Interpersonal- and community-level predictors of intimate partner violence perpetration among African American men

No Man Is an Island: Resiliency Among Older African American Men Living with HIV

African American men face chronic illness earlier in life and earlier death due to higher severity of illness and poor control of chronic diseases than their white male counterparts. Preexposure and post-exposure prophylaxis PrEP and PREP have improved the odds of survival among those living with HIV. However, the anti-retroviral treatments, though effective, are only as effective as early prevention and detection and in cases where patients can adhere to treatment regimens. The mean age of participants (N = 11) was 56.44 (SD = 5.175, range = 47-63). The current study employs qualitative methodology to propose an ecosystems-driven intersectional model to identify resilience and the influence of personal, social, and societal forces shaping the lives of older African American men living with HIV. Findings determine stigma, community violence, and structural barriers to care as crucial stress areas. Participants discussed self-advocacy and family as constituent elements of resilience. Several implications for practice and research emerged. Practice must design and deploy assessment instruments to include exposure to racism and violence, including emotional and structural violence. Practice must include advocacy at the micro, meso, and macro levels. Assessment must also be self-reflexive. Organizational assessment should involve internal and structural reviews of barriers to meeting client preferences.

Risk factors for intimate partner violence perpetration among college students: Impact of childhood adversities

Objective Intimate partner violence (IPV) among college students is a significant problem that negatively affects their physical and emotional health. This study aimed at examining risk factors, especially childhood adversities at the individual, relationship, and community levels, of IPV perpetration among college students. Methods: The sample from seven universities in the U.S. and Canada (N = 3,725) completed an online survey. Major variables included IPV perpetration, five types of childhood adversities, alcohol and drug use, depression, and demographic information. Logistic regression was performed. Results: Peer violence victimization, witnessing parental IPV, experiencing child maltreatment, drug use, and depression were associated with a higher odd of perpetrating IPV. Conclusions: Research and practice must account for exposure to multiple risk factors when intervening with college students. An integrative approach that combines trauma-informed interventions with substance use and mental health treatment may be most successful at IPV perpetration prevention and intervention among college students.

Men's education and intimate partner violence-Beyond the victim-oriented perspective: Evidence from demographic and health surveys in Central Africa

BACKGROUND

Intimate partner violence (IPV) has increasingly received attention in the last three decades. However, IPV-related studies in both high- and low- and middle-income countries adopted a victim-oriented perspective in which men are perpetrators and women, the victims. Using socio-cultural and resource theories as guiding frameworks, this paper assessed the associations between men's education and IPV in Central Africa, using nationally representative data of married and cohabiting women of reproductive ages.

METHODS

Data included in the analyses come from Demographic and Health Surveys (DHSs) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Cameroon, Gabon, and Chad. Analyzed sub-samples consisted of 3421, 5023, 3930, and 3221 married/cohabiting women of reproductive ages in Chad, DRC, Cameroon, and Gabon, respectively.

RESULTS

Findings indicated significant variations of IPV prevalence within and across countries. Previous research demonstrated that men's education is a protective factor in health-related studies. The present study, however, provide no clear evidence on the linkages between men's education and IPV. In contrast, the paper substantiated that highly educated women were at higher risks of IPV when spouses/partners were less educated.

CONCLUSION

These findings have policy and programmatic implications because they might impede progress towards SDG goals on the elimination of all forms of violence against girls and women in Central Africa, which recorded the worst development indicators in sub-Saharan Africa. On a methodological note, studies are increasingly using pooled data to increase statistical power. Those studies can be very limited to devise effective IPV-interventions since they mask geographical variations within and across countries. More effective IPV-interventions should be culturally rooted and accounting for geographical variations because some areas are more affected than others.

Partner Violent Men's Perspectives on the Factors That They Believe Contributed to Their Abusive Behaviors

While research on perpetration of intimate partner violence (IPV) is growing, few studies have sought to explore perpetrators' perspectives on their abusive behaviors. Thus, much remains unknown regarding how perpetrators view their abuse. We conducted 34 semistructured, open-ended interviews with men convicted of an IPV crime in which we broadly explored their perspectives on contributors to abuse. A history of exposure to violence as children, experiences with other traumatic events, and other causes (e.g., drug abuse) were the most cited. Our findings highlight areas where intervention efforts need to be tailored to address the unmet needs of men who perpetrate.

