Prevalence of Self-Reported Intimate Partner Violence Victimization Among Military Personnel: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Sparrow, Katherine; Dickson, Hannah; Kwan, Jamie; Howard, Louise M.; Fear, Nicola T.; MacManus, Deirdre

doi:10.1177/1524838018782206

Cited by 32 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 86 publications

(189 reference statements)

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“…DVA was perceived as a common issue among serving personnel and veterans. According to the majority of our participants, psychological and emotional abuse and coercive controlling behaviour were most frequently reported by their clients, consistent with findings from quantitative studies on DVA in the military [5,47]. Mental health problems and the culture of drinking in the military were seen as important factors in some cases of abusive behaviour, also in keeping with international research [48].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

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The experience of health and welfare workers in identifying and responding to domestic abuse among military personnel in the UK

Sparrow

Alves-Costa

Alves

et al. 2020

BMC Health Serv Res

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Background Awareness of domestic violence and abuse (DVA) as a problem among military personnel (serving and veterans) has grown in recent years, and there is a need for research to inform improvements in the identification of and response to DVA in this population. This study aimed to explore the experience of health and welfare professionals in identifying and responding to DVA among the UK military population (serving personnel and veterans). Methods Thirty-five semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with health and welfare staff who work with serving UK military personnel and veterans. Interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. Results Three superordinate themes were identified: i) patterns of DVA observed by health and welfare workers (perceived gender differences in DVA experiences and role of mental health and alcohol); (ii) barriers to identification of and response to DVA (attitudinal/knowledge-based barriers and practical barriers), and iii) resource issues (training needs and access to services). Participants discussed how factors such as a culture of hypermasculinity, under-reporting of DVA, the perception of DVA as a “private matter” among military personnel, and lack of knowledge and awareness of emotional abuse and coercive controlling behaviour as abuse constitute barriers to identification and management of DVA. Healthcare providers highlighted the need for more integrated working between civilian and military services, to increase access to support and provide effective care to both victims and perpetrators. Furthermore, healthcare and welfare staff reflected on their training needs in the screening and management of DVA to improve practice. Conclusions There is a need for increased awareness of DVA, particularly of non-physical forms of abuse, and of male victimisation in the military. Standardised protocols for DVA management and systematic training are required to promote a consistent and appropriate response to DVA. There is a particular training need among healthcare and first-line welfare staff, who are largely relied upon to identify cases of DVA in the military. Employing DVA advocates within military and civilian healthcare settings may be useful in improving DVA awareness, management and access to specialist support.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

“…Over the years a growing number of studies have suggested that DVA experiences, both perpetration and victimisation, may be more prevalent among military compared to civilian populations [1][2][3][4][5] and more severe [6]. Data from ongoing UK research comparing DVA in the UK military to the UK civilian population is awaited.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The experience of health and welfare workers in identifying and responding to domestic abuse among military personnel in the UK

Sparrow

Alves-Costa

Alves

et al. 2020

BMC Health Serv Res

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“…A number of meta-analysts have employed this useful methodology to approach the IPV field. Topics that have received the attention of researchers include epidemiologic issues (e.g., Ozcan et al, 2016;Sparrow et al, 2018), measurement questions (e.g., van der Put et al, 2019), aversive consequences (e.g., Beydoun et al, 2012), risk factors (e.g., Kimmes et al, 2019;Spencer et al, 2019), and clinical interventions (e.g., Arroyo et al, 2017;Jewell & Wormith, 2010).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Relation of Anxiety and Avoidance Dimensions of Attachment to Intimate Partner Violence: A Meta-Analysis About Perpetrators

Velotti

Rogier

Zobel

et al. 2020

Trauma, Violence, & Abuse

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Objective: The attachment theory is a useful framework for interpreting the phenomenon of intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration. Although several studies have examined the relationship between attachment and IPV perpetration, a meta-analysis of these results has yet to be conducted. Method: After a search on five databases (PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed) and a screening of 3,852 records recruited, 52 studies comprising 13,653 individuals met the inclusion criteria for this meta-analysis. Results: Results showed a significant effect size for both the anxiety and avoidance dimensions of attachment. However, while the effect sizes for anxiety were consistent ( r = .19–.35) for all types of violence considered, the effect size for avoidance was not significant for generic violence ( r = .07), low for physical ( r = .12) and psychological violence ( r = .14), and medium for sexual violence ( r = .20). Only a few of the examined moderators were significant. Conclusions: The findings highlight some differences in the roles of the two attachment dimensions in IPV. The results underscore the need for additional research to explore the role of other potential moderating and mediating variables in the relationship between attachment and IPV perpetration in order to better support the development of prevention and treatment interventions.

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“…Not surprisingly, very little research has examined the impact of IPV victimization on men. In a recent meta-analysis of 58 studies of IPV in veterans, only one study focused on men as victims, whereas women veterans were the focus of the remaining 57 studies, even when those studies included both men and women (Sparrow et al, 2020). This meta-analysis found similar prevalence of IPV victims between men and women, which underscores the importance of including male IPV victims in studies of psychological effects.…”

mentioning

confidence: 69%

“…Furthermore, our analyses were not in gross violation of the tests used despite discrepant sample size and as such the results are robust and likely generalizable. Furthermore, the prevalence of IPV in men and women in our sample maps on to the currently reported prevalence from the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey NISVS Data Brief Violence Prevention Injury Center CDC, 2018 and other studies (for a review, see Sparrow et al, 2020).…”

Section: Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 80%

Intimate Partner Violence Predicts Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Severity Independent of Early Life and Deployment-Related Trauma in Deployed Men and Women Veterans

Pierce

Fortier

Fonda

et al. 2020

J Interpers Violence

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Intimate partner violence (IPV) refers to emotional, physical, and/or sexual abuse perpetrated by a current or former partner. IPV affects both genders, though little is known about its effects on men as victims. The aims of this study were to determine if IPV is a factor contributing to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) severity independently of deployment-related trauma, and to determine if there are gender differences in these associations. Participants were 46 female and 471 male post-9/11 veterans. Four sequential regressions were employed to examine the independent contribution of IPV among multiple trauma types on PTSD severity in men and women at two epochs, post-deployment (participants were anchored to deployment-related PTSD symptoms) and current (within the past month). Models were significant for both epochs in men ( ps < .001) but not in women ( ps > .230). In men, IPV independently predicted PTSD severity in both epochs (β > .093). However, in women, early life trauma (β = .284), but not IPV was a significant and independent predictor for current PTSD. Thus, there are distinct gender differences in how trauma type contributes to PTSD symptom severity. Although the statistical models were not significant in women, we observed similar patterns of results as in men and, in some cases, the β was actually higher in women than in men, suggesting a lack of power in our analyses. More research is clearly needed to follow-up these results; however, our findings indicate that IPV is a contributing factor to PTSD severity in veterans.

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Prevalence of Self-Reported Intimate Partner Violence Victimization Among Military Personnel: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Cited by 32 publications

References 86 publications

The experience of health and welfare workers in identifying and responding to domestic abuse among military personnel in the UK

The experience of health and welfare workers in identifying and responding to domestic abuse among military personnel in the UK

The Relation of Anxiety and Avoidance Dimensions of Attachment to Intimate Partner Violence: A Meta-Analysis About Perpetrators

Intimate Partner Violence Predicts Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Severity Independent of Early Life and Deployment-Related Trauma in Deployed Men and Women Veterans

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