Women Who Perpetrate Partner Violence: The Role of Emotion Regulation and Attachment Insecurity

Event Center A & B

Intimate partner violence is a prevalent and destructive social problem affecting millions of people worldwide. Intimate partner violence (IPV) includes physical/sexual violence, threats of physical/sexual violence, stalking, and psychological aggression. In addition to the physical consequences of IPV (e.g., injury, sexual and reproductive deficits), there are several psychological repercussions (e.g., depression, anxiety, PTSD). Although there is an abundance of literature regarding IPV perpetration by men, there is an insufficient amount of research examining the factors contributing to IPV perpetration by women. The purpose of this investigation was to identify the underlying mechanisms of IPV perpetration among college women. Specifically, we were interested in examining the relationship among attachment insecurity (i.e., anxious and avoidant), emotion regulation strategies (i.e., expressive suppression and cognitive reappraisal), and IPV perpetration. Female participants (N = 707) recruited from CSUSB completed measures of adult attachment, emotion regulation (ER) strategies, and incidences of IPV. We predicted attachment insecurity and difficulties with ER would be predictive of increased IPV perpetration. Moreover, we expected the relationship between attachment insecurity and IPV to occur indirectly through the use of maladaptive ER strategies. Correlation analyses will be used to determine the strength of the relationship among insecure attachment, emotion regulation, and IPV perpetration. Preliminary data analyses are supportive of the research hypotheses. Although preliminary, these results support the need for further examination into the underlying mechanisms of IPV perpetration by women. Moreover, the need to address attachment insecurity and emotion regulation strategies in the therapeutic approaches used to address IPV is evident.