A test of the dyadic associations between ineffective arguing, emotional distress, and violence perpetration and victimization among couples seeking therapy

Researchers have tested associations between ineffective arguing and emotional distress among couples without relationship violence. Moreover, studies have demonstrated associations between physical violence perpetration and victimization in the aftermath of emotional distress. However, there is a paucity of research examining linkages between ineffective arguing, emotional distress, and physical violence perpetration or victimization. Dyadic data from 231 married, heterosexual couples seeking therapy were used to test a model examining pathways between ineffective arguing and physical violence perpetration and victimization through emotional distress. The hypothesized model was compared to two plausible alternative models. Results revealed higher levels of men's ineffective arguing were positively associated with men's physical violence perpetration, both directly and indirectly, through higher levels of emotional distress. Higher levels of men's ineffective arguing were associated with lower men's physical violence perpetration through higher levels of women's emotional distress. Results can inform the clinical treatment of interpersonal violence by targeting ineffective arguing and emotional distress.

Types of Partner Violence in Couples Affected by Incarceration: Applying Johnson's Typology to Understand the Couple-level Context for Violence

In prior research, samples of incarcerated and reentering men and their partners report partner violence at roughly 10 times the frequency found in the general population. The relationship dynamics underlying these experiences remain poorly understood. Addressing this gap and expanding prior applications of Johnson's typology in other populations-which typically rely on survey data alone and include reports from just one member of a couple-we applied latent class analysis with dyadic survey data from 1,112 couples to identify types of partner violence in couples affected by incarceration. We assessed congruence between quantitative types and couples' qualitative accounts and compared the two major types using two-sample t-tests.In some couples, one partner used various tactics to systematically dominate and control the other, as in Johnson's coercive controlling violence. In others, physical violence arose in the context of jealousy but no other controlling behavior. This type resembled Johnson's situational couple violence. Qualitative data suggested that jealousy represented a common, situational response to periods of prolonged separation, relationship instability, status insecurity, and partnership concurrence and not a tactic of control per se. Victims of coercive controlling violence experienced more PTSD symptoms and felt less safe in their relationships than victims of jealous-only violence. Perpetrators of coercive controlling violence were more likely to use severe physical violence against their partners than perpetrators of jealous-only violence. Findings indicate that broader context is critical for interpreting the presence of jealousy (and whether it constitutes a control tactic). They indicate that prevention and response strategies tailored to these types could help couples cope safely with the extreme relationship stressors of incarceration and reentry. Finally, they suggest a need to move from an exclusive focus on individual accountability and services toward a model that also incorporates institutional accountability and change.

Intergenerational Continuity of Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration: An Investigation of Possible Mechanisms

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a continuum of abuse that is associated with a number of negative outcomes including substance misuse, depression, and suicidal ideation. This study aims to investigate the intergenerational transmission of IPV perpetration and the mechanisms involved. Intergenerational transmission was investigated using information from two generations of the Cambridge Study in Delinquent Development which is a prospective longitudinal study of 411 males from an inner London area in the UK who have been followed up over a period of 50 years. Information with regard to IPV perpetration, specifically physical violence, was garnered from self-reports by the male at age 32, from their female partner at age 48, and from their male and female children in early adulthood. Regression analyses were used to investigate intergenerational transmission and examine whether psychosocial risk factors could be identified as potential intergenerational pathways. Having a father who was a perpetrator of IPV significantly increased the odds of daughters being perpetrators by 2 times. It did not significantly increase the odds for sons. The intergenerational transmission of IPV perpetration remains between fathers and their daughters over and above a series of psychosocial factors such as accommodation problems and alcohol misuse. Identification of factors associated with the intergenerational transmission of IPV perpetration will inform practitioners and policymakers. Information garnered from studies such as this may contribute to the development of prevention and intervention strategies for those at risk.

