The misidentification of women as predominant aggressors has emerged as a topical issue in family violence research, with feminist scholarship suggesting that such trends may be attributed to a range ...of factors, including incident-based policing and a misunderstanding of the ways in which women use violence against their partners. Where existing research has primarily focused on policing practices in relation to misidentification, this article explores the impacts of misidentification on the lives of women victim–survivors of family violence in Victoria (Australia), a jurisdiction that has recently seen significant reforms to family violence systems in the wake of the Victorian Royal Commission into Family Violence (2016). Using data from interviews with 32 system stakeholders and survey responses from 11 women who have experienced misidentification in Victoria, this study explores misidentification within the family violence intervention order system. It demonstrates that being misidentified as a predominant aggressor on a family violence intervention order can have a significant impact on women’s lives and their access to safety, highlighting the need for improved policing and court responses to the issue beyond existing reforms.
Little attention has been paid to whether violence in adolescent romantic relationships is associated with relationship violence later in young adulthood. This study examined the continuation of ...intimate partner violence (IPV) from adolescence to young adulthood. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, results from negative binomial models and propensity score models showed that being victimized by relationship partners in adolescence was significantly associated with both perpetration and victimization in romantic relationships in young adulthood. Women reported higher levels of perpetration and lower levels of victimization than men did. Those who were living together (married or cohabiting) reported higher levels of victimization and perpetration than those who were dating. Further, such associations existed beyond the effects of parent—child violence and general aggression tendencies, suggesting the continuation of relationship-specific violence. Finally, these patterns persisted after controlling for participants' age, race and ethnicity, parental education, and family structure.
•The clustering network results showed four different and distinct clusters of ICD-11 PTSD/CPTSD symptoms and two distinct clusters of depression and anxiety symptoms. Only one of the affect ...dysregulation symptoms was included within a cluster of symptoms arising from different disorders, specifically within the depression symptoms cluster.•The study network analysis presents a strong positive correlation across diagnoses of PTSD/CPTSD, depression and anxiety.•The results support the role of dysphoria/avoidance-related symptoms’ connections between PTSD, CPTSD, depression, and anxiety.•Based on a symptoms level analysis, the study results support the idea that PTSD/CPTSD, depression and anxiety are not discrete disorders.
Two newly identified sibling disorders – ICD-11 PTSD and CPTSD – have been well validated in the last few years. Although these trauma-related disorders are suggested to be neatly separated from depression and anxiety, no study has used a network analysis to examine those definitions’ construct validity when they also interplay with symptoms of depression and anxiety. Additionally, no research has focused upon the specific boundaries between these four disorders’ symptoms, the bridges between them, and the ways they influence each other among clinical populations.
A sample of 234 men drawn randomly from a national sample of 1,600 Jewish men receiving treatment for domestic violence in Israel completed the ICD-11 International Trauma Questionnaire (ITQ) and Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI).
The ICD-11 CPTSD, depression and anxiety clustering network results revealed, within the EGA, a four-cluster solution in which PTSD and CPTSD symptoms are differentiated from two other distinct clusters of anxiety and depression symptoms. Feelings of worthlessness and avoiding internal reminders of the experience were the most central symptoms.
Due to the use of a cross-sectional design, causal interpretation of the network correlation between symptoms should be made cautiously.
These findings strengthen the approach that ICD-11 PTSD and CPTSD have a distinct construct; however, they also reflect a strong positive connection to anxiety and depression symptoms and no clear boundaries between disorders. Specifically, dysphoria/avoidance-related symptoms act as a bridge between the disorders, which may be important targets for specific assessments and related interventions.
•First review of association between intimate partner violence and child attachment.•Intimate partner violence is associated with less secure child-parent attachment.•Association moderated by child ...age (infant, child, or adolescent).•Association moderated by attachment measure method (observational or self-report).
Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is associated with increased risk of impairment to a child’s emotional, behavioural, and psychological functioning. Further, the presence of IPV is negatively associated with a child’s attachment to their primary caregivers, which is an additional risk factor for social, emotional, and psychological impairment.
