Intimate Partner Aggression-Related Shame & Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms: The Moderating Role of Substance Use Problems

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.

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By:   Weiss NH1, Duke AA1, Overstreet NM2, Swan SC3, Sullivan TP1.

• 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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Suicidal Ideation among Rural Immigrant Daughters-in-Law with Multi-Roles as Females, Farmers and Immigrants in China

Suicide is a major public health issue in China, and suicidal ideation is an important step in the suicidal process. The purpose of this study was to understand the prevalence and correlates of suicidal ideation among rural immigrant daughters-in-law with multi-role of female, farmer and immigrant in China. 

A total of 939 participants including 474 local daughters-in-law and 465 immigrant daughters-in-law were surveyed using the self-rating questionnaire. Demographic characteristics, depression, anxiety, impulsivity and suicidal ideation were assessed. Results indicated that the lifetime prevalence of suicidal ideation among rural immigrant daughters-in-law was 9.68%. Physical disability, domestic violence and negative events demonstrated statistical significance by suicidal ideation (p < .05), and participants with suicidal ideation had higher scores of depression, anxiety and impulsiveness in the univariate analysis. 

Multivariate logistic regression showed that physical disability, domestic violence, depression, impulsiveness and motor impulsiveness were significantly associated with suicidal ideation. Suicidal ideation is an issue that can't be ignored among rural immigrant daughters-in-law. And the findings should be considered for the intervention of the suicide among the rural immigrant daughters-in-law.

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By:  Qin Q1, Jin Y2, Zhan S1, Yu X3, Huang F2.

• 1 Ma'anshan Center for Disease Control and Prevention , Ma'anshan , China.
• 2 Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics , School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University , Hefei , China.
• 3 Bowang Center for Disease Control and Prevention , Ma'anshan , China. 

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The Age-IPV Curve: Changes in the Perpetration of Intimate Partner Violence During Adolescence and Young Adulthood

Research on intimate partner violence (IPV) has evolved over the last decade with increasing interest in how IPV develops over adolescence and young adulthood. Studies examining patterns of IPV over time have generally focused on victimization with less attention to temporal shifts in perpetration. 

While it is generally assumed that IPV peaks during young adulthood, this has not been empirically verified and documented. Additionally, prior longitudinal analyses of IPV have focused on identifying trajectories and their accompanying risk factors, with less attention given to within-individual change in IPV experiences across and within relationships. 

Drawing on five waves of data from the Toledo Adolescent Relationships Study, we examined patterns of the perpetration of IPV among a diverse sample of adolescents and young adults (51.1% female, 63.9% non-Hispanic White, 24.6% non-Hispanic Black, 11.5% Hispanic) spanning the ages of 13-28 years (N = 1,164). 

Analyses demonstrated that IPV patterns deviate from the age-crime curve, with women's involvement in IPV increasing, while their involvement in other antisocial behaviors is decreasing. Traditional behavioral and psychological risk factors (delinquency, alcohol and drug use, depressive symptoms) accounted for some of the age variation in IPV for men, but these factors did not account for age variation in IPV among women. 

Relationship risk factors including frequency of disagreements, trust, jealousy, validation and self-disclosure, however, accounted for substantial portions of the age-IPV perpetration relationship for male and female youth. 

These findings reinforce recent calls for prevention efforts that focus on the development and maintenance of healthy relationships.

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By: Johnson WL1, Giordano PC, Manning WD, Longmore MA.

• 1Department of Sociology, Anthropology, Social Work and Criminal Justice, Oakland University, Rochester, MI, 48309, USA, wljohnson@oakland.edu.  

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"Demonstrating Masculinity" Via Intimate Partner Aggression: The Moderating Effect of Heavy Episodic Drinking

The aim of the present study was to examine the mediational effect of masculine gender role stress on the relation between adherence to dimensions of a hegemonic masculinity and male-to-female intimate partner physical aggression. Men's history of heavy episodic drinking was also examined as a moderator of the proposed mediation effect. 

A sample of 392 heterosexual men from the southeastern United States who had been in an intimate relationship within the past year completed measures of hegemonic masculine norms (i.e., status, toughness, and antifemininity), masculine gender role stress, alcohol use patterns, and intimate partner physical aggression. 

Results indicated that the indirect effects of adherence to the antifemininity and toughness norms on physical aggression toward female intimate partners via masculine gender role stress were significant and marginal, respectively. A significant indirect effect of status was not detected. Moreover, subsequent analyses revealed that the indirect effects of antifemininity and toughness were significant only among men with a history of heavy episodic drinking. 

These findings suggest that heavy episodic drinking exacerbates a gender-relevant stress pathway for intimate partner aggression among men who adhere to specific norms of masculinity. Overall, results suggest that the proximal effect of heavy episodic drinking focuses men's attention on gender-based schemas associated with antifemininity and toughness, which facilitates partner-directed aggression as a means to demonstrate these aspects of their masculinity. Implications for the intersection between men's adherence to specific norms of hegemonic masculinity, cognitive appraisal of gender relevant situations, and characteristic patterns of alcohol consumption are discussed.

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By: Lisco CG1, Leone RM1, Gallagher KE1, Parrott DJ1.

• 1Department of Psychology, Georgia State University.  

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