Pathways to Resistance: Theorizing Trauma and Women's Use of Force in Intimate Relationships

Using a feminist pathways general strain perspective, we explore the victim–offender continuum for women who perpetrated intimate partner violence/abuse (IPV/A). We use data from 86 women court-mandated to “female offender” domestic violence treatment programs, located in an American East Coast stat...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Becker, Patricia 1966- (Author)
Contributors: Miller, Susan L. ; Iovanni, LeeAnn
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Published: 2025
In: Violence against women
Year: 2025, Volume: 31, Issue: 6/7, Pages: 1580-1605
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
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Keywords:
Life Course
Pathways
Trauma
IPV/A victimization
women's offending
Description
Summary:Using a feminist pathways general strain perspective, we explore the victim–offender continuum for women who perpetrated intimate partner violence/abuse (IPV/A). We use data from 86 women court-mandated to “female offender” domestic violence treatment programs, located in an American East Coast state, who were surveyed about their adverse childhood experiences and mental health/well-being as adults. Findings from bivariate linear regressions indicate childhood trauma negatively affects adult mental health/well-being, exacerbated for Black Indigenous People of Color women, suggesting a victim rather than an offender categorization for women using force against their abusive partner. Results imply the need to consider women's traumatic histories and IPV/A victimization, given an incident-driven system that criminalizes victimization over the life course.
ISSN:1552-8448
DOI:10.1177/10778012241233000