Who Is at Risk for Intimate Partner Violence Victimization: Using Latent Class Analysis to Explore Interpersonal Polyvictimization and Polyperpetration Among Pregnant Young Couples

Causal and common risk pathways linking childhood maltreatment to later intimate partner violence victimization

Childhood maltreatment and intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization are major psychiatric risk factors. Maltreatment substantially increases the likelihood of subsequent IPV victimization, but what drives this association is poorly understood. We analyzed retrospective self-reports of maltreatment and IPV victimization in 12,794 participants (58% women, 42% men) from the Twins Early Development Study at ages 21 and 26 using quantitative genetic methods. We estimated the etiological influences common to maltreatment and IPV, and the effect of maltreatment on IPV beyond such common influences. Participants who reported childhood maltreatment ( ~ 7% of the sample) were 3 times more likely than their peers to also report IPV victimization at age 21, 4 times more likely at 26. The association between maltreatment and IPV was mostly due to environmental influences shared by co-twins (42-43%) and genetic influences (30-33%), as well as nonshared environmental influences (25-27%). The association between maltreatment and IPV was similar for women and men, but its etiology partly differed by sex. Maltreatment had a moderate effect on IPV in phenotypic models (β = 0.25-0.30), decreasing to a small-to-moderate range in causally informative models accounting for their common etiology (β = 0.15-0.21). Risk factors common to maltreatment and IPV victimization are largely familial in origin, environmental and genetic. Even considering common risk factors, experiencing maltreatment may be causally related to subsequent IPV victimization. Interventions promoting safe intimate relationships among young adults exposed to maltreatment are warranted and should address family-level environmental risk and individual-level risk shaped by genetics.

Toward a Contextually Sensitive Understanding of Polyvictimization: A Latent Class Analysis of Violence, Risks, and Protections Among South African Adolescents From Highly Deprived Settings

South African adolescents experience a high prevalence of violence victimization alongside the health and economic burdens of HIV/AIDS and poverty. Polyvictimization is a useful theory and framework that allows for a nuanced understanding of lived adolescent experience patterns. Polyvictimization examinations are further enriched by person-centered analytical approaches. This study used latent class analysis to differentiate a sample of South African adolescents from highly deprived communities by their polyvictimization profiles and contextual violence risk and protective factors. Adolescents were sampled twice (2010/2011; 2011/2012), and data reflected their lifetime (sexual abuse) or recent (all other forms of assessed abuse/violence) violence victimizations, as well as individual, household, and community characteristics. Model fit indices supported a seven-class model with adolescents in high, moderate, and low polyvictimization classes. Adolescents in the high polyvictimization classes experienced a heavy burden of poverty and multiple forms of violence across contexts and were distinguished by HIV/AIDS and disability. Adolescents in the low polyvictimization class experienced relatively little violence, despite living in violent communities, and low household and individual burdens of HIV/AIDS and disability. Findings emphasize the importance of considering adolescent violence through a contextually sensitive polyvictimization lens to understand the complex web of violence that adolescents experience. This work supports previous research in low-resource South African settings highlighting the interconnected nature of violence, poverty, disability, and HIV/AIDS. Future research should explore these complex violence patterns and their effects, while program and policy actions must target and prevent adolescent violence especially for those impacted by poverty, disability, and HIV/AIDS.

Causal and common risk pathways linking childhood maltreatment to later intimate partner violence victimization

