Jennifer Langhinrichsen-Rohling

Are Bi-Directionally Violent Couples Mutually Victimized? A Gender-Sensitive Comparison

Mutual victimization in marriage was studied in a sample of clinic couples (N = 57) where both spouses reported partner aggression on an adapted version of the Conflict Tactics Scale (Straus, 1979). As predicted, wives sustained more injuries and were more negatively affected by their partner’s physical aggression than did husbands. Multiple dimensions of aggression were used to identify subgroups of mutually victimized couples (e.g., frequency, severity of aggressive act[s], psychological impact, and severity of injury). The largest subgroup consisted of spouses who reported low levels of victimization on all dimensions. Subgroup 2 included couples in which wives reported higher overall levels of victimization than did their husbands. A third small subgroup was also identified where husbands reported higher levels of victimization than did their wives. Contrary to prediction, both highly victimized wives and highly victimized husbands in the asymmetrical victimization subgroups reported greater levels of relationship and individual distress than did spouses in the mutual/low victimization and nonaggression control groups. However, the marriages of the two highly victimized subgroups did differ in important ways. The findings were interpreted to suggest an integration of feminist and dyadic theories of marital aggression.

A Meta-Analysis of Neuropsychological Outcome After Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: Re-analyses and Reconsiderations of Binder et al. (1997), Frencham et al. (2005), and Pertab et al. (2009)

The meta-analytic findings of Binder et al. (1997) and Frencham et al. (2005) showed that the neuropsychological effect of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) was negligible in adults by 3 months post injury. Pertab et al. (2009) reported that verbal paired associates, coding tasks, and digit span yielded significant differences between mTBI and control groups. We re-analyzed data from the 25 studies used in the prior meta-analyses, correcting statistical and methodological limitations of previous efforts, and analyzed the chronicity data by discrete epochs. Three months post injury the effect size of −0.07 was not statistically different from zero and similar to that which has been found in several other meta-analyses (Belanger et al., 2005; Schretlen & Shapiro, 2003). The effect size 7 days post injury was −0.39. The effect of mTBI immediately post injury was largest on Verbal and Visual Memory domains. However, 3 months post injury all domains improved to show non-significant effect sizes. These findings indicate that mTBI has an initial small effect on neuropsychological functioning that dissipates quickly. The evidence of recovery in the present meta-analysis is consistent with previous conclusions of both Binder et al. and Frencham et al. Our findings may not apply to people with a history of multiple concussions or complicated mTBIs.

Single versus Multi-Type Maltreatment: An Examination of the Long-Term Effects of Child Abuse

Abstract The purpose of the present study was to identify the long-term impacts of different types of child abuse and to assess differential effects of single versus multi-type maltreatment. Three hundred and eighty-four college students completed measures of child abuse history (neglect, emotional, physical, and sexual abuse), depression, suicidality, self-esteem, sexual behavior, drug and alcohol use, and delinquent behavior. The results demonstrate the high rates of co-occurrence of different types of abuse, with few differential effects identified. Rather, all types of abuse were associated with symptoms. Experiencing multiple types of abuse was associated with greater symptoms than experiencing no abuse or a single type of abuse. The results highlight the importance of considering all types of abuse when studying child maltreatment.

Rates of Bidirectional Versus Unidirectional Intimate Partner Violence Across Samples, Sexual Orientations, and Race/Ethnicities: A Comprehensive Review

