RT Article
T1 Trauma Exposure and PTSD Among Women Receiving Treatment for Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration
JF Journal of interpersonal violence
VO 36
IS 13/14
A1 Miles-McLean, Haley A.
A1 LaMotte, Adam D.
A1 Williams, Megan R.
A1 Murphy, Christopher M.
A2 LaMotte, Adam D.
A2 Williams, Megan R.
A2 Murphy, Christopher M.
LA English
YR 2021
UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/1760355380
AB Trauma exposure and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms have been associated with men’s perpetration of intimate partner violence (IPV), but relatively little research has examined these associations among women who perpetrate IPV. This exploratory investigation evaluated the associations among trauma, PTSD symptoms, and IPV perpetration for women and a comparison sample of men. During intake at a community-based Abuse Intervention Program (AIP), women (n = 32) and a demographically similar comparison sample of men (n = 64) completed measures of trauma exposure, PTSD symptoms, physical aggression and emotional abuse perpetration, and use of alcohol and other drugs. The vast majority of women (93.5%) reported traumatic event exposure, and close to half (43.8%) screened positive for a probable PTSD diagnosis. Women’s level of PTSD symptoms correlated positively with emotional abuse perpetration, with medium-to-large effect sizes. After controlling for substance use, women’s PTSD symptoms were significantly and positively correlated with physical assault and emotional abuse perpetration. Women reported significantly higher rates of exposure to IPV victimization and had significantly higher rates of probable PTSD and PTSD symptoms than did men from the same AIP. Gender did not significantly moderate the associations between PTSD symptoms and IPV perpetration. Overall, findings indicate that trauma exposure and PTSD symptoms are important correlates of women’s IPV perpetration. Women in treatment for IPV perpetration may benefit from additional assessment and treatment of trauma and trauma-related symptoms.
K1 gender-responsive treatment
K1 women’s perpetration
K1 trauma exposure
K1 Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
K1 Intimate Partner Violence
DO 10.1177/0886260518820634