Murphy, Christopher M.LaMotte, Adam Douglas2019-10-112019-10-112016-01-0111508http://hdl.handle.net/11603/15792Research with intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetrators has found that a subset of this population reports dissociative experiences during their violence (e.g., inability to remember violence [despite admission that it had occurred]; flashbacks during violence). However, to date, the literature examining this phenomenon has been primarily limited to clinical observations and case studies, and there is a need for more thorough empirical investigation regarding the prevalence and correlates of dissociative violence among individuals in IPV intervention programs. The large research base indicating a connection between trauma, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, and general dissociation suggests that these are relevant variables to examine in relation to dissociative experiences during IPV perpetration. The primary aims of this study were: (1) to provide descriptive information about the rates of endorsement of dissociative experiences during IPV perpetration, (2) to extend prior research on the validity of a questionnaire designed to assess dissociative IPV experiences via novel correlations with alcohol and drug use, (3) to examine bivariate associations between trauma exposure history, the severity of PTSD symptoms, and dissociative IPV experiences, and (4) to test a mediation model in which PTSD symptom severity accounts for the association between trauma exposure history and dissociative IPV experiences. Participants were 302 men presenting for services at a community-based IPV intervention program. Results indicated that 22.2% of participants reported one or more dissociative experiences during partner violence perpetration. Dissociative IPV perpetration was not significantly correlated with alcohol use, but showed a significant positive correlation, in the small range of magnitude, with drug use frequency. Additionally, dissociative IPV perpetration showed significant positive correlations with the total number of trauma experiences reported and PTSD symptoms, with effect sizes in the small and medium ranges of magnitude, respectively. Finally, PTSD symptoms significantly mediated the relationship between total number of trauma experiences reported and dissociative IPV perpetration. Findings indicate a potentially meaningful relationship between trauma, PTSD symptoms, and dissociative experiences during IPV perpetration.This item may be protected under Title 17 of the U.S. Copyright Law. It is made available by UMBC for non-commercial research and education. For permission to publish or reproduce, please see http://aok.lib.umbc.edu/specoll/repro.php or contact Special Collections at speccoll(at)umbc.edudissociationdomestic violencepartner abusepartner violenceposttraumatic stress disorderPTSDText