Community violence and African American male health outcomes: An integrative review of literature

Community violence exposure is essential when considering African American male adult health outcomes. This integrative review of literature is guided by the research questions: (a) How has community violence been measured in African American male adults? and (b) What impact does community violence have on African America male health outcomes? This study synthesises eight current articles identified by the search terms-community violence, impact, African Americans, care, and men. Of the eight identified articles, there were quantitative (n = 5), qualitative (n = 1) and mixed methods (n = 2). Findings indicate a wide array of screening tools for violent experiences and highlight the potential negative impacts of violence in communities; however, literature regarding strategies for identification and treatment of psychosocial and physical health status of African American male adults experiencing direct and indirect community violence remains limited. Further work in clinical care and community health settings related to violence is warranted.

Neighborhood violent crime and adolescent relationship aggression

Research has shown that neighborhoods play a role in the etiology of violence. However, few adolescent relationship aggression (ARA) studies have objective measures of violent neighborhoods. Drawing on a nationally representative sample of youth, this study examines the association between ARA and local levels of violent crime (measured using geocoded Uniform Crime Report data from each of the youths' residential neighborhoods). Study analyses are based on survey data from 723 youth (ages 10-18) in current or recent dating relationships (351 males and 372 females) in the Survey on Teen Relationships and Intimate Violence (STRiV), a national representative household panel survey exploring interpersonal violence and related aggression among adolescents. About 19% of the sample reported ARA victimization in their most recent dating relationship (ARA perpetration was 17%). Neighborhood violent crime in the study (males living in 86.9 and females 99.8) was slightly lower than the national average of 100. With a broad national sample, 40% non-Whites, hypotheses guided by theories of neighborhood influence were tested. The study did not find an association between neighborhood violent crime and ARA victimization and perpetration, controlling for key demographic factors. The results, for a broad range of high- and low-crime neighborhoods, suggest that neighborhood violence does not seem to affect individual rates of ARA. The results suggest the ARA victimization and perpetration are perhaps ubiquitous and found both in low and high violent crime neighborhoods, suggesting that addressing local violent crime rates alone does not seem to be a path to also reducing ARA.

An Integrated Public Health Approach to Interpersonal Violence and Suicide Prevention and Response

Violence is a leading source of morbidity and mortality in the United States. In this article, we suggest a public health framework for preventing community violence, intimate partner violence and sexual violence, and suicide as key forms of interpersonal and self-directed violence. These types of violence often co-occur and share common risk and protective factors. The gender, racial/ethnic, and age-related disparities in violence risk can be understood through an intersectionality framework that considers the multiple simultaneous identities of people at risk. Important opportunities for cross-cutting interventions exist, and intervention strategies should be examined for potential effectiveness on multiple forms of violence through rigorous evaluation. Existing evidence-based approaches should be taken to scale for maximum impact. By seeking to influence the policy and normative context of violence as much as individual behavior, public health can work with the education system, criminal justice system, and other sectors to address the public health burden of interpersonal violence and suicide.

Concept Mapping: Engaging Urban Men to Understand Community Influences on Partner Violence Perpetration

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant health concern rooted in community experiences and other social determinants. The purpose of this study is to understand community-based risk and protective factors of IPV perpetration through participatory research that engages men who use IPV. Secondarily, we assess the relative influence, as measured by ranking, of these factors regarding risk of IPV perpetration and stress. We conducted concept mapping with Baltimore men (n = 28), ages 18 and older, enrolled in an abuse intervention program (AIP), through partnership with a domestic violence agency. Concept mapping, a three-phase participatory process, generates ideas around an issue then visually presents impactful domains via multi-dimensional scaling and hierarchical clustering. Most participants were Black (87.5%) and 20-39 years old (75%). Seven key domains, or clusters, were established. "No hope for the future" was the greatest contributor to IPV perpetration. "Socioeconomic struggles" (i.e., lack of employment) and "life in Baltimore" (i.e., homicide) were most likely to result in stress. Emergent domains related to IPV perpetration and stress were ranked similarly, but with some nuance. Having good support systems (i.e., family, community centers) were felt to prevent IPV and reduce stress. This participant-driven process among a primarily young, Black sample of Baltimore men speaks to the influence of perceived social disempowerment and underlying trauma on intimate relationships and the potential for mitigation. Few studies have engaged men who use IPV through participatory research to understand the comprehensive dynamics of an impoverished, urban environment. Results provide direction for community-based intervention and prevention programming to increase self-efficacy, particularly among younger men, and to enact trauma-informed violence prevention policy from the perspectives of male IPV perpetrators.