One hotly debated topic within the field of intimate partner violence (IPV) is the degree to which IPV can be understood as primarily a unidirectional versus bidirectional phenomena; this topic forms a key component of the gender symmetry versus asymmetry of domestic violence debate. Resolution of this controversy has important prevention and intervention implications. In the current study, a comprehensive review of the literature was conducted, and 48 studies that reported rates of bidirectional versus unidirectional physical violence (male-to-female and female-to-male) were uncovered using a variety of search engines and key terms; one relevant meta-analysis and one seminal book chapter were also identified. Included empirical studies were published in 1990 or later, appeared in peer-reviewed journals, and contained empirical data directly related to bidirectionality of violence. Studies that only reported correlations between self-reported perpetration and victimization were excluded from these analyses. Qualifying studies were then categorized by the nature of the sample they assessed (i.e., large population samples; smaller community; purposive or convenience samples; clinical or treatment-seeking samples; legal/criminal justice-related samples; and samples assessing the relationships of gay, lesbian, and/or bisexual individuals). Rates of bidirectional versus unidirectional violence (male-toward-female vs. female-toward-male) were summarized directly as reported or were derived on the basis of data contained within the article. All obtained studies (48 empirical, 1 meta-analysis, 1 book chapter) were then entered into an online summary table for public review; however, additional results were specifically calculated for the current article. These results indicate that bidirectional violence was common across all types of samples (population-based to criminal justice). This suggests that the role of women in violent relationships is important to consider, even if all aspects of women’s perpetration of IPV are not symmetrical to men’s perpetration of IPV. A second finding to emerge was that the ratio of unidirectional female-to-male compared to male-to-female IPV differed significantly among samples with higher rates of female-perpetrated unidirectional violence found in four of the five sample types considered. Higher ratios of male-to-female unidirectional violence were found only in criminal justice/legal studies that relied on police reports of IPV perpetration and/or in samples drawn from the U.S. military. Competing explanations for the differing ratios were offered in the current discussion. These need to be tested empirically in order to fully understand the expression of IPV across samples and settings. Differences in the directionality of the expression of IPV were not found in samples of gay, lesbian, or bisexual individuals; however, rates of bidirectional violence appear to vary by race/ethnicity with higher rates of bidirectional violence among Black couples. Overall, it is suggested that if one resolution of the gender symmetry/asymmetry debate is to argue that there are subtypes of male and female domestic violence perpetrators (Johnson, 2005; Johnson, 2006), or that there are different patterns of violence among different types of relationships characterized by IPV (Stets & Straus, 1989), researchers and clinicians will need to work together to determine how to reliably and meaningfully make these determinations in ways that will facilitate our ability to effectively prevent and treat all types of IPV.

Breaking up is hard to do: unwanted pursuit behaviors following the dissolution of a romantic relationship.

This study investigated the prevalence and predictors of unwanted pursuit behaviors among college students. Participants (n = 282) had experienced the termination of a meaningful romantic relationship. Two questionnaires were administered. One assessed unwanted pursuit behaviors that were perpetrated by individuals who had not initiated the relationship breakup (breakup sufferers; n = 120); the other assessed individuals who had initiated the relationship breakup (relationship dissolvers; n = 162). Results indicated that most breakup sufferers had engaged in at least one act of unwanted pursuit (i.e., unwanted phone calls, unwanted in-person conversations) after the breakup. Breakup sufferers were more likely than relationship dissolvers to perceive a positive impact from their unwanted pursuit behavior. Partner-specific attachment experiences and love styles emerged as significant predictors of unwanted pursuit behavior perpetration, according to both victims and perpetrators of unwanted pursuit. However, only victims of unwanted pursuit revealed an association between levels of relationship violence and unwanted pursuit behavior perpetration. Victims also reported that their unwanted pursuit was related to a lack of friendship between themselves and their ex-partners. In contrast, there was a positive association between feelings of friendship and unwanted pursuit for perpetrators. The implications of these findings and their application to the stalking literature are discussed.

Top 10 Greatest “Hits” Important Findings and Future Directions for Intimate Partner Violence Research

In this article, the author highlights her choice of the 10 most important recent findings from the intimate partner violence research literature, which include (a) the creation of the Conflict Tactics Scale; (b) the finding that violent acts are most often perpetrated by intimates; (c) a series of findings that indicate that women also engage in intimate partner violence; (d) the finding that intimate partner violence typically evolves out of relationship dissatisfaction; (e) the finding that there are different subtypes of domestically violent men; (f) physiological measures that have added to our knowledge of intimate partner violence; (g) the evolving intergenerational transmission of violence theory; (h) the finding that verbal abuse, neglect, and psychological abuse need to be studied alongside physical violence; (i) research on leaving abusive relationships that may inform policy about sheltering battered women; and (j) the finding that alcohol plays an important role in the production of intimate partner violence. In the conclusion, the author describes a dyadic cycle of violence that may characterize some abusive couples. She also argues for a multimodal theory that links findings obtained from individual, relationship, intergenerational, gender-specific, and cultural perspectives.