The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to synthesise the evidence on the association between IPV and the attachment of infants, children, and adolescents to their primary caregiver/s.
A systematic review was completed, in accordance with the PRISMA statement, on IPV and the parent-child attachment of infants, children, and adolescents (18 years and younger). Meta-analyses were conducted to estimate the magnitude of these associations.
A total of 15 studies were included. IPV was significantly associated with less secure child attachment. The pooled effect sizes (Pearson’s r) for both longitudinal studies (n = 5) and cross-sectional and retrospective studies combined (n = 10) were small (r = −.22, 95 % CI −.32, −.12, p < .001; r = −.10, 95 % CI −.203, −.001, p = .048). Subgroup analyses identified that the effect size was larger when IPV and attachment were measured during infancy compared to childhood, and when attachment was measured via observational methods compared to self-report.
While the current literature base is limited, findings can inform further research alongside clinical assessment and intervention. It can also help guide attachment- and family-based intervention for families impacted by IPV.
Traumatic experiences are associated with a higher risk of psychotic illnesses, but little is known about potentially modifiable mechanisms underlying this relationship. This study aims to examine ...whether post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms mediate the relationship between trauma and psychotic experiences (PEs).
We used data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children to examine whether: PTSD symptoms mediate the relationships between (a) childhood trauma and adolescent PEs (study of adolescent PEs;
= 2952), and (b) childhood/adolescent trauma and PEs in early adulthood (study of adult PEs;
= 2492). We examined associations between variables using logistic regression, and mediation using the parametric g-computation formula.
Exposure to trauma was associated with increased odds of PEs (adolescent PEs: OR
1.48, 95% CI 1.23-1.78; adult PEs: OR
1.57, 95% CI 1.25-1.98) and PTSD symptoms (adolescent PTSD: OR
1.59, 95% CI 1.31-1.93; adult PTSD: OR
1.50, 95% CI 1.36-1.65). The association between PTSD symptoms and PE was stronger in adolescence (OR
4.63, 95% CI 2.34-9.17) than in adulthood (OR
1.62, 95% CI 0.80-3.25). There was some evidence that PTSD symptoms mediated the relationship between childhood trauma and adolescent PEs (proportion mediated 14%), though evidence of mediation was weaker for adult PEs (proportion mediated 8%).
These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that PTSD symptoms partly mediate the association between trauma exposure and PEs. Targeting PTSD symptoms might help prevent the onset of psychotic outcomes.
A self-report instrument was created to measure stress, attitudes, and performance of domestic and family violence (DFV) first responders in an Australian state. DFV-related stress negatively ...impacted officers’ attitudes and self-assessed performance. Higher DFV stress was predicted by the frequency and severity of DFV incidents, and the absence of lived experience. Negative attitudes were predicted by a shorter length of service and lower severity, and poorer performance by a longer length of service and lower perceived social support. Males reported higher stress and poorer performance than females. The findings reveal systemic issues that inhibit effective police response, emphasizing the need to address negative attitudes and “DV fatigue.”
