Psychological Mindedness as a Protective Factor Against Revictimization in Intimate Relationships

Childhood Maltreatment and Revictimization: A Systematic Literature Review

There is established evidence that childhood/adolescent victimization is associated with victimization in adulthood although the underlying mechanisms are not still clear. The current study aimed to systematically review empirical studies examining potential psychological factors linking childhood maltreatment to victimization in adulthood and the gaps in the literature. Following PRISMA protocol, 71 original studies consisting of a total sample of n = 31,633 subjects were analyzed. Symptom severity for various trauma-related disorders, dissociation, emotion dysregulation, and risky sexual behaviors emerged as potential predictors of revictimization. While these potential risk factors mediate the relationship between childhood maltreatment and adulthood victimization, evidence for additional factors such as social support, attachment styles, maladaptive schemas, and risk detection is very limited. Addressing these intrapersonal risk factors, found by prior studies, in interventions and preventive programs might decrease the probability of revictimization. The interactions between the identified risk factors have not been studied well yet. Hence, more research on mediating risk factors of revictimization is needed.

Childhood Maltreatment and Relationship Quality: A Review of Type of Abuse and Mediating and Protective Factors

Childhood maltreatment (CM) has long been recognized as a risk factor for good intimate relationships. Research on the effects of CM on relationship functioning has focused on sexual abuse in girls. However, CM also includes emotional and physical abuse and neglect and is also common in boys. Moreover, prior research has mostly focused on individuals in isolation, ignoring that marriage is a system in which two partners mutually influence each other. Questions also remain about mediating and protective factors for healthy relationships in the context of CM. This article reviews the literature on the link between different forms of CM and one's own and one's partner relationship quality. It reviews 43 empirical studies that assessed associations between CM in any form and relationship quality. Also, mediating and protective factors and major methodological topics are examined. The review indicated that CM (neglect, sexual, emotional, or physical abuse) is associated with lower relationship quality in men and women. Psychological distress, cognitive and behavioral problems, insecure attachment, and self-dysregulation were identified as mediating factors. Protective processes involve good coping strategies, emotion regulation, parental support, and early secure attachment, but not partner characteristics. The results regarding gender are inconclusive. It is crucial to broaden the research on the dyadic effects of CM of various forms on relationship quality and study mediating and protective factors. More studies on neglect and diverse populations are needed, as well as prospective studies. This will enable the development of prevention programs for couples with a partner exposed to CM.

"I Did It to Save My Children": Parenting Strengths and Fears of Women Exposed to Intimate Partner Violence

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is experienced by one in four women in the United States, and a wealth of quantitative research has underscored its detrimental effects on women's mental health and parenting practices. Little research, however, has considered ways in which women exposed to IPV retain and foster parenting strengths and ways in which motherhood serves as a source of resilience for these women. The objective of the current study was to conduct a thematic analysis of IPV-exposed women's parenting strengths and concerns as reported through focus groups conducted with IPV-exposed women (n = 22) and service providers (n = 31) in two urban areas in the Mid-West and Mid-South. Results of the thematic analysis indicated the emergence of three core themes: resilience and challenges of parenting in the context of IPV, leaving the violent partner, and intergenerational processes. Overall, service providers recognized far fewer strengths in parenting on all dimensions than did women, suggesting that service providers may be conceptualizing parenting in the context of IPV from a deficit model that underestimates the resilience demonstrated by these women. This has important consequences for the extent to which women may feel stigmatized or blamed when receiving resources and services critical to their families. Future research on parenting among women experiencing IPV would be enhanced by capturing the dynamic interplay between women's parenting strengths and challenges, and the ways in which these capacities are affected by resource access within and across social ecological contexts.

Does Childhood Psychological Abuse Contribute to Intimate Partner Violence Victimization? An Investigation Using the Childhood Experience of Care and Abuse Interview

Although psychological abuse is recognized as a particularly insidious form of child abuse, research on the impact of this type of abuse related to intimate partner violence (IPV) is scant. This study examined the contribution of childhood psychological abuse to IPV in female victims and non-victims. Furthermore, it investigated the role of cumulative abuse in predicting IPV. The study included 38 women victims of IPV and 40 non-IPV women. All participants were investigated using the Childhood Experience of Care and Abuse Interview (CECA); the Revised Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS2) and the IPV History Interview were used to assess IPV in the last year and lifetime, respectively. Results indicated that psychological abuse was a stronger predictor of IPV than other maltreatment types. Furthermore, dose-response effects of cumulative abuse on IPV are well evidenced. Future research should continue examining impacts of psychological abuse on IPV so as to further inform clinical practice and intervention planning.

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

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 sub-groups were identified: low exposure to abuse and physical neglect (C1, N = 105), and three polyvictim sub-groups 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.

