A dearth of literature has
examined the consequences of women's use of aggression in intimate
relationships. Women's use of aggression against their intimate partners,
regardless of their motivation (e.g., self-defense, retaliation), may elicit
shame. Shame, in turn, may contribute to the maintenance and/or exacerbation of
posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, which are commonly experienced
in this population.
Further, emerging research suggests that emotionally
avoidant coping strategies, such as substance use, may strengthen the relation
between shame and PTSD symptoms. The goal of the present study was to examine
whether women's shame concerning their use of intimate partner aggression is
associated with their PTSD symptoms, and whether drug and alcohol use problems
moderate this association. Participants were 369 community women who had used
and been victimized by physical aggression in an intimate relationship with a
male partner in the past six months.
The intimate partner aggression-related shame × drug
(but not alcohol) use problems interaction on PTSD symptom severity was
significant. Analysis of simple slopes revealed that women's intimate partner
aggression-related shame was positively associated with their PTSD symptoms
when drug use problems were high, but not when drug use problems were low.
Findings have implications for the potential utility of PTSD treatments
targeting a reduction in shame and maladaptive shame regulation strategies
(i.e., drug use) in this population.
Purchase full article at: http://goo.gl/UQ4W5c
By:
- 1Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut.
- 2Department of Psychology, Clark University, Worcester, Massachusetts.
- 3Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina.
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