The Future of Research on Intimate Partner Violence: Person-Oriented and Variable-Oriented Perspectives

Abstract

This article uses the distinction between the person and the variable orientations as a frame for structuring (1) research on IPV, (2) results of this research, and (3) an agenda for future research. The main tenet of this agenda is that causes, processes, and effects of IPV are person and context specific; therefore, results that relate variables to each other are of limited value if it can be shown that the processes that take place, the meaning of the variables, the profile of the transgressors and the women who experience IPV depend on time, environment, and research design. Examples of valuable variable-oriented research are given; examples of the growing contribution made by person-oriented research are given as well. Sample theories are sketched out, for the variable-oriented, the person-oriented, and the theoretical research arenas, the need for future research is derived from inconsistencies and shortcomings in both current research and theory. Sample research questions are proposed. The contributions made by the authors of this Special Section are embedded within the discussion of research and theory of IPV. It is shown that each of the contributions is valuable within a particular segment of the research landscape.

A Latent Class Approach to Understanding the Intergenerational Transmission of Violence in Emerging Adult Relationships

“…There is a growing consensus that research involving maltreatment or intimate partner violence must move away from examining isolated effects of violence and begin to approach maltreatment and intimate partner violence as multidimensional constructs (Bogat et al, 2005;Herrenkohl & Herrenkohl, 2009;Swartout & Swartout, 2012). Person-oriented approaches offer a range of analytical techniques that will allow IGT of violence researchers to achieve this, and ultimately will assist in developing a better understanding of this phenomenon.…”

“…Despite evidence indicating that maltreatment and intimate partner violence are multidimensional constructs (Bogat et al, 2005;Herrenkohl & Herrenkohl, 2009;Swartout & Swartout, 2012), research on the IGT of violence has overwhelmingly adopted variable-oriented methods and has approached violent interpersonal conduct as a unidimensional phenomenon (e.g., Black, Sussman, & Unger, 2010;Cui et al, 2010;Karakurt, Keiley, & Posada, 2013;Simons et al, 2012). One such approach involves focusing on a particular type of maltreatment and/or intimate partner violence in isolation (e.g., Gay, Harding, Jackson, Burns, & Baker, 2013;Lee, Reese-Weber, & Kahn, 2014;Rosen, Bartle-haring, & Stith, 2001).…”

“…Weak-to-moderate support for the IGT of violence hypothesis (Stith et al, 2000) may reflect an overreliance on variable-oriented approaches that do not capture the heterogeneity that exists within experiences of violent interpersonal conduct (Bogat, Levendosky, & Von Eye, 2005;Herrenkohl & Herrenkohl, 2007;Swartout & Swartout, 2012). The failure to adopt a more multidimensional view has hindered our ability to generalize findings across studies, develop more sophisticated theories, and interrupt the transmission of violence across generations.…”

Long-term outcomes of Sweden's Contact Family Program for children

“…When we assume that the relationships among our addressed variables are not uniform across all the values that the variables may take, we can develop outcome profiles that describe individuals, not scores on the variables (Bergman & Trost, 2006;Bogat, Levendosky & von Eye, 2005). This study utilizes cluster-analytical tools to combine similar characteristics that groups of people possess.…”

Assessing person‐centered outcomes in practice research: a latent transition profile framework

“…The growing use of risk assessment -and a risk and protective factor perspectivehas paralleled rising interest in person-centered methods (PCMs; Bogat, Levendosky, & Von Eye, 2005;Neely-Barnes, 2010;Nurius & Macy, 2010;Schwalbe, Macy, Day, & Fraser, 2008). PCMs cluster people with similar scores on risk (or other) factors, and these methods enable researchers to analyze changes in groups of similar people (Bogat et al;Magnusson, 1998;Magnusson & Peel, 2000).…”