Publication year
2014
Citation Title
Preliminary investigation of the roles of military background of posttraumatic stress symptoms in frequency and recidivism, of intimate partner violence perpetration among court-referred men.
Journal Name
Journal of Interpersonal Violence
Journal Volume
29
Issue Number
6
Page Numbers
1094-1110
DOI
10.1177/0886260513506058
Summary
Baseline measures and one-year post-program recidivism data were examined from military experienced and nonmilitary men referred for an interpersonal violence intervention program to test differences regarding intimate partner violence perpetration. Results indicated difference in physical assault and injury, as well a recidivism. Mental health may impact rate of intimate partner violence.
Key Findings
Intimate partner violence offenders with military experience had higher levels of physical assault than civilians (as reported by both the participant and his partner).
PTSD symptoms were significantly greater and positively associated with intimate partner violence perpetration frequency among military members than civilians.
Offenders with military experience showed a significantly lower rate of recidivism than civilian offenders.
Implications for Program Leaders
Offer classes for Service members and their partners about anger management and effective means of disengaging from conflict
Provide workshops and public forums during National Domestic Violence Awareness month to raise awareness of this public health problem and available resources
Disseminate information to service providers working with military families regarding how to report suspected incidents of domestic violence
Implications for Policy Makers
Continue to support outreach programs to Veterans who are incarcerated for violence perpetration
Recommend that Veterans Courts focus on diverting justice-involved Veterans into treatment rather than incarceration
Encourage collaboration between DoD and community-based programs that work with military families coping with domestic violence issues
Methods
Data from men who were court-referred to an intervention program for having perpetrated at least one physical assault or one injurious behavior against their partner were used.
Participants completed measures of interpersonal violence, lifetime trauma exposure, and PTSD before starting the program; conviction data were collected from public court records for one year after participants received services.
Military and non-military men mandated to complete an intimate partner violence intervention were compared for this study.
Participants
Twenty men who served in the U.S. Military and 40 demographically matched civilian controls were analyzed.
No data regarding service era, military branch, or participation in combat deployments were reported.
The mean age of military and non-military participants was 35.5 years (SD = 6.5) and 4.7 years (SD = 6.4), respectively.
Seventy-five percent Latino/Latina, 10% White.
Limitations
The sample size was small and primarily Latino which may have biased the results and made them less generalizable.
No information was provided regarding the nature of the intervention program.
Military relevant variables (e.g., rank, branch of service) were not assessed and may have important implications on the results.
Avenues for Future Research
Utilize a larger and more representative sample
Collect partner reports of intimate partner violence perpetration at one year post-program to test differences in that outcome
Continue to explore why rates of recidivism are lowing among military members compared to civilians
Focus
Multiple Branches
Target Population
Military Branch
Military Component
Abstract
Significant rates of intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration have been identified among men with military backgrounds. Research indicates posttraumatic stress symptoms place military men at increased risk for IPV perpetration, but may be negatively associated with IPV among nonmilitary samples. However, no previous studies have directly compared court-referred IPV offenders with and without military experience, which may have clinical implications if posttraumatic stress symptoms are differentially associated with IPV perpetration across these two samples. Twenty court-referred IPV offenders with military background were demographically matched with 40 court-referred IPV offenders without military background. As anticipated, self- and partner-report of physically assaultive acts and injurious acts during baseline assessment showed significantly greater physical assault and injury perpetrated by offenders with military background. However, 1-year follow-up data on convictions indicated a significantly lower rate of recidivism among offenders with military background than among nonmilitary offenders. As hypothesized, symptoms of posttraumatic stress at intake showed a significant positive correlation with IPV perpetration among offenders with military background; however, this relationship showed a negative correlation among offenders without military background. Clinical implications are discussed including treatment avenues, such as Veterans Courts and other incarceration diversion programs, which may be particularly appropriate for offenders with military backgrounds.
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