Gender, power, and violence: A systematic review of measures and their association with male perpetration of IPV

Introduction

Harmful gender norms, views on the acceptability of violence against women, and power inequities in relationships have been explored as key drivers of male perpetration of intimate partner violence (IPV). Yet such antecedents have been inconsistently measured in the empirical literature. This systematic review aimed to identify which measures of gender inequitable norms, views, relations and practices are currently being used in the field, and which are most closely tied with male IPV perpetration.

Methods

We searched five electronic databases to identify studies published between 2000 and 2015 that reported the association between such gender inequities and male perpetration of IPV. Identified scales were categorized by content area and level of generality, as well as other attributes, and we compared the consistency of scale performance across each category.

Results

Twenty-three studies were identified, employing 64 measures. Scales were categorized into three main thematic areas: views on gender roles/norms, acceptance of violence against women, and gender-related inequities in relationship power and control. We also classified whether the scale was oriented to respondents’ own views, or what they believed others do or think. While overall, measures were positively associated with IPV perpetration in 45% of cases, this finding varied by scale type. Measures inclusive of acceptance of violence against women or beliefs about men’s sexual entitlement, followed by scales that measured respondents’ views on gender roles/norms, were most consistently associated with IPV perpetration. Measures of relationship power showed less consistent associations. We found few scales that measured peer or community norms.

Conclusion

Validated scales that encompass views on the acceptance of violence against women, and scales inclusive of beliefs about men’s sexual entitlement, may be particularly promising for unpacking pathways to IPV perpetration, targeting interventions, and monitoring progress in IPV prevention efforts. A number of gaps in the literature are identified.

Community trauma as a predictor of sexual risk, marijuana use, and psychosocial outcomes among detained African-American female adolescents

Social determinants contribute to health disparities. Previous research has indicated that community trauma is associated with negative health outcomes. This study examined the impact of community trauma on sexual risk, marijuana use and mental health among African-American female adolescents in a juvenile detention center. One hundred and eighty-eight African-American female adolescents, aged 13-17 years, were recruited from a short-term detention facility and completed assessments on community trauma, sexual risk behavior, marijuana use, symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder and psychosocial HIV/STD risk factors. Findings indicate that community trauma was associated with unprotected sex, having a sex partner with a correctional/juvenile justice history, sexual sensation seeking, marijuana use, affiliation with deviant peers and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms at baseline and longitudinally. Findings reinforce the impact of community-level factors and co-occurring health issues, particularly in high-risk environments and among vulnerable populations. Structural and community-level interventions and policy-level changes may help improve access to resources and improve adolescents' overall health and standard of living in at-risk communities.

Interactions of adolescent social experiences and dopamine genes to predict physical intimate partner violence perpetration

Objectives

We examined the interactions between three dopamine gene alleles (DAT1, DRD2, DRD4) previously associated with violent behavior and two components of the adolescent environment (exposure to violence, school social environment) to predict adulthood physical intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration among white men and women.

Methods

We used data from Wave IV of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, a cohort study following individuals from adolescence to adulthood. Based on the prior literature, we categorized participants as at risk for each of the three dopamine genes using this coding scheme: two 10-R alleles for DAT1; at least one A-1 allele for DRD2; at least one 7-R or 8-R allele for DRD4. Adolescent exposure to violence and school social environment was measured in 1994 and 1995 when participants were in high school or middle school. Intimate partner violence perpetration was measured in 2008 when participants were 24 to 32 years old. We used simple and multivariable logistic regression models, including interactions of genes and the adolescent environments for the analysis.

