NCJ Number
218928
Journal
Journal of Family Violence Volume: 22 Issue: 4 Dated: May 2007 Pages: 177-185
Date Published
May 2007
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This study examined links among male-to-female physical and psychological aggression in intimate relationships, female partners' symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and behavioral problems of the children (n=62) of men enrolled in a treatment program for partner abuse.
Abstract
Compared to physical assault, psychological aggression by the man toward the woman was a stronger predictor of the child's problem behaviors. Psychological "restrictive engulfment" (psychological manipulation that attempts to stop the woman from seeing certain friends or family members) and hostile withdrawal behavior (acting cold or distant when angry) had the strongest bivariate association with child behavior problems. They were the strongest predictors of a child's problem behaviors among four distinct forms of psychological aggression. The other forms measured were "denigration" (persistent negative labels of worth) and "dominance/intimidation" (throwing or smashing items as an expression of anger). Female victim PTSD symptoms largely mediated the effects of psychological aggression on child behavior. Participants were women identified as current or former partners of male clients enrolled in a community-based treatment program for perpetrators of intimate-partner abuse. Participants were eligible for the study if the male client reported living with a child between the ages of 4 and 17 at some point during the previous 6 months. Male clients provided consent to contact their female partners by telephone. Of the 68 male clients eligible for the study, 54 of their female partners were successfully contacted for the assessment, and 37 completed child assessments for 62 children. 3 tables and 80 references