Latent Class Analysis of Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration and Victimization among Latino Emerging Adults

Abstract

While there are known developmental consequences and correlates of intimate partner violence perpetration and victimization, research focused on bidirectional and multiple forms of partner violence among Latino emerging adults is needed. This longitudinal study identified latent classes of intimate partner violence perpetration and victimization patterns among emerging adult Latinos (N = 1060; 60.6% female). A second aim examined acculturation and cumulative substance use correlates in high school, as predictors of intimate partner violence perpetration and victimization classes in emerging adulthood. Average age of participants was 15.5 years in 10th grade and 22.7 years in emerging adulthood. We identified four distinct subgroups of intimate partner violence perpetration and victimization, with 22% of individuals identified in a violence perpetration and victimization subgroup. Cumulative heavy episodic drinking and marijuana use in high school predicted belonging to the psychological bidirectional intimate partner violence group rather than the group with no violence. Cumulative marijuana use in high school, predicted belonging to the sexual bidirectional partner violence group compared to the no violence group. Our study extends the literature across developmental periods among Latino youth. The findings have implications for early adolescent prevention strategies and promotion of healthy intimate relationships.

Evaluation of lifestyle of female adolescents through latent class analysis approach

“…An advantage of using LCA is that the multiple features that classify the individuals may be examined together, rather than separately, thus avoiding an increase in type I error [9]. Furthermore, according to Fitzpatrick et al [29], LCA has advantages over more conventional analytic approaches as it does not limit the number of possible classes or groups and allows for assessment of interactions between different types of behavior [30].…”

Long-Term Drug Misuse Increases the Risk of Cognitive Dysfunctions in Intimate Partner Violence Perpetrators: Key Intervention Targets for Reducing Dropout and Reoffending

“…In accordance with the aforementioned studies, the primary objective of the present study was to compare the drug misuse patterns and cognitive performance of a carefully selected sample of IPVAW perpetrators and a group of participants who served as a control group (non-IPVAW). Thus, as previously established [5,6,7,10], we hypothesized that the highest drug misuse and the worst cognitive performance would be presented by IPVAW perpetrators. Moreover, we were also interested in analyzing the association between drug misuse patterns (weekly drug summary and number of consecutive years consuming), and cognitive performance in both groups and IPVAW perpetration (only male abusers).…”

“…In fact, it is well-established that IPVAW is more common among individuals who use drugs, being this risk even greater when both partners (aggressor and victim) are drug consumers. In this sense, there is a vast body of scientific literature that considers alcohol as a good predictor of IPVAW perpetration and/or maintenance [5,6,7]. However, this does not discard the possibility that other drugs, such as cannabis and cocaine, may also be significant indicators of this type of violence [5,6,7].…”

“…Other illicit substances, apart from alcohol, have also been considered robust indicators of IPVAW. In this regard, systematic reviews have highlighted the role of psychostimulants, such as cocaine and MDMA (or ecstasy) as important contributors to IPVAW perpetration in interactions with specific personality traits and/or other contextual factors [7,11,12,22,23,24,25]. Initially, a possible explanation for their facilitation role is the hyperexcitation of the limbic reward system after their consumption, which tends to lead to symptoms, such as high irritability, aggressiveness, and paranoia, among others [11,12,26].…”

“…Although, we previously presented the illicit drugs that are robustly associated with IPVAW, cannabis, heroin, and anabolic steroids, seem to show a bidirectional relationship with violence [11,12,24,28]. As in the previously mentioned drugs, the facilitation of violence seems to be explained by intoxication effects as a result of craving during withdrawal and/or behavioral dysregulations, due to heavy and sustained use of these drugs over time [7,29]. Additionally, the misuse of these drugs interacting with individual hostile traits and/or biases (e.g., personal traits, psychopathological symptoms, brain injuries, and polydrug use), which facilitate IPVAW or other types of violence, when faced with adequate stimulation.…”