Indirect effects of PTSD and complex PTSD in the relationship of polyvictimization with intimate partner violence victimization and perpetration among men in mandated treatment

Abstract

Background: Polyvictimization is associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), severe impairment, and re-victimization, including due to intimate partner violence (IPV), but polyvictmization's role in the perpetration of IPV is less clear. Objective: To examine the indirect effect of PTSD and complex PTSD in the relationship between polyvictimization and IPV perpetration. Method: Polyvictims were identified by cluster analysis of self-reported lifetime victimization history data in a random national sample (N = 234) of men at 66 clinical treatment centers for domestic violence perpetrators in Israel. Results: Four subgroups were identified: low exposure to abuse and physical neglect (C1, N = 105), and three polyvictim subgroups characterized by multiple forms of past exposure to neglect and verbal abuse (C2, N = 38), to verbal and physical abuse without neglect (C3, N = 46), or to neglect and both verbal and physical abuse (C4, N = 28). Participants also were characterized as having low exposure to traumatic events across the lifespan (cluster L5, N=156), or high exposure to traumatic events across the lifespan (cluster L6, N=78). Complex PTSD symptoms had an indirect effect in the relationship between membership in the C3 and C4 polyvictimization clusters (β=.45, p<.05, β=.60, p<.05; respectively) and severity of psychological IPV victimization, as well as between C3 polyvictimization cluster membership and severity of psychological IPV perpetration (β=.32, p<.05). In contrast, PTSD symptoms had no indirect effect in any relationship between cluster membership and IPV outcomes. High lifetime trauma exposure also was directly associated with sexual IPV victimization. Conclusions: Complex PTSD may be a mechanism linking polyvictimization to the severity of both IPV victimization and perpetration. Clinical implications are discussed. Efectos indirectos del trastorno de estrés postraumático y el trastorno de estrés postraumático complejo en la relación de la polivictimización con la violencia de pareja y perpetración en hombres en tratamiento obligatorio Antecedentes: La polivictimización (PV) está asociada con el trastorno de estrés postraumático (TEPT), discapacidad grave y revictimización, incluso debido a la violencia de pareja (IPV, en su sigla en inglés), pero el rol de la PV en la perpetración de IPV es menos claro. Objetivos: Examinar el efecto indirecto del TEPT y el TEPT complejo en la relación entre la PV y la perpetración de IPV. Método: las polivíctimas fueron identificadas por análisis de grupos de datos de historial de victimización autoinformado en una muestra nacional aleatoria (N = 234) de hombres que reciben tratamiento en 66 centros clínicos para violencia doméstica en Israel. Resultados: Se identificaron cuatro subgrupos: baja exposición a violencia y negligencia física (C1, N = 105), y tres subgrupos polivictimizados caracterizados por múltiples formas de exposición en el pasado a negligencia y violencia verbal (C2, N = 38), a violencia verbal y física sin negligencia (C3, N = 46), o ex...

Polyvictimization and developmental trauma in childhood

“… ABSTRACT Background : Polyvictimization (Gilbar & Ford, 2020 ) and developmental trauma (van der Kolk, Ford, & Spinazzola, 2019 ) have been identified in the past decade as empirically operationalized high impact forms of cumulative childhood trauma (Ford, 2015 ). Childhood polyvictimization (PV) is defined as experiencing multiple types of interpersonal victimization sequentially or concurrently at any point in childhood (lifetime) or in the past year (recent).…”