Childhood maltreatment and intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization are major psychiatric risk factors. Maltreatment substantially increases the likelihood of subsequent IPV victimization, but what drives this association is poorly understood. We analyzed retrospective self-reports of maltreatment and IPV in 12794 participants (58% women, 42% men) from the Twins Early Development Study at ages 21 and 26 using quantitative genetic methods. We estimated the etiological influences common to maltreatment and IPV, and the direct causal effect of maltreatment on IPV beyond such common influences. Participants exposed to maltreatment (~7% of the sample) were 3 times more likely to experience IPV victimization than their peers at age 21, 4 times more likely at 26. The association between maltreatment and IPV was mostly due to environmental influences shared by co-twins (42-43%) and genetic influences (30-33%). The association between maltreatment and IPV was similar for women and men, but its etiology partly differed by sex. Maltreatment had a moderate-to-large effect on IPV in phenotypic models (β = 0.23-0.34), decreasing to a small-to-moderate range in causal models accounting for their common etiology (β = 0.15-0.21). Risk factors common to maltreatment and IPV victimization are largely familial in origin, environmental and genetic. Even considering common risk factors, experiencing maltreatment is causally related to subsequent IPV victimization. Interventions promoting safe intimate relationships among young adults exposed to maltreatment are warranted and should address family-level environmental risk and individual-level risk shaped by genetics.

Assessing Polyvictimization in a Family Justice Center: Lessons Learned From a Demonstration Project

There is a growing interest in developing comprehensive assessments that measure intimate partner violence (IPV) alongside other adverse events that correlate with IPV and compound its effects. One promising line of research in this area has focused on the impact of exposure to multiple types of victimization, i.e., polyvictimization. The purpose of this study is to examine the experience of administration of a polyvictimization tool from staff and client perspectives in order to inform future tool developments and assessment procedures. Qualitative interviews and focus groups with clients and staff from a family justice center who had experience with the assessment tool were used to identify strengths and challenges of the assessment too and inform future tool development. Findings demonstrate that an assessment tool provides the space for clients to talk about trauma and facilitate empowerment, while providing the opportunity for psychoeducation and service referrals. Concerns about the assessment tool included adverse reactions without proper framing and language, as well as shifting the emphasis from screening for adversities toward strengths, coping skills, and resilience. Implications for future measurement development and establishing best practices in polyvictimization assessment are discussed, with an emphasis on the benefits of social service agencies utilizing assessment tools.

More than the sum of their parts: A dyad-centered approach to understanding adolescent sexual behavior

BACKGROUND

Research has documented multiple levels of influences on adolescent sexual behavior, but has generally focused less on the relational nature of this behavior. Studies with dyadic data have provided important findings on relationship process, including the role of gender in different-sex dyads. However, both of these bodies of literature typically utilize a variable-centered approach, which examines average influences of particular variables on sexual behavior. This study expands upon this research by presenting a dyad-centered approach to adolescent sexual behavior that can identify types of couples based on patterns of multidimensional risk and protective factors.

METHODS

I demonstrate the dyad-centered approach using data from different-sex dyads in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health to uncover profiles marked by individual, parent, peer, and religion predictors for both male and female partners.

RESULTS

Analyses uncovered five classes of dyadic influences, four of which were marked by relative similarity between partners and one marked by lesser approval of sex for women compared to men. Dyads marked by both partners intending to have sex and being in a context that is more approving of sex were more likely to engage in sexual intercourse.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings demonstrate the heterogeneity of influences and intentions to have sex among adolescent couples, and identify profiles of dyads who are more likely to engage in sexual intercourse. This approach can explicate dyadic processes involved in sexual behavior and the types of couples that exist in a population, leading to more tailored and efficacious interventions.

The Impact of Adverse Childhood Events on the Sexual and Mental Health of Women Experiencing Intimate Partner Violence

Women experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV) are at an increased risk of engaging in sexual risk behaviors and experiencing depressive and posttraumatic stress symptoms. Adverse childhood events (ACEs) can put women at increased risk of poor sexual and mental health. Women experiencing IPV report ACEs, but few studies have examined the heterogeneity in women's experiences of ACEs and its effects on sexual and mental health. Therefore, the current study used latent profile analysis to identify profiles of ACEs (i.e., witnessing maternal and paternal IPV victimization; childhood physical, sexual, and emotional abuse; and physical and emotional neglect) and their association with sexual risk behaviors and depressive and posttraumatic stress symptoms. Women experiencing IPV aged 18 to 58 years (N = 212) were recruited from community establishments and completed face-to-face, computer-assisted interviews. Three profiles were identified: Low ACEs class (n = 115), Moderate ACEs class (n = 62), and High ACEs class (n = 35). Path analyses revealed that profiles of ACEs directly predicted women's IPV victimization severity and depressive and posttraumatic stress symptoms. Secondary and tertiary mental health interventions may be more effective if the heterogeneity in women's ACEs is addressed by integrating intervention strategies specific to these ACE subgroups.

