In the worrisome context of increasing rates of intimate partner violence and a number of recent deaths reportedly occurring in domestic situations, the establishment and maintenance of effective intervention strategies is a critical public health concern. The present study aimed to evaluate the functioning of a regional intersectoral rapid intervention collaboration agreement (called A-GIR) initiated to respond preventatively to situations identified as high risk of domestic homicide, in Quebec, Canada. In order to better understand how such a collaboration may be successfully implemented, a qualitative analysis was conducted of the perceived functioning of A-GIR and the factors that favor its success as well as issues that should be addressed in this and other such initiatives to ensure efficient and effective practices that prevent the loss of life. Participants (N = 15) were active A-GIR members, who responded to semi-structured interviews which were thematically analyzed. Results are discussed in relation to established partnership action evaluation criteria. The study highlights the necessary conditions for the success of a collaborative agreement such as A-GIR.

Whereas intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetrated by men against women has been studied at length, relatively little attention has been given to violence perpetrated by women against their male intimate partners. This study represents one of relatively few attempts to better understand the experiences of male IPV victims. Specifically, this study explored the characteristics of men who obtain and withdraw a protection order against a female intimate partner, in comparison to those men who obtain and do not withdraw the order. We also looked at the reasons men cite for obtaining and withdrawing a protection order and the types of relief granted by the court. Findings from this study revealed that men who requested protection from abuse (PFA) against female intimate partners experienced a pattern of victimization prior to their requests for protection, including physical, psychological, or emotional abuse. Although, each of these men sought and was granted a “no abuse, stalk, or threaten” order, few of them were able to obtain temporary custody of children they had in common with the defendant, nor were they successful in getting defendants evicted from the home or getting the court to order defendants to relinquish their firearms. A comparison of men who withdrew their PFAs to those who did not withdraw them suggested that men who did not withdraw their PFAs perceived their abusive situations as being more serious. Implications for future research are discussed.

Research on partner abuse has lagged in much of the world where attention has been on other problems (such as famine and war) and other crimes against women (e.g., honor killings, genital mutilation). We conducted a sweeping review of scholarly articles published in peer-reviewed journals and by government agencies outside of the United States and English-speaking developed nations that provided quantitative data on physical, psychological, and sexual abuse of intimate partners as well as consequences, risk factors, and attitudes. One hundred sixty-two articles reporting on more than 200 studies in Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and Europe met the inclusion criteria from various types of samples. Most of the studies reported on female victimization only, but 73 reported on both male and female victimization.

We also conducted an analysis of data from our literature review, including 1 major cross-national study, to determine the relationship among prevalence of abuse, social factors, and women’s empowerment. Results indicate that partner abuse is a widespread problem around the world, with multiple causes. Overall prevalence of abuse is higher in Third World countries compared to the United States, and rates for physical and psychological abuse are comparable across gender in most countries when all types of samples are considered. No significant association was found between rates of partner violence (PV) and a nation’s level of human development. However, a significant relationship was found between a nation’s level of gender empowerment and rates of PV by both males and females but only for university dating samples from the International Dating Violence Study (IDVS). In addition, an analysis of the IDVS indicates that efforts by 1 partner to dominate the other are positively correlated with physical abuse perpetration for women, but not for men. Among the limitations of this review was the relatively few numbers of large population studies that ask about both male and female perpetration and victimization and the consequences and context of PV. Implications of the findings include the need for a broader conceptualization of PV as not merely a gender problem but also (and perhaps primarily) a human problem.

