Objective:The event centrality model indicates that the development and maintenance of posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSSs) occurs when a traumatic event becomes central to one's identity, marking a key turning point in one's life narrative and influencing the meaning assigned to subsequent posttrauma events. Previous research has shown that event centrality is associated with PTSSs among survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV). However, research has not yet determined whether event centrality may explain associations between trauma exposure and IPV among perpetrators of IPV. Trauma and PTSSs are key risk factors for IPV perpetration, but many questions remain about the mechanisms that explain these associations. Method: Study participants came from a sample of 134 men presenting for treatment at a community-based relationship violence intervention program in the Baltimore-Washington, DC metro area between July 2013 and July 2015 during routine program intake. In the hypothesized serial model, exposure to potentially traumatic events predicted event centrality, which predicted PTSSs, which predicted IPV perpetration and relationship problems. Results: The serial mediation model was significant for physical assault, psychological aggression, emotional abuse, and relationship problems, but not for sexual coercion. Conclusions: The results indicate that the extent to which a trauma becomes central to one's identity is important in understanding the links between trauma exposure, PTSSs, and IPV perpetration. These findings support the development and application of trauma-informed interventions to reduce IPV perpetration and reduce event centrality in this population. Clinical Impact StatementIndividuals with posttraumatic stress disorder are at a heightened risk for use of intimate partner violence (IPV), yet many relationship violence intervention programs do not provide traumainformed treatment. The current study highlights the important role of event centrality, the degree to which trauma is perceived as a central component of someone's life story, in IPV perpetration. Specifically, neither trauma exposure nor posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSSs) in and of themselves appear to predict IPV, but high event centrality predicts PTSSs and subsequent use of IPV. These findings suggest that intervention may be enhanced by decentering trauma within the individual's autobiographical narrative or by challenging beliefs related to event centrality. The current study emphasizes that event centrality increases the risk for use of violence.
Intimate partner violence (IPV), which includes emotional, physical, and sexual violence in casual/dating and committed relationships, occurs at disproportionately high rates among college students. Prevention in college-age years is developmentally crucial, as college is associated with IPV risk. Relationship skills training has shown preliminary efficacy in decreasing IPV among college students. This article presents data from a controlled trial of Skills for Healthy Adult Relationships ( SHARe), a weekly eight-session (12-hr) group program for college students, which aims to prevent interpersonal conflict and IPV through enhancing positive communication, reducing negative communication, promoting positive relationship attitudes, and strengthening ability to self-regulate in interpersonal contexts. Sixty-two college students (54.8% female) were allocated to the SHARe group or a wait-list control by randomizing to condition and then reassigning some individuals to control based on schedule availability to attend groups. Participants completed self-report measures of positive and negative communication, interpersonal confidence, and perpetration of physical, emotional, psychological, injurious, and sexual violence at baseline, post-group, and at a 3-month follow-up. At baseline, participants reported low levels of recent severe IPV perpetration, but controls reported higher levels of emotional abuse. Analyses controlled for baseline IPV. SHARe participants reported significantly higher confidence in their ability to manage conflicts at post-intervention and significantly lower psychological aggression at the follow-up compared with wait-listed controls. At the 3-month follow-up, self-reported perpetration of psychological abuse was 1.5 times higher for wait-list controls versus SHARe participants. The findings indicate that SHARe can help college students improve their interpersonal skills and develop healthy, non-abusive relationships.
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