Gun Violence Exposure and Experiences of Depression Among Mothers

Gun violence is a uniquely prevalent issue in the USA that disproportionately affects disadvantaged families already at risk of health disparities. Despite the traumatic nature of witnessing gun violence, we have little knowledge of whether exposure to local gun violence is associated with higher risks of depression among mothers, whose symptoms of depression are likely to have spillover effects for kin. We examined the association between exposure to gun violence in mothers' neighborhoods and their experiences of depression using longitudinal Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study data (n = 4587) in tandem with lagged outcome and fixed effect models. We find that mothers who witness at least one shooting in their neighborhoods or local communities exhibit more symptoms of depression and are 32-60% more likely to meet criteria for depression than mothers who do not witness a shooting. We also find that witnessing a shooting is associated with increases in parental aggravation, which is partially mediated by maternal depression. Given this and other previously documented spillover effects of mothers' mental health on children and family members, these findings have important implications for mothers' wellbeing and their kin. Further, we observe substantial racial and socioeconomic disparities in exposure to gun violence, suggesting that gun violence may heighten health disparities and drawing attention to the importance of providing mental health resources in communities that are most affected by gun violence.

Risky sexual behaviour and contraceptive use among young women in the Czech Republic

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to obtain sexual and reproductive behaviour data of late adolescent women in the Czech Republic and to analyse the relationships between sexual behaviour and social, demographic, and behavioural factors.

METHODS

Data were obtained using the Computer-Assisted Web Interviewing method from 25 April to 2 May 2018 from a representative group of sexually active women aged 18-24 years. Results were statistically evaluated using sign schema on adjusted residuals.

RESULTS

A total of 525 women participated (median age of coitarche - 16 years, condom use with/without hormonal contraception - 65%, unprotected sex - 9.3% in the sexual debut). Anamnestic artificial abortion and sexually transmitted disease (STD) rates were 5.3% and 3.8%, respectively. Early coitarche, number of sexual partners, history of abortion, and STDs were positively correlated with current hormonal contraceptive use; the number of sexual partners and use of hormonal contraception were negatively correlated. Hormonal contraceptive users were more likely vaccinated against human papilloma virus (HPV) in comparison with women without any contraception. There was no correlation between risky sexual behaviour, contraceptive use, and socio-demographic factors.

CONCLUSION

Women with early coitarche and a high cumulative number of sexual partners have more unwanted pregnancies and STDs; moreover, those with regular coital activity without contraception are less frequently vaccinated against HPV.

Intimate Partner Violence Against Low-Income Women in Mexico City and Associations with Child School Attendance: A Latent Class Analysis Using Cross-sectional Data

INTRODUCTION

Few studies have investigated how intimate partner violence (IPV), and patterns of IPV experiences, may impact children's school attendance in low- and middle-income countries.

METHODS

Using baseline data from a sub-sample of 659 women in Mexico City enrolled in a randomized controlled trial who reported having a child under age 18 and in school, multilevel latent class analysis (LCA) was used to classify women based on their reported IPV experiences. Multilevel risk regression analyses examined associations between latent class membership and IPV-related disruptions in children's schooling. Latent classes were identified in a prior study.

RESULTS

Overall, 23.3% of women reported their child's school attendance was disrupted due to IPV. LCA identified four distinct classes of IPV experiences: Low Physical and Sexual Violence (39.1%); Low Physical and High Sexual Violence class (14.8%), High Physical and Low Sexual Violence and Injuries (36.5%); and High Physical and Sexual Violence and Injuries (9.6%). Compared with women in the Low Physical and Sexual Violence class, women in the High Physical and Sexual Violence and Injuries class and women in the High Physical and Low Sexual Violence and Injuries class were at greater risk of IPV disrupting children's school attendance (ARR 3.39, 95% CI 2.34, 4.92; ARR 2.22, 95% CI 1.54, 3.19, respectively). No other statistically significant associations emerged.

