Objective
This study aims to describe the daily co-occurrence of physical, sexual, and psychological intimate partner violence (IPV) among substance-using, community-based women currently experiencing IPV.
Methods
A micro-longitudinal study design was used to collect data daily from 49 women for 90 days.
Results
On the majority of days (62%), no IPV occurred; 27% of days were characterized by psychological IPV alone, followed by the co-occurrence of psychological and physical IPV (6% of IPV days). Results of person-level analyses showed comparable sized correlations between the proportion of days with physical and sexual IPV and the proportion of days with physical and psychological IPV. However, results of day-level analyses revealed that the association between physical and psychological IPV was much stronger than the association between physical and sexual IPV; Physical IPV was 64 times more likely to occur on days when psychological IPV occurred.
Conclusions
Results revealed new information about physical, sexual, and psychological IPV experiences and demonstrate the utility of a micro-longitudinal design among this high risk population. Implications for practice, future research, and the development of preventive interventions are noted, underscoring the importance of psychological IPV and the range of IPV experiences among women.
Avoidance coping is consistently linked with negative mental health outcomes among women experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV). This study extended the literature examining the potentially mediating role of avoidance coping strategies on both mental health and substance use problems to a highly generalizable, yet previously unexamined population (i.e., women experiencing bidirectional IPV) and examined multiple forms of IPV (i.e., psychological, physical, and sexual) simultaneously. Among a sample of 362 women experiencing bidirectional IPV, four separate path models were examined, one for each outcome variable. Avoidance coping mediated the relationships between psychological and sexual IPV victimization and the outcomes of PTSD symptom severity, depression severity, and drug use problems. Findings indicate nuanced associations among IPV victimization, avoidance coping, and mental health and substance use outcomes.
While the value of resources aimed to support women who experience intimate partner violence (IPV) is clear, few studies have investigated how exposure to multiple types of victimization influences women’s resource utilization. We applied latent class analysis to a sample of 412 women who used IPV in their current relationships to test whether women’s resource utilization is associated with different patterns of victimization, including current IPV victimization, past IPV victimization, and childhood victimization. Three classes of women were identified: the Low Cumulative IPV class (n = 121) included women with a low prevalence of past IPV victimization and low severity of current IPV victimization; The High Past/Low Current IPV class (n = 258) included women with a high prevalence of past IPV victimization but low severity of current IPV victimization; and the High Cumulative IPV class (n = 33) included women with a high prevalence of past IPV victimization and severe current IPV victimization. Multiple types of childhood victimization were highly prevalent among women in all three classes. Women in the High Cumulative IPV class used a greater variety of resources, experienced a greater number of posttraumatic stress and depression symptoms, drug problems, and used more severe IPV aggression compared to women in other classes. These findings highlight the heterogeneity of resource utilization among women in relationships characterized by bidirectional IPV and underscore the potential clinical utility of adapting services to meet the specific needs of women with unique profiles of victimization.
Objective
This study employed latent class analysis to identify profiles of women experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV) based on the severity of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms.
Method
Self-report data from a sample of 369 women experiencing bidirectional IPV was used.
Results
A 3-class solution comprising low, moderate, and high PTSD severity profiles best fit the data. Profiles were differentially related to whether IPV victimization was considered traumatic (PTSD criterion A); whether functioning was impaired as a result of PTSD symptoms (PTSD criterion F); whether the woman met full diagnostic criteria for PTSD; depression symptom severity; and severity of psychological, physical, and sexual IPV victimization and use of IPV. An extremely high percentage of women in the high (96%) and moderate (88%) severity classes experienced functional impairment, although many did not meet full diagnostic criteria for PTSD.
Conclusions
Findings support the need for interventions individually tailored to one’s treatment needs based on the nature of one’s traumatic stressor and the impact of PTSD on daily functioning.
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