This study adds to the available literature on female-perpetrated intimate abuse by examining Dutton’s (2007) theory of the abusive personality (AP) in a sample of 914 women who had been involved in dating relationships. Consistent with the AP, recalled parental rejection, borderline personality organization (BPO), anger, and trauma symptoms all demonstrated moderate-to-strong relationships with women’s self-reported intimate psychological abuse perpetration. Fearful attachment style demonstrated a weak-to-moderate relationship with psychological abuse perpetration. A potential model for explaining the interrelationships between the elements of the AP was tested using structural equation modeling (SEM). Consistent with the proposed model, recalled parental rejection demonstrated relationships with BPO, trauma symptoms, and fearful attachment. Similarly consistent with the model, trauma symptoms demonstrated a relationship with anger; and BPO demonstrated strong relationships with trauma symptoms, fearful attachment, and anger. Additionally, anger itself had a strong relationship with women’s self-reported perpetration of intimate psychological and physical abuse. Contrary to the proposed model, fearful attachment had a nonsignificant relationship with anger when this relationship was examined using SEM.

Cumulative maltreatment or exposure to multiple types of child abuse or neglect increases the risk of perpetrating and sustaining intimate partner violence (IPV) in adulthood and is associated with deficits in emotion regulation, which are considered as robust determinants of psychological IPV. Yet, no research has evaluated this relationship by distinguishing the cognitive and behavioral components of emotion dysregulation. Thus, the goal of the present study was to examine the mediating role of cognitive and behavioral emotion dysregulation in the relationship uniting cumulative childhood maltreatment and psychological IPV. A total of 162 adults consulting in sexology completed self-report questionnaires assessing their experiences of cumulative trauma, emotion dysregulation, and psychological IPV. The majority (86%) of participants experienced more than one type of childhood maltreatment, whereas half of them reported having perpetrated (51%) and sustained (54%) psychological IPV. Path analyses confirmed the mediational role of emotion dysregulation in the relationship between cumulative maltreatment experiences and psychological IPV. The hypothesized model was also invariant across gender. Results highlight the necessity to assess child maltreatment and IPV experiences thoroughly in individuals consulting for sexual or relational problems.

Much research now indicates significant long-term effects for individuals who have experienced various forms of abuse in childhood. Recent research also has examined the role of women as perpetrators of intimate partner violence (IPV), including potential factors that contribute to their use of violence. One trend revealed in the research is that many of the women who engaged in acts of IPV also had a history of experiencing one or more types of childhood abuse (e.g., physical or sexual abuse, or witnessing family violence). This article discusses the specific framework of complex trauma as a theoretical model to understand how unresolved triggers of childhood trauma may potentially serve as ongoing catalysts for women’s IPV. Using the lens of complex trauma illuminates the critical interpersonal factor yet to be studied thus far, which suggests that many women’s IPV experiences may be rooted in having childhood traumas triggeredby their intimate partner. Suggestions for treatment are recommended as exploring the intersection between past trauma and present violence, which seems to be the key for unlocking important answers in treating violent women and decreasing IPV.

While the prevalence and incidence of intimate partner violence (IPV) with males as perpetrators and women as victims has steadily gained public and professional attention since the 1970s, equal attention to the incidence of men as victims of IPV, specifically emotional abuse, has not kept pace. This article will prepare counselors to better understand, assess, and intervene in incidences where men are indeed victims of this dimension of IPV.

Adult attachment is related to several important relationship variables, including physical aggression (e.g., Bookwala & Zdaniuk, 1998; Henderson, Bartholomew, Trinke, & Kwong, 2005) and relationship beliefs (Stackert & Bursik, 2003). In this study, we extended previous findings by examining the specific associations between anxious and avoidant attachment, dysfunctional relationship beliefs, and partner-specific assertiveness and psychological aggressiveness. Results indicated that assertiveness was associated with sex (males reported lower assertiveness) and attachment avoidance (participants high in avoidance reported less assertiveness toward partner). Psychological aggressiveness was related to sex (males reported lower psychological aggressiveness) and attachment (anxious and avoidant attachment were related to more psychological aggressiveness). As predicted, the relation of anxious attachment to psychological aggression was mediated by dysfunctional beliefs. Students with anxious attachment were more likely to believe that disagreements were destructive, which was related to higher rates of perpetrating psychological aggression.