Results

Presence of risk alleles was not independently associated with IPV perpetration but increasing exposure to violence and disconnection from the school social environment was associated with physical IPV perpetration. The effects of these adolescent experiences on physical IPV perpetration varied by dopamine risk allele status. Among individuals with non-risk dopamine alleles, increased exposure to violence during adolescence and perception of disconnection from the school environment were significantly associated with increased odds of physical IPV perpetration, but individuals with high risk alleles, overall, did not experience the same increase.

Conclusion

Our results suggested the effects of adolescent environment on adulthood physical IPV perpetration varied by genetic factors. This analysis did not find a direct link between risk alleles and violence, but contributes to growing research indicating that if genetic factors contribute to perpetration, this relationship is likely complicated and the result of interactions with other factors.

Building Nehemiah's Wall: The North Minneapolis Faith Community's Role in the Prevention of Intimate Partner Violence

African American women who are victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) often rely on faith when exposed to IPV; however, the role of the faith community in the lives of IPV victims is less clear. This study uses a community-based approach to examine the role of the faith community in addressing IPV in heterosexual relationships in North Minneapolis where rates of poverty and IPV among African Americans are disproportionately high compared to other cities in Minnesota. Five focus group discussions (FGDs) were held with 34 lay and secular leaders of mixed genders in the North Minneapolis community. FGDs were evaluated using a grounded theory method of analysis. Discussions revealed that some faith leaders effectively identified IPV as a community issue and intervened but that many remained silent or were not well trained to address the issue safely. Faith-based solutions were identified to address IPV in the African American community and included the faith community speaking openly about IPV, developing programs for unmarried and adolescent couples, and coordinating services with secular IPV support organizations.

Neighborhood Factors and Dating Violence Among Youth: A Systematic Review

CONTEXT

The purpose of this review is to summarize the empirical research on neighborhood-level factors and dating violence among adolescents and emerging adults to guide future research and practice.

EVIDENCE ACQUISITION

In 2015, a total of 20 articles were identified through a search of the literature using PubMed. Eligible articles included those that (1) had been published in a peer-reviewed journal since 2005; (2) reported a measure of association between at least one neighborhood-level factor and dating violence; and (3) had a study population of youth aged <26 years. We abstracted information about the studies, including measurement of dating violence and neighborhood factors, and measures of effect.

EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS

Results were summarized into three categories based on the aspect of neighborhood that was the focus of the work: demographic and structural characteristics (n=11); neighborhood disorder (n=12); and social disorganization (n=8). There was some evidence to suggest that neighborhood disadvantage is associated with dating violence, but very little evidence to suggest that residence characteristics (e.g., racial heterogeneity) are associated with dating violence. Results do suggest that perceived neighborhood disorder is associated with physical dating violence perpetration, but do not suggest that it is associated with physical dating violence victimization. Social control and community connectedness are both associated with dating violence, but findings on collective efficacy are mixed.

CONCLUSIONS

Existing research suggests that neighborhood factors may be associated with dating violence. However, there is a limited body of research on the neighborhood context of dating violence, and more rigorous research is needed.

Abuse Impedes Prevention: The Intersection of Intimate Partner Violence and HIV/STI Risk Among Young African American Women

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is associated with risky sexual behavior and STIs among diverse groups of women. IPV was examined as a moderator of efficacy for an HIV/STI intervention. 848 African American women, 18-29, were randomly assigned to an HIV/STI intervention or control condition. Participants completed measures on sociodemographics, IPV, risky sexual behavior and received STI testing. IPV predicted inconsistent condom use and a risky sexual partner over 12-month follow-up. A significant interaction indicated that among women who experienced IPV, those in the intervention were more likely to test positive for Trichomonas vaginalis (TV). Among intervention participants, those who experienced IPV were more likely to test TV-positive than those who did not. In an HIV intervention that did not specifically address IPV, women in the control condition were less likely to acquire TV than those in the intervention. Consideration of contextual/interpersonal factors is essential when developing HIV intervention programs.