Agreement between veteran and partner reports of intimate partner aggression.

Abstract

We examined intimate partner aggression (IPA) reporting concordance between veterans and their partners and investigated relationship satisfaction, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, and relationship attributions as correlates of IPA reporting discrepancies. The sample consisted of 239 veterans of different service eras and their intimate partners. Veterans and partners reported their physical and psychological IPA perpetration and victimization over the past 6 months. Methodological improvements over prior concordance studies included the use of clinician-assessed PTSD symptoms and the assessment of relationship attributions via observational coding of couples’ conflict interactions. Results suggested low to moderate levels of agreement between veterans and partners and indicated that relationship satisfaction was associated with reporting less IPA than one’s partner reported, replicating prior concordance findings. Previous concordance findings with self-reported PTSD symptoms were also reproduced in the current study using clinician-assessed PTSD symptoms. Veterans’ PTSD symptoms were associated with reporting less IPA than their partners reported and partners’ PTSD symptoms were associated with reporting more IPA than the veterans reported. Additionally, we found an association between relationship attributions and reporting discrepancies. For both dyad members, making more positive and less negative relationship attributions was associated with reporting less IPA than one’s partner reported. Findings underscore the difficulty of obtaining objective self-reports of adverse behavior, and highlight factors that may influence such reports. Clinically, this information could be used to better identify cases in which obtaining collateral reports of IPA are particularly warranted.

Prevalence of intimate partner violence perpetration among military populations: A systematic review and meta-analysis

“… Lifetime IPV: CTS Lifetime IPV: Physical: Threatened to hit/throw something at partner: 16/131 = 12% Grabbed partner: 16/131 = 12% Sexual: Coerced partner to have sex with them: 37/131 = 28% Psychological: Insulted/swore at partner: 89/131 = 68% Shouted at partner: 88/131 = 67% Destroyed something of partner's: 13/131 = 10% Yes T = 22/40 S = 6/14 M = 7/14 LaMotte, Taft, Weatherill, Scott, and Eckhardt (2014) 65 male OIF/OEF combat Veterans and their partners Cross-sectional study, Veterans exposed to combat and married/living with partner for a minimum of 6-months. Intimate partner aggression (IPA) over past 6-months: CTS2 Past 6-months IPV: Physical : 13/65 = 20% Psychological : 58/65 = 89.2% No (Not past-year IPV) T = 27/40 S = 9/14 M = 6/14 LaMotte, Taft, Reardon, and Miller (2014) 239 mixed-era couples cohabiting for 12 months and exposed to minimum one traumatic event, not in previous study ( Teten et al, 2009 ) Cross-sectional survey at VA Boston Healthcare System and New Mexico VA Healthcare system IPA over past 6-months: CTS2 Past 6-months IPV: Physical : 57/239 = 23.8% Psychological : 225/239 = 93.7% No (Not past-year IPV) T = 27/40 S = 9/14 M = 6/14 LaMotte, Taft, Weatherill, and Eckhardt (2017) 92 male Veterans cohabiting with partner (minimum past 6-months) Exposed to combat and reported exposure to minimum one event meeting PTSD Criterion A Cross-sectional study of returning Veteran recruited from the greater Boston area IPA over past 6-months: CTS2 PTSD: CAPS Past 6-months IPV: Physical : 27.5% Psychological : 93.4% No (Not past-year IPV) T = 23/40 S = 4/14 M = 9/14 McCarroll et al (2003) 1,025 AD, male, Army soldiers Cross-sectional survey of deployed and non-deployed Army soldiers (deployed for 6-months to Bosnia) Moderate and Severe physical violence measured pre- and post-deployment for deployed and non-deployed participants using CTS Pre-deployment: pre-Sep 1998 Post-deployment: Apr 1999–Jun1999 (time of survey) Pre-deployment physical IPV: 109/1025 = 10.6% Post-deployment physical IPV: 74/1025 = 7.0% No (Not past-year IPV) T = 32/40 S = 12/14 M = 11/14 ...…”

Assessment of social traits in married couples: Self-reports versus spouse ratings around the interpersonal circumplex.

“…Discrepancies between self-reports and intimate partner ratings of affiliation, control, and blends of these dimensions could arise from several sources (Vazire & Carlson, 2011), including self-presentation processes in which socially-undesirable social traits are minimized in self-reports and spouse appraisal biases in which negative characteristics are maximized in ratings by the partner (c.f., La Motte, Taft, Reardon, & Miller, 2014). Self-presentation can involve both impression management (i.e., efforts to influence others’ judgments) and self-deception (i.e., efforts to manage one’s privately held self-image) (Paulhus & Trapnell, 2008).…”

Unsecured Life: The Experience of the Veteran Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Wives

“…studies show that the problem of theses patient become more four months after their hospitalization [27]. The people who look after the PTSD veterans become mentally tired because of the frequent hospitalization of the veterans [28] and it cause them to become incompatible and they also will have disorder problems in their marriage life [3] [29]. Stressful situations of life, violence, lack of intimacy and kindness, husband's stimulation, cause the lack of coherence in the family relationship [13].…”

“…Stressful situations of life, violence, lack of intimacy and kindness, husband's stimulation, cause the lack of coherence in the family relationship [13]. because their husbands cannot control their feelings and their anger so they become aggressive all at once [3] and all these aggressiveness doesn't always refers to their wives and their children but it damages them bodily, mentally and emotionally [30].…”

“…Studies have shown that the PTSD veterans have physical and wordy quarrelsome with their wives and because of the intimacy and agreement lack, less satisfaction in their lives can be observed. They often have no hope to their life [3] [11]. Talking angrily and using a harsh language has a negative effect on the family and on the marriage life [11] and as the time passes, the wives' patience becomes less against their husbands and it causes more problems [12].…”