.27% Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, 37.13% White/European-American, 6.75% Other; Mage = 21.18) and Study 2 consisted of 132 men (0.69% identified as American Indian/Alaskan Native, 3.37% Asian, 34.03% Black/African-American, 12.50% Hispanic/Latino, 0% Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian, 32.64% White/Caucasian, 4.86% other, 4.17% multiethnic/multiracial; Mage = 35.98) who attended a community-based treatment program for the perpetration of IPV and completed measures prior to treatment. Angry rumination mediated the association between mindfulness and emotional abuse in both samples, but angry rumination did not mediate the (proposed) association between mindfulness and physical assault in either sample. It is notable that mindfulness was significantly associated with physical assault in the clinical sample, but that it was not significantly associated with physical assault in the undergraduate sample. Analyses continued to indicate that angry rumination statistically mediated the association between mindfulness and emotional abuse above and beyond demographic control variables in each sample. Analyses also continued to indicate that angry rumination did not statistically mediate the proposed association between mindfulness and physical assault above and beyond demographic control variables in either sample. Findings support recent efforts to tailor mindfulness-based interventions to target emotional abuse and highlight the importance of further investigating angry rumination and mindfulness in the context of IPV.Item Trauma Exposure and PTSD Among Women Receiving Treatment for Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration(SAGE journals, 2019-01-07) Miles-McLean, Haley A.; LaMotte, Adam D.; Williams, Megan R.; Murphy, Christopher M.Trauma exposure and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms have been associated with men’s perpetration of intimate partner violence (IPV), but relatively little research has examined these associations among women who perpetrate IPV. This exploratory investigation evaluated the associations among trauma, PTSD symptoms, and IPV perpetration for women and a comparison sample of men. During intake at a community-based Abuse Intervention Program (AIP), women (n = 32) and a demographically similar comparison sample of men (n = 64) completed measures of trauma exposure, PTSD symptoms, physical aggression and emotional abuse perpetration, and use of alcohol and other drugs. The vast majority of women (93.5%) reported traumatic event exposure, and close to half (43.8%) screened positive for a probable PTSD diagnosis. Women’s level of PTSD symptoms correlated positively with emotional abuse perpetration, with medium-to-large effect sizes. After controlling for substance use, women’s PTSD symptoms were significantly and positively correlated with physical assault and emotional abuse perpetration. Women reported significantly higher rates of exposure to IPV victimization and had significantly higher rates of probable PTSD and PTSD symptoms than did men from the same AIP. Gender did not significantly moderate the associations between PTSD symptoms and IPV perpetration. Overall, findings indicate that trauma exposure and PTSD symptoms are important correlates of women’s IPV perpetration. Women in treatment for IPV perpetration may benefit from additional assessment and treatment of trauma and trauma-related symptoms.