Exploring Coercive Control, PTSD, and the Use of Physical Violence in the Pre-prison Heterosexual Relationships of Incarcerated Women

Abstract

Although coercive control has been recognized over the past few decades as a form of intimate partner violence (IPV), researchers have often overlooked the role of coercive control in criminal behavior. Moreover, little is known about the effects of coercive control in the lives of incarcerated women. Using data from the 2014 Oklahoma Study of Incarcerated Women and Their Children ( n = 337), this study utilizes a feminist pathways theoretical framework to explore the relationships between coercive control, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomology, and the use of physical violence in the preprison heterosexual relationships of incarcerated women. Results indicate that coercive control is significantly related to PTSD. Moreover, the relationship between coercive demands and women’s use of physical violence was partially mediated by PTSD symptoms suggesting that PTSD may play a significant role in women’s pathways to using physical violence in their intimate relationships.

The Age of Toxicity: The Influence of Gender Roles and Toxic Masculinity in Harmful Heterosexual Relationship Behaviours

“…Previous literature states that coercive control is a tool used in intimate relationships to establish dominance over one's partner (Jones, 2020(Jones, , p. 1300. Coercive control has been defined as the nonphysical tactics used by abusers to maintain power and control over their partner often through the use of intimidation, threats, surveillance, isolation, financial control, and control over the partner's daily activities (Jones, 2020(Jones, , p. 1300.…”

“…Previous literature states that coercive control is a tool used in intimate relationships to establish dominance over one's partner (Jones, 2020(Jones, , p. 1300. Coercive control has been defined as the nonphysical tactics used by abusers to maintain power and control over their partner often through the use of intimidation, threats, surveillance, isolation, financial control, and control over the partner's daily activities (Jones, 2020(Jones, , p. 1300. Most often, coercive control is used in conjunction with physical or sexual violence in order to establish an unequal power dynamic between partners so that one partner may exert their will over the other as they please, with this dominance being a facet of the gender roles that have been discussed thus far (Cook & Goodman, 2006, p. 1053.…”

“…Most often, coercive control is used in conjunction with physical or sexual violence in order to establish an unequal power dynamic between partners so that one partner may exert their will over the other as they please, with this dominance being a facet of the gender roles that have been discussed thus far (Cook & Goodman, 2006, p. 1053. As previously stated, traditional gender roles dictated that husbands held dominance over their wives, which can be applied to this concept of coercive control in the idea that men who practice this abusive behaviour are hoping to establish the dominance over their wives that they were promised through the socialization of traditional gender roles, as well as to maintain their male privilege (Jones, 2020(Jones, , p. 1301. Conversely, women may perhaps use this method of control in order to gain the dominance they feel they are lacking within their relationship.…”

“…Physical and sexual abuse in heterosexual relationships are notoriously common (Jeffrey & Barata, 2019, p. 85;Hayes & Kopp, 2020, p. 294); in particular, sexual violence within heterosexual relationships is most often accomplished through verbal and psychological pressure (Jeffrey & Barata, 2019, p. 86), while physical violence often occurs in two types, intimate terrorism and situational couple violence (Jones, 2020(Jones, , p. 1300). These two types of physical violence can be defined as follows; intimate terrorism is described as physical violence embedded in a pattern of behaviours which are often used by perpetrators to exert dominance over victims, while situational couple violence often takes the form of individual arguments in which one or both partners physically harm the other (Jones, 2020(Jones, , p. 1300. Sexual violence within committed heterosexual relationships on the other hand, often occurs as a result of coercive interaction in which there are expectations to have sex (Jeffrey & Barata, 2019, p. 86).…”

Psychometric Properties of the Coercion in Intimate Partner Relationships Scale

“…The theorized relation between coercion and IPV has been supported in research with samples of divorced couples ( Tanha et al, 2010 ), emerging adult men ( Whitaker, 2013 ), high school students ( Fawson, 2015 ), elderly persons ( Policastro & Finn, 2017 ), and same-sex couples ( Frankland & Brown, 2014 ). The relation between coercion and mental health, particularly depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), has also been studied with various samples ( Anderson, 2008 ; Bubriski-McKenzie & Jasinski, 2013 ; Coker et al, 2002 ; Johnson & Leone, 2005 ; Jones, 2020 ; Levine & Fritz, 2016 ; Lovestad et al, 2017 ; Terrazas-Carrillo et al, 2016 ).…”