Environmental Dysfunctions, Childhood Maltreatment and Women's Intimate Partner Violence Victimization

Childhood maltreatment is considered a crucial explanatory variable for intimate partner violence (IPV) in adulthood. However, a developmental multifactorial model for the etiology of IPV is not shared by researchers yet. This study has investigated the role of a wide range of childhood maltreatments and family and social dysfunctions in predicting IPV; furthermore, it tests a model where childhood maltreatment mediates the relationship between environmental dysfunctions and IPV. The sample included 78 women: IPV (38) and non-IPV (40). The Italian version of the Childhood Experience of Care and Abuse (CECA) Interview was used to assess the presence of adverse childhood experiences. The Revised Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS-2) and the IPV History Interview were used to assess IPV in the last year and lifetime, respectively. The results of a multivariate logistic regression model have indicated that only sexual (odds ratio [OR] = 4.24) and psychological (OR = 3.45) abuse significantly predicted IPV; with regard to association between IPV and environmental dysfunctions, only poor social support (OR = 8.91) significantly predicted IPV. The results of a mediation model have shown that childhood psychological and sexual abuse, in association with each other, partially mediate the relationship between poor social support and IPV. The findings from this study pinpoint poor social support as an important predictor of IPV so far neglected in the literature on the developmental antecedents of IPV. They also support the theoretical assumption according to which dysfunctional environmental variables and types of childhood maltreatment interacting with each other may influence development outcomes.

[Validation of the German Version of the Psychological Mindedness Scale (PMS-D)]

Validation of the German Version of the Psychological Mindedness Scale (PMS-D) Objectives: The Psychological Mindedness Scale (PMS) is one of the few established measures for psychological mindedness (PM). PM refers to a capacity and disposition to properly perceive inner processes - feelings, thoughts and conflicts. The aim of this study was the validation of the German translation of the PMS, which was conducted via TRAPDprocess.

METHODS

Following a pre-study for adjusting the translation, the scale was presented to a sample generated by students (n = 157). We conducted a factor analysis and calculated the reliability of the scale and its four factors with Cronbach's α. Convergent validity was measured by calculating correlations with the Toronto-Alexithymia-Scale (TAS-20).

RESULTS

Internal consistency and convergent validity of the scale translation proved to be good. Due to the relatively small sample we tested whether data quality was sufficient for factor analysis which was the case. The best solution was a four factor solution which reflected the main components from theoretical definitions of PM.

CONCLUSIONS

The proposed translation is in our view convenient to be used in German language area.

Childhood maltreatment and intimate partner violence victimization: A meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization is a serious public health problem in the world. It is imperative to examine risk factors for IPV victimization.

OBJECTIVE

This meta-analysis aimed to explore the relationship between childhood maltreatment (CM) and IPV victimization and investigate the moderating effects of gender and marital status.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

Examination of the literature produced a sample of 56 effect sizes (N = 23,127) for review.

METHODS

PsycINFO, PsycArticles, EBSCO-ERIC, Medline, Google Scholar, and ProQuest Dissertations & Theses databases were systematically searched until March 31, 2018. Forty-six eligible studies were included in the meta-analysis. Random effects model was used for meta-analysis of the studies.

RESULTS

Results indicated a significant association between total CM and IPV victimization (r = .18, p < .001). Further subgroup analyses revealed that all four types of CM (childhood physical abuse, psychological abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect) were positively related to IPV victimization (r = .19, .18, .17, and .12, respectively). Moreover, the moderation analyses revealed that the association between CM and IPV victimization was stronger for dating couples than for married ones. However, this relation did not show significant difference between males and females.

CONCLUSIONS

There is an association between CM and IPV victimization, and it is moderated by marital status.

The role of dissociation in revictimization across the lifespan: A 32-year prospective study

Exposure to childhood abuse puts women at risk for revictimization in adult intimate relationships, but knowledge about the mechanism by which it occurs is limited. The present study investigated whether dissociation mediates the effect of exposure to physical or sexual child abuse on intimate partner violence in adulthood. We tested this using prospective data collected from birth to age 32 from 80 female participants in the Minnesota Longitudinal Study of Risk and Adaptation. We found that women who experienced sexual or physical abuse during the first 17.5 years of life (n = 37) were more likely (r = 0.30, p < .01) to experience intimate partner violence in adulthood (ages 20-32). Furthermore, we found that dissociation partially mediated this effect. Specifically, exposure to childhood abuse predicted greater dissociation in late adolescence (age 19), which in turn predicted more intimate partner violence during early to mid-adulthood. The results of this study highlight the mediating role played by dissociation in the revictimization of women abused during childhood, and speak to the need to develop interventions designed to prevent intimate partner violence among abused girls or adult women with a history of abuse.