The Mediating Effect of Hostility Toward Women on the Relationship Between Childhood Emotional Abuse and Sexual Violence Perpetration

Abstract

Some evidence suggests that childhood emotional abuse (CEA) may serve as a risk factor for sexual violence (SV) perpetration; however, little is known about the mechanisms by which CEA may influence SV. This study examined the relationship between CEA and SV by assessing the mediating role of hostility toward women (HTW) in a sample of adjudicated adult males (N = 360). Approximately 1 in 5 participants was classified as sexually violent based on self-reported behavior and/or criminal records. Results indicated that CEA significantly predicted HTW and SV, and HTW significantly predicted SV. As hypothesized, the relationship between CEA and SV was no longer significant after controlling for HTW, supporting the role of HTW as a mediator between CEA and SV. Efforts that aim to prevent CEA or that address early aggressive attitudes or behavior toward women may have a positive impact on preventing or reducing SV.

A Review of the Literature on Sexual Assault Perpetrator Characteristics and Behaviors

“…Other research found that empathy moderated the relationship between hostility toward women and sexual aggression, such that men who scored low on ratings of general empathy toward others and high on rating of hostility toward women and impersonal sex were more likely to be sexually aggressive compared with other men in the study (Wheeler, George, and Dahl, 2002). Finally, other research exploring factors that might explain the relationship between childhood emotional abuse and sexual assault perpetration found that expressing hostile attitudes toward women mediated or explained the relationship between childhood emotional abuse and later sexual assault perpetration in an adjudicated sample of offenders (Vivolo-Kantor et al, 2013).…”

“…Other research exploring factors that might explain the relationship between childhood emotional abuse and sexual assault perpetration has found that expressing hostile attitudes toward women mediated the relationship between childhood emotional abuse and later sexual assault perpetration in an adjudicated sample of offenders (Vivolo-Kantor et al, 2013). This particular sample of adjudicated offenders included both individuals who had committed sexual assault against adults and against children.…”

Impulse Control Difficulties and Hostility Toward Women as Predictors of Relationship Violence Perpetration in an Undergraduate Male Sample

“…First, because impulse control difficulties were positively correlated with relationship violence (Scott et al, 2015), and because relationship violence is theorized as a strategy to suppress unwanted emotional experiences (Gratz, Paulson, Jakupcak, & Tull, 2009), the first hypothesis was that impulse control difficulties would be positively correlated with relationship violence in our sample of college-aged men (Hypothesis 1). Next, previous research has shown that hostility toward women is a risk factor for relationship violence following a traumatic event (Vivolo-Kantor et al, 2013), and it was hypothesized that hostility toward women would also be correlated with relationship violence (Hypothesis 2). Furthermore, because exposure to trauma has been linked with relationship violence (Tull et al, 2007), it was hypothesized that trauma exposure, conceptualized as the number of traumas an individual has experienced, would be positively correlated with relationship violence (Hypothesis 3).…”

Are Mental Health, Family and Childhood Adversity, Substance Use and Conduct Problems Risk Factors for Offending in Autism?

“…Meta- and systematic-analyses from TD samples have identified various family and childhood risk factors related to offending, including socio-economic status (SES, Derzon 2010 ; Murray et al 2013 ), childhood abuse (Connolly and Woollons 2008 ; Cuadra et al 2014 ; Hosser et al 2007 ; Jespersen et al 2009 ; Reckdenwald et al 2013 ; Vivolo-Kantor et al 2013 ; Wang et al 2012 ) and parental violence/family conflict (Tharp et al 2012 ). Being placed into foster care (Derzon 2010 ) and being separated from family have also been identified as risk factors related to TD offending (Derzon 2010 ).…”