A key criticism of research on intimate partner violence (IPV) is that a sole focus on physical or psychological acts of aggression fails to account for other forms of manipulative behavior that may have serious consequences for partner and family functioning. The current study examines coercive control, or behavior designed to constrain or compel an intimate partner in some way, in a longitudinal community sample of 98 heterosexual couples assessed in the third trimester of pregnancy as well as at 1 and 2 years postpartum. We found that the majority of couples reported at least some coercive controlling behavior during the transition to parenthood, that coercive control was highly bi-directional between partners, and that women were more likely than men to engage in coercive control before parenthood. Using multilevel actorpartner interdependence modeling, we found that women's coercive control predicted their own as well as men's perpetration of IPV across the transition to parenthood.Controlling for IPV perpetration by both partners, women's coercive control was longitudinally predictive of men's depression, harmful alcohol use, relationship dissatisfaction, poor co-parenting, low perceived parenting competence, and perceptions of toddler problem behavior. Men's coercive control was longitudinally predictive of women's relationship dissatisfaction and parenting stress, as well as women's perceptions of infant problem behavior. Men's coercive control was associated with their own use of ineffective parenting behavior. These findings suggest that coercive control is common in community samples during the transition to parenthood and that coercive control predicts lower early family functioning. K E Y W O R D Sactor-partner interdependence modeling, coercive control, intimate partner violence, parenting, transition to parenthood

Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) refers to a condition where individuals with major depressive disorder have inadequate or no response to treatment. Although functional disability is a prominent and costly feature of treatment resistance, very little is known about the factors that contribute to and maintain functional impairment in TRD. This is the first study to report the neurocognitive profile of TRD and the relationships among neurocognition, symptoms, and functioning in this syndrome. Results indicated that patients with TRD (N = 33) exhibit mildly reduced performance across all neurocognitive domains with a superimposed moderate impairment in verbal working memory. Neurocognition was associated with functional competence (what one can do), whereas depressive symptoms were associated with functional performance (what one actually does). Understanding the psychological mechanisms related to functioning may help us move toward recovery in this chronically ill group.

Psychological intimate partner violence (IPV) is a common occurrence during the transition to parenthood, with deleterious consequences to partners and young children. This study investigated longitudinal links between attachment insecurity, relationship dissatisfaction, and psychological IPV in a community sample of 98 heterosexual couples expecting their first child. Couples self-reported prenatal levels of attachment anxiety and avoidance, relationship satisfaction at 1-year postpartum, and frequency of psychological IPV perpetration and victimization at 2-years postpartum. Path analyses revealed evidence for mediation of the effects of men’s and women’s attachment anxiety and men’s avoidance on IPV via relationship dissatisfaction (though the bivariate association between women’s anxiety and their psychological IPV was nonsignificant). Men and women who reported greater attachment anxiety prenatally, as well as men who reported greater attachment avoidance, were less satisfied with their relationships at 1-year postpartum. Subsequently, those who were less satisfied perpetrated psychological IPV more frequently at 2-years postpartum. Further, an unexpected suppression effect was identified post hoc such that the direct association between men’s prenatal avoidance and their psychological IPV at 2-years postpartum became negative with the addition of the relationship dissatisfaction mediator. These results indicate that men’s and women’s attachment anxiety and men’s attachment avoidance during pregnancy increase the risk of postpartum psychological IPV through increases in relationship dissatisfaction; however, men’s attachment avoidance may actually decrease the risk of postpartum psychological IPV once relationship satisfaction is controlled for. Implications for prenatal interventions targeting relationship dissatisfaction to mitigate the risk of IPV are discussed.

Psychological aggression has been shown to have harmful effects on both partners, sometimes above and beyond the effects of physical aggression. However, very little is known about psychological aggression during the transition to parenthood. The transition to parenthood is a time where relationship satisfaction often declines and stress increases, which may put the couples at higher risk for psychological aggression. The purpose of this study was to examine if prenatal risk factors related to interpersonal style (specifically, emotional flooding and hostility) predict changes in psychological aggression from pregnancy to 2 years postpartum. Ninety eight couples took part in this study. The couples completed self-report questionnaires during pregnancy, 1 year postpartum, and 2 years postpartum. Both partners were asked about perpetrating and experiencing psychological aggression in their current relationship. Two level Hierarchical Linear Models (HLMs) were used to examine longitudinal associations between hostility, flooding, and psychological aggression. For women, hostility during pregnancy was a significant longitudinal predictor of psychological aggression. For men, flooding was a significant longitudinal predictor of psychological aggression. For both men and women, relationship satisfaction partially mediated the relationship between flooding/hostility and psychological aggression, indicating that women's hostile attitudes and men's tendency to be flooded tend to erode relationship quality, leading to increases in psychological aggression. This may represent a classic demand-withdraw dynamic in couples. The results indicate hostility for women and flooding for men are potential prenatal risk factors for future psychological aggression. Implications and future research directions are discussed. Aggr. Behav. 42:134-148, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Treatment of negative symptoms in schizophrenia is a priority, but is approaching stagnation, due in part to the methods used to assess change in these symptoms. Traditional methods for assessing negative symptoms employ subjective self-report and/or clinician-rated scales, both of which are contaminated by considerable measurement error. The purpose of this article is to highlight the limitations in current assessment measures for negative symptoms and discuss the advantages of quantitative objective measurement, particularly in the context of clinical trial research. Recent research from psychology, neuroscience and computer technology has produced objective quantitative measures such as facial analysis and virtual reality that are more precise and sensitive to change; these objective measures are poised to revolutionize the measurement of this critical symptom.