DISCUSSION

High disruptions in children's school attendance due to IPV were reported and were differentially related to patterns of IPV experiences. Findings underscore the need to understand underlying mechanisms. Future work integrating both violence against women and violence against children is needed.

Influence of the history of abuse and suicidal attempts behavior among women victims of violence in Nicaragua

Suffering traumatic experiences linked to violence seems to be related to suicide attempts, especially, when the physical or sexual abuse has been experienced at an early age. This study examines the relationship between the history of abuse and suicide attempts among women victims of violence living in poverty in Nicaragua. This sample was subjected to a particularly serious range of stressful situations and experiences related to violence throughout their lives. The results show that women who experienced abuse during childhood were more likely to report a history of suicide attempts than women without a history of childhood abuse. Therefore, suicide attempts seem to be related more to those traumatic experiences during childhood than to violence suffered afterward. Identifying this type of abuse is particularly important because of its implications for the victims' health, as suicide attempts are maladaptive behaviors with which the women in the sample could have been addressing the trauma they experienced in their childhood. It is, therefore, necessary to highlight this problem in a developing country, which has been the focus of a limited number of studies, and where there are no support mechanisms for victims whose rights have been violated.

Moral Disengagement as an Explanatory Factor of the Polyivictimization of Bullying and Cyberbullying

BACKGROUND

The present study's objectives were to: (1) Identify and analyze the prevalence of poly-victims, and (2) determine how the levels of moral disengagement and the various defence mechanisms that victims use to explain abusive behavior might function as predictors of poly-bullying.

METHODS

The sample consisted of 1328 participants of from 9 to 14 years old. The instruments used were two questionnaires. One allows the prevalence of bullying and cyberbullying victims to be identified and analyzed. The other analyses the level of moral disengagement and the defence mechanisms to which the victims resort.

RESULTS

The results showed there to be a continuity of the role of victim in off-line and on-line contexts, turning those who are subject to these situations into poly-victims. The moral disengagement of these victims was found basically to be centered at two levels-a locus of behavior, and a locus of outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

Exposure to abuse that is continuous, of different types, and coming from different contexts must be perceived as a public health problem given the lack of effective tools to combat the situations of helplessness that the polyvictims experience.

An ecological analysis of gender inequality and intimate partner violence in the United States

The purpose of this research was to assess the association between Gender Inequality Index and prevalence of lifetime intimate partner violence (IPV) among women and men at the state-level. Recently developed 2017 state-level prevalence estimates of IPV among a nationally-representative sample of U.S. non-institutionalized adults between 2010 and 2012 from the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey was combined with calculated indexes for state-level gender inequality. Gender Inequality Index, created by the United Nations, reflects gender-based disadvantage in reproductive health, empowerment, and labor market participation. Correlations and linear regressions were used to examine associations between gender inequality and IPV. Gender Inequality Index values ranged from 0.149 to 0.381. The lifetime prevalence of IPV ranged between 27.8% and 45.3% for women and between 18.5% and 38.6% for men. Across states, the Gender Inequality Index was positively correlated with the prevalence of any form of IPV (r = 0.28, p < .05) and psychological IPV among women (r = 0.41, p < .01). The adjusted regression model showed a positive association between gender inequality and psychological IPV among women (B = 1.61, SE = 0.57, p = .007). Structural changes to gender inequality may help to reduce occurrences of IPV and improve the wellbeing and livelihood of women and girls.