Individual, Family, and Peer Correlates of Adolescent Gambling

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the individual, family, and peer factors that correlate with adolescent gambling. High school students from three states (N = 1,846) completed an anonymous questionnaire assessing the behavior of themselves, their parents, and their peers. Participants also reported on their gambling behavior via the SOGS-RA, which was used to create five adolescent gambling groups (i.e., Non-Gamblers, Non-Problem Gamblers, At-Risk Gamblers, Problem Gamblers, and Probable Pathological Gamblers). In a discriminant function analysis using demographic, individual, family, and peer factors as potential discriminators, two functions emerged that accounted for 94% of the variance between groups. The first function was linear, with the Probable Pathological Gamblers reporting the highest level of peer and parent gambling, susceptibility to peer pressure, conduct problems, binge drinking, suicide attempts, drug use, and being male. The second function highlighted three unique qualities of individuals in the two outlying groups: Probable Pathological Gamblers and Non-Gamblers. These findings suggest that demographic, individual, family, and peer variables are all important correlates of probable pathological gambling in adolescents. Results also support the utility of a five-group classification scheme based on the SOGS-RA. The clinical implications of these results are discussed.

Adaptive and Maladaptive Aspects of Self-Oriented versus Socially Prescribed Perfectionism

The purpose of the current study was to examine the extent to which self-oriented versus socially prescribed perfectionism can be differentiated by their correlations with adaptive versus maladaptive constructs (i.e., self-esteem, perceived self-control, achievement motivation, depression, anxiety, suicidal proneness, shame, guilt, and procrastination). Theoretically, socially prescribed perfectionism was expected to be exclusively maladaptive whereas self-oriented perfectionism was expected to have both maladaptive and adaptive characteristics. Participants (n = 475) came from a southeastern university (mean age of 20.9 years, 68% Caucasians). Results indicated that the two types of perfectionism had significantly different correlations with self-esteem, perceived self-control, achievement motivation, depression, anxiety, suicidal proneness, shame, guilt, and procrastination. Generally, socially prescribed perfectionism had stronger associations with maladaptive constructs than did self-oriented perfectionism. In contrast to the assertion that self-oriented perfectionism is exclusively a vulnerability factor (Benson, 2003), and as hypothesized, results indicated that high self-oriented perfectionism in the absence of socially prescribed perfectionism is adaptive. The clinical implications of these findings are discussed.

To Have and to Hold: Perceptions of Marital Rape

The perceptions surrounding marital versus stranger rape were investigated in a sample of 195 undergraduates. Subjects rated their reactions to one of two hypothetical rape scenarios that were exactly the same in form and content except for the identification of the man as the womans husband (marital condition) or as a stranger (stranger condition). Factor analysis of the questions used to assess perceptions revealed one strong factor that was labeled rape-supportive beliefs. Consistent with previous research on date rape, individuals were significantly more likely to minimize the seriousness of rape perpetrated by a husband than rape perpetrated by a stranger. In general, the female subjects considered rape a more serious event than the male subjects. However, an unexpected gender-by-relationship interaction was found on two of the rape-supportive questions. Some evidence suggested that sex role expectations influence the perceptions of marital rape. The results are discussed within a sex role socialization theory of rape.

Motivations for men and women's intimate partner violence perpetration: a comprehensive review

The main purpose of this review article was to collect and summarize all available papers that reported empirical data related to men’s and women’s motivations for IPV. To facilitate direct gender comparisons, the motives reported in each obtained study were coded by the current authors into seven broad categories: (a) power/control, (b) self-defense, (c) expression of negative emotion (i.e., anger), (d) communication difficulties, (e) retaliation, (f) jealousy, and (g) other. Across the 75 samples (located in 74 articles) that were reviewed and coded for this study, 24 contained samples of only women (32%), 6 samples consisted of only men (8%), and 46 samples used both women and men (62%). Power/control and self-defense were commonly measured motivations (76% and 61%, respectively). However, using violence as an expression of negative emotion (63%), communication difficulties (48%), retaliation (60%), or because of jealousy (49%) were also commonly assessed motives. In 62% of the samples, at least one other type of motive was also measured. Only 18 of the located study samples (24%) included data that allowed for a direct gender comparison of men’s and women’s reported motivations. Many of these studies did not subject their data to statistical analyses. Among those that did, very few gender-specific motives for perpetration emerged. These results should be viewed with caution, however, because many methodological and measurement challenges exist in this field. There was also considerable heterogeneity across papers making direct gender comparisons problematic.