Publication year
2017
Citation Title
Modeling risk for intimate partner violence among recent-era veteran-partner dyads.
Journal Name
Journal of Family Violence
Journal Volume
5
Issue Number
32
Page Numbers
505-512
DOI
10.1007/s10896-016-9903-2
Summary
This study examines the association between post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), drug abuse, and partner violence on recent Veterans and their partners. Participants in this study included 49 Veteran-partner couples examined over a three year post-deployment period to investigate the relationship between Veterans' PTSS, Veterans' and partners' drug abuse symptoms (e.g., abuse of prescription drugs, drug induced blackouts, or flashbacks), and perpetration of intimate partner violence (IPV). Findings of the study indicate that Veterans' PTSS is a good predictor of Veterans' drug abuse symptoms and that Veteran's drug abuse symptoms is strongly associated with Veterans' perpetration of intimate partner violence.
Key Findings
Drug abuse symptoms in Veterans three years after post-deployment were predicted by PTSS at post deployment. This was not true for their partners.
Veterans who demonstrated drug abuse symptoms at three years post-deployment, and their partners, reported engagement in IPV.
Partners who demonstrated drug abuse symptoms at three years post-deployment did not report engagement in IPV. Veterans with partners who demonstrated drug abuse symptoms at three years post-deployment also did not report engagement in IPV.
Implications for Program Leaders
Facilitate support group opportunities for Service members and partners up to three years after post-deployment
Introduce training modules focused on learning healthy coping skills during demobilization with regular follow-up opportunities during post-deployment for both Service members and partners
Offer courses on communication, problem solving, and conflict management for Service members and their partners up to three years post deployment
Implications for Policy Makers
Encourage collaboration with community-based organizations to connect Service members and their partners with mental health and drug abuse resources while in post-deployment.
Recommend professional education on drug abuse and IPV for professionals who work with Service members and their families post deployment.
Promote awareness of drug abuse symptoms, IPV, and resources to Service members and their partners up to three years post-deployment.
Methods
Data for this study were collected from a larger study investigating mental health illnesses in Veterans who have served post September 11, 2001.
Information on PTSS were collected from Veterans in the initial study through 17 questions that allowed them to self assess their levels of PTSS.
Data on drug abuse symptoms and IPV were collected from both Veterans and their partners through a follow up survey three years later. This survey included 20 questions assessing drug use and 12 questions assessing perpetration of minor or severe violence in the past year.
Participants
Participants were 49 Veterans (43 male Veterans and 6 female Veterans) who served post September 11, 2001 and their partners.
Thirty-four of the couples included in this study had at least one child living at home.
Majority of these couples were White (66%) with under a third of these couples were Black.
The average age of the participants in the study were 36 years at post-deployment and 39.3 years at the three year follow-up period.
Limitations
The definition of IPV only included physical violence which limits the findings of this study from being applied to other forms of violence.
The small sample size used in this study included a larger percentage of male Veterans versus female Veterans which prevents application of the findings to other types of Service member couples (e.g., female Veteran couples).
The study focused soley on the association between PTSS, drug abuse symptoms, and IPV; findings cannot account for the impact of or be generalized to other mental illnesses.
Drug abuse symptoms and reports of IPV were measured by self-reports. Self-reports may be biased as it requires the Veterans and their partners to recall past information and report it accurately.
Avenues for Future Research
Expand the study to include other family members, especially children
Examine PTSS with other forms of violence
Explore how treatments between post-deployment and the three year period may impact these results
Focus
Multiple Branches
Target Population
Population Focus
Military Component
Abstract
Using an actor-partner interdependence model, we examined whether veterans’ post traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS)contributed to partners’ drug abuse symptoms,whether partners’ drug abuse symptoms contributed to intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration, and whether drug abuse symptoms mediated PTSS-IPV perpetration associations. Participants were recent-era veterans who participated in the Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center Post-Deployment Mental Health study. Veterans who took part at one site and their partners (N = 49 couples) completed a follow-up study in which drug abuse symptoms and IPV perpetration were assessed. Veterans’ PTSS contributed to veterans’ drug abuse symptoms. Veterans’ drug abuse symptoms were associated with their IPV perpetration (i.e., an actor effect) and their partners’ IPV perpetration (i.e., a crossover effect). Drug abuse symptoms mediated the association between veterans’ PTSS and partners’ reports of IPV perpetration.Findings suggest complex relationships between PTSS,drug abuse problems and IPV perpetration among these dyads.
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