Associations Between Latent Classes of Interpersonal Polyvictimization and Polyperpetration and Sexual Risk Behaviors Among Young Pregnant Couples: A Dyadic Analysis

Interpersonal violence victimization and perpetration have been associated with sexual risk behaviors among adolescents and young adults, but research is lacking on: (1) how patterns of interpersonal polyvictimization and polyperpetration are associated with sexual risk among young pregnant couples, and (2) how individual and partner experiences of violence differentially impact sexual risk. The current analyses used baseline data from a longitudinal study that followed 296 pregnant young couples from pregnancy to 12 months postpartum. Couples were recruited at obstetrics and gynecology clinics, and an ultrasound clinic in the U.S. Latent class analysis identified subgroups based on polyvictimization and polyperpetration. Using the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model, path analyses assessed actor-partner effects of class membership on sexual risk. Three latent classes were used for women: Class 1: Polyvictim-Polyperpetrator; Class 2: Nonvictim-Nonperpetrator; and Class 3: Community and Prior IPV Victim. Four latent classes were used for men: Class 1: Community and Prior IPV Victim; Class 2: Polyvictim-Nonpartner Perpetrator; Class 3: Prior IPV and Peer Victim; and Class 4: Nonvictim-Nonperpetrator. Path analyses revealed that females in Class 2 and their male partners had higher condom use than females in Class 3. Males in Class 2 had more sexual partners than males in Class 1. Among nonmonogamous couples, males in Class 2 were less likely to be involved with a female partner reporting unprotected sex than males in Class 1. Among nonmonogamous couples, females in Class 2 had more acts of unprotected sex than females in Class 1. Males in Class 4 were less likely to have concurrent sexual partners compared to males in Class 1. Risk reduction interventions should address both victimization and perpetration. Additional research is needed to understand how mechanisms driving differential sexual risk by patterns of interpersonal polyvictimization and polyperpetration.

Intimate Partner Violence, Sexual Autonomy and Postpartum STD Prevention Among Young Couples: A Mediation Analysis

CONTEXT

The transition to parenthood is a stressful time for young couples and can put them at risk for acquiring STDs. Mechanisms underlying this risk-particularly, intimate partner violence (IPV) and sexual autonomy-have not been well studied.

METHODS

Between 2007 and 2011, a prospective cohort study of the relationships and health of pregnant adolescents and their male partners recruited 296 couples at four hospital-based obstetrics and gynecology clinics in the U.S. Northeast; participants were followed up six and 12 months after the birth. Structural equation modeling identified associations among IPV at baseline and six months, sexual autonomy at six months and STD acquisition at 12 months. Mediating effects of sexual autonomy were tested via bootstrapping.

RESULTS

Females were aged 14-21, and male partners were 14 or older. For females, IPV victimization at baseline was positively associated with the likelihood of acquiring a postpartum STD (coefficient, 0.4); level of sexual autonomy was inversely associated with the likelihood of acquiring an STD and of having a male partner who acquired one by the 12-month follow-up (-0.4 for each). For males, IPV victimization at baseline was negatively correlated with a female partner's sexual autonomy (-0.3) and likelihood of acquiring an STD (-0.7); victimization at six months was positively related to a partner's sexual autonomy (0.2). Sexual autonomy did not mediate these relationships.

CONCLUSIONS

Females' sexual autonomy appears to protect against postpartum STDs for both partners. Future research should explore the efficacy of IPV-informed approaches to improving women's sexual and reproductive health.

"Think Like a Man": How Sexual Cultural Scripting and Masculinity Influence Changes in Men's Use of Intimate Partner Violence

The purpose of the study was to (a) explore the relationship between sexual cultural scripting and traditional masculine norms on changes in intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration, and (b) examine traditional masculine norms as an effect modifier among young heterosexual men. This study is a secondary data analysis of a prospective cohort study of 119 young heterosexual men who were followed for 6 months. The adjusted logistic regression results revealed that sexual cultural scripting norms were associated with an increased odds of emotional IPV perpetration and traditional masculine norms were associated with an increased odds of physical IPV perpetration in the past 6 months. There were no significant interaction effects between sexual cultural scripting and traditional masculine norms on IPV perpetration. These findings suggest that socially constructed norms and beliefs surrounding masculinity, femininity, and how women and men interact in sexual relationships are important constructs for understanding the etiology of young men's use of violence against a female partner. While primary IPV interventions targeting young men do address masculinity, sexual cultural scripting is an additional concept that should also be addressed.