Summary Background Although childhood trauma and violence against women are global public health issues, few population-based data from low-income and middle-income countries exist about the links ...between them. We present data from the UN Multi-country Study on Men and Violence in Asia and the Pacific, exploring the pathways between different forms of childhood trauma and violence against women. Methods In this multicountry study, we interviewed multistage representative samples of men and women, aged 18–49 years, in Asia and the Pacific, using standardised population-based household surveys. Men were interviewed in six countries, and women in four. Respondents were asked questions about their perpetration or experience of intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence, childhood trauma, and harsh parenting (smacking their children as a form of discipline). We used maximum likelihood multivariate logit models to explore associations between childhood trauma and violence against women, and fitted path models to explore associations between experience and perpetration of child maltreatment. Findings Between Jan 1, 2011, and Dec 1, 2012, 10 178 men and 3106 women completed interviews in this study, with between 815 and 1812 men per site and 477 and 1103 women per site. The proportion of men who experienced any childhood trauma varied between 59% (n=478, 95% CI 54·0–63·3; Indonesia rural site) and 92% (n=791, 89·4–93·8; Bougainville, Papua New Guinea). For women, the results ranged from 44% (n=272, 37·7–50·8; Sri Lanka) to 84% (n=725, 80·7–86·8; Bougainville, Papua New Guinea). For men, all forms of childhood trauma were associated with all forms of intimate partner violence perpetration. For women, all forms of childhood trauma were associated with physical intimate partner violence, and both physical and sexual intimate partner violence. There were significant, often gendered, pathways between men's and women's perpetration and experiences of childhood trauma, physical intimate partner violence, harsh parenting, and other factors. Interpretation The data point to both a co-occurrence and a cycle of abuse, with childhood trauma leading to violence against women and further child maltreatment, which in turn increases the risk of experience or perpetration of violence during adulthood. Efforts to prevent both forms of violence would benefit from a meaningful integrated approach. Interventions should promote positive parenting, address inequality and the normalisation of violence across the life course, and transform men's power over women and children. Funding Partners for Prevention. National studies were funded by the UN Population Fund in Bangladesh and China, UN Women in Cambodia and Indonesia, UN Develoment Programme in Papua New Guinea, and CARE in Sri Lanka.
Assessing the risk for future harm is a crucial task for agencies managing Family Violence (FV) cases. The Integrated Safety Response (ISR) is a multiagency collaboration of such agencies operating ...in two areas of New Zealand, and one of the first steps in their process is to perform a risk assessment. However, in these assessments, it is unclear whether the factors ISR triage team members select are the basis for their overall risk categorization (low, medium, or high), and if those factors are risk factors (i.e., empirical predictors of outcomes). Therefore, in this study we documented the factors ISR triage teams recorded during their risk assessments for 842 FV cases and examined the relationship of those factors with the risk categories. We then investigated whether those factors and the risk categories were indeed capable of predicting FV-related outcomes (recurrence and physical recurrence). We found most of the triage teams’ recorded factors were associated with the risk categories, but fewer than half of the factors were associated with FV-related outcomes. Moreover, the risk categories predicted FV-related outcomes better than chance, but their predictive ability varied across subgroups, performing poorly for aggressors who were Māori or women, and for non-intimate partner cases. We concluded that the ISR triage teams’ risk assessment protocol may benefit from increased structure and validation.
Women empowerment is commonly believed to be an important factor affecting a woman's likelihood of facing violence from her intimate partner. Even as countries invest in policies that aim to ...strengthen women empowerment, studies show that increase in women empowerment does not necessarily decrease intimate partner violence (IPV) against them. Against this paradox, the present study seeks to understand the specific empowerment components that associate with IPV against women in India. It also studies the state-level distribution of the different types of IPV. The study analyses state-level data from the National Family Health Survey, India (2019-21). A total of 72,056 women responded to the domestic violence questionnaire. The Dimension Index (DI) was used to compute composite scores for Women Empowerment and for IPV to rank states and Union Territories. The correlation between Women Empowerment and IPV scores was determined using Spearman's rank correlation coefficient. The state of Karnataka had the highest composite score of IPV and also showed the highest burdens of physical, sexual and emotional IPV, while Lakshadweep had the lowest burden. Physical IPV was the most common form of IPV for most states across the country. The states in the western part of India had reduced burdens for all three types of IPV. Three specific components of empowerment, viz. household decision-making and mobile phone ownership significantly associated with reduction of all three types of IPV. Hygienic menstrual practices strongly associated with reduction of sexual and emotional IPV. However, property ownership of women increased risks of all three types of IPV, while employment had no significant association with any type of IPV. The study found no significant reduction in overall IPV with improvement in women empowerment. However, it identifies components of empowerment that associate with IPV. Household decision-making, ownership of mobile phones, and hygienic menstrual practices associated with a lowered risk. By contrast, owning property increased the risk. The findings of this study would inform future research and intervention that aim to strengthen specific components of women empowerment in India and other low-and-middle-income countries.
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