Publication year
2014
Citation Title
Predicting risk factors for intimate partner violence among post-9/11 college student veterans.
Journal Name
Journal of Interpersonal Violence
Journal Volume
31
Issue Number
4
Page Numbers
572-597
DOI
10.1177/0886260514556102
Summary
Understanding risk factors for intimate partner and domestic violence among military families is an important area of research. Examination of risk factors (e.g., psychological distress, anger) and negative attitudes and beliefs (e.g., myths about domestic violence) suggested some risk factors and certain negative attitudes and beliefs are linked.
Key Findings
Veterans’ psychological distress was positively associated with their reports of anger, low levels of social support, and psychological aggressiveness (e.g., insults) towards romantic partner.
Participants’ beliefs in domestic violence myths (e.g., believing if a person stays in a violent relationship they are at fault for the violence) and reports of anger were positively related to “hypermasculine” attitudes (e.g., “I fight to win”).
Veterans’ use of negotiation tactics during conflict was negatively associated with psychological distress and positively associated with alcohol use.
Implications for Program Leaders
Develop education materials to teach Service members and their families about risk factors for intimate partner violence
Host peer support groups for Service members who experience psychological distress and want to learn better ways to cope with their distress
Provide classes that teach military families about domestic violence to help reduce myths and inaccurate information about the nature and effects of domestic violence
Implications for Policy Makers
Recommend professionals who work with military families participate in trainings on the relationships between domestic violence and well-being
Support programs for Service members and their partners about healthy relationships and positive coping strategies to manage conflicts
Encourage collaboration among DoD programs and community-based programs to offer continuity of services for Service members and families who experience domestic violence
Methods
Veterans who attended state and community colleges in California were recruited via flyers, emails, and online advertisement postings.
Participants completed online surveys about psychological distress, alcohol and illicit drug use, attitudes about masculinity, domestic violence, conflict tactics, and relationship satisfaction.
Statistical analyses were conducted to examine potential links among the study variables.
Participants
Participants included 131 male Service members who represented Army (39%), Marines (23%), Navy (20%), Air Force (14%), and Coast Guard (4%) service branches.
Average age of participants was 29.3 years (SD=5.96 years). No data were provided on the race or ethnicity of participants.
In the sample, 71% of participants reported they had been deployed overseas more than once and 77% of the sample were deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan.
Limitations
This was a cross-sectional study which means no conclusions can be determined regarding if certain attitudes and beliefs lead to incidences of intimate partner or domestic violence.
The authors used the phrases “intimate partner violence” and “domestic violence” interchangeably in the study, although the two terms can represent two different constructs.
There were no data provided on the race and ethnicity of the participants, which limits the ability to understand the impact of race or ethnicity on the interpretation of the findings.
Avenues for Future Research
Conduct studies that evaluate the effectiveness of family interventions to prevent or reduce incidences of domestic violence among Service members and their families
Develop a longitudinal research study to explore the relationships between incidences of domestic violence and children’s outcomes into adulthood
Examine relationships among personality traits, attitudes, and opinions among female Service members and incidences of domestic violence
Focus
Multiple Branches
Target Population
Population Focus
Military Branch
Military Component
Abstract
The current conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq present unique risk factors for military personnel that increase the likelihood of psychological distress and concomitant consequences related to trauma. Several studies have found that the stress brought about by financial difficulties, unemployment, and the need to renegotiate roles and responsibilities with spouses following discharge increases the likelihood of relationship strain and even intimate partner violence in the veteran population. This study was undertaken to determine the challenges related to maintaining healthy relationships for college student veterans who have served in the armed forces since September 11, 2001. Psychological distress, substance use, and hypermasculine attitudes were explored as risk factors for intimate violence. Social support was found to be a protective buffer against psychological aggression. However, approximately a third of college student veterans reported low social support along with symptoms of distress, placing them at elevated risk of partner abuse. The current article explores models for predicting risk of perpetrating aggression in college student veterans and concludes that culturally tailored programs and services are needed.
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