Objectives: This meta-analysis aimed to explore the relationship between mental health disorders and symptoms of mental health disorders (depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD], antisocial personality disorder [PD], and borderline PD) and physical intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration and victimization for males and females. Method: Data from 207 studies, yielding 511 effect sizes, were analyzed. The overall strength of each correlate for IPV perpetration and victimization was examined. Moderator analyses were used to compare the strength of correlates for IPV victimization versus perpetration, as well as for males versus females. Results: Depression, anxiety, PTSD, antisocial PD, and borderline PD were all significant correlates for both IPV victimization and perpetration. Anxiety and PTSD were significantly stronger correlates for victimization than for perpetration, and borderline PD and antisocial PD were significantly stronger correlates for perpetration than for victimization. For women, borderline PD was a significantly stronger correlate for IPV perpetration than for victimization, and PTSD was a significantly stronger correlate for IPV victimization than perpetration. Depression was a significantly stronger correlate for IPV victimization for women than for men. Conclusions: This study provides a comprehensive examination of mental health disorders and their link to IPV perpetration and victimization. The results suggest that clinicians working with individuals or couples in the context of IPV should assess for and treat mental health problems.

The transition to first-time parenthood can be challenging for couples. Using a sample of 848 ethnically diverse couples from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study across the first 3 years of parenthood, we investigated the longitudinal and dyadic associations of each parents' parental stress, supportive coparenting, and relationship quality. Results from an actor-partner interdependence model indicated that supportive coparenting significantly predicted higher relationship quality for both mothers and fathers. Fathers' supportive coparenting significantly buffered the effects of mothers' parental stress on relationship quality. Also, the unique dyadic contexts of each parents' supportive coparenting, and also both partners' parental stress were significantly associated with relationship quality. Clinical implications from these findings are discussed through commonly used clinical theories.

Trait mindfulness and mindfulness in the context of romantic relationships may not be completely overlapping constructs. This study adapted an existing measure of trait mindfulness to assess the tendency to be mindful in romantic relationships, the Relationship Mindfulness Measure (RMM). Using data from 185 young adults, the results supported the RMM's internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and concurrent and predictive validity. The RMM accounted for a significant portion of variance in positive relationship quality, negative relationship quality, and anxious and avoidant attachment, even after controlling for trait mindfulness. Based on these findings, assessing relationship mindfulness may improve research exploring the role of mindfulness in romantic relations and therefore facilitate the development and refinement of mindfulness training programs for couples.

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Research on intimate partner violence (IPV) has largely focused on heterosexual relationships, but, in recent years, researchers have expanded their focus to include same-sex relationships. Using meta-analytic techniques, this study was conducted to examine the relative strength of various risk markers for men and women being perpetrators and victims of physical IPV in same-sex relationships. Articles were identified through research search engines and screened to identify articles fitting the inclusion criteria, a process that resulted in 24 studies and 114 effect sizes for the meta-analysis. The strongest risk marker among those with at least two effect sizes for both male and female perpetration was psychological abuse perpetration. The strongest risk marker among those with at least two effect sizes for IPV victimization was also perpetration of psychological abuse for males and psychological abuse victimization for females. Among same-sex-specific risk markers, internalized homophobia and fusion were the strongest predictors for being perpetrators of IPV for men and women, respectively. HIV status and internalized homophobia were the strongest risk markers for IPV victimization for men and women, respectively. Of 10 comparisons between men and women in risk markers for IPV perpetration and victimization, only 1 significant difference was found. The results suggest that although same-sex and heterosexual relationships may share a number of risk markers for IPV, there are risk markers for physical IPV unique to same-sex relationships. Further research and increased specificity in measurement are needed to better study and understand the influence of same-sex-specific risk markers for IPV.