Female Domestic Violence Offenders: Their Attachment Security, Trauma Symptoms, and Personality Organization

Abstract

Unlike male domestic violence offenders, female domestic violence offenders have traditionally been overlooked in research and theory, despite the fact that females also have high rates of domestic violence perpetration. Towards the aim of extending extant research on male and female pepetrators of domestic violence, we examined attachment style, trauma symptoms, and personality organization in 33 female offenders receiving mandated treatment for domestic violence. These offenders were compared to 32 nonoffending women receiving psychological treatment. The Experiences in Close Relationships Revised (ECR-Revised) was used to examine adult attachment, the Trauma Symptom Inventory (TSI) was used to examine trauma symptomology, and finally, the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory III (MCMI-III) was used to examine cluster B personality traits. Analyses indicated that female domestic violence offenders reported less attachment security, more trauma-related symptoms, and more personality psychopathology (Antisocial, Borderline, and Dependent Subscales) than did nonoffender clinical comparison women.

Violent Victimization against Women in Canada: Evidence from the General Social Survey 2009 Data, a Gendered Study

“…However, from the Table 2 the analysis above, the current analysis revealed that gender was not significantly related to violent victimization. Research shows that often when examining violent victimization, men and women report being victims to an equal extent [22].…”

“…Other studies show that often when examining violent victimization, men and women report being victims to an equal extent [22].…”

Personalidade de mulheres vítimas de violência doméstica: uma revisão sistemática da literatura

“…Entretanto, pesquisas nacionais e internacionais que tratam sobre a temática da violência doméstica contra a mulher, grande parte das vezes, abarcam questões relacionadas ao tipo de agressão sofrida (física, psicológica e/ou sexual) e, algumas, sobre as consequências físicas e psicológicas advindas da situação de violência. É comum encontrarmos estudos que buscam investigar as características ou os traços da personalidade dos homens que agridem as suas mulheres (Edwards et al, 2003;Lorber e O'Leary, 2004;Goldenson et al, 2007), mas raros são os que tratam de questões relacionadas à personalidade das mulheres vítimas (Pérez-Testor et al, 2007;Pico-Alfonso et al, 2008).…”

Personality Disorders, Types of Violence, and Stress Responses in Female Who Perpetrate Intimate Partner Violence

“…These women scored higher on the Histrionic, Narcissistic, and Compulsive subscales, and scored lower on the Dependent subscale. Goldenson, Geffner, Foster, and Clipson (2007) also examined offenders but used a femaleonly sample, comparing female offenders mandated to group treatment to women in a clinical control group (i.e., women in psychological treatment but who had not perpetrated violence). Using the MCMI III, these researchers found that the female offenders of intimate partner violence had higher relative elevations on the Antisocial, Borderline, and Dependent Subscales as compared to the clinical control group.…”

“…In addition to a high prevalence of borderline personality features in a group of male court mandated treatment batterers, found that chronic trauma symptoms also had a role in the development of an "abusive personality". It has also been found that women who are court mandated to attend violence intervention programs, as compared with women in the general population, may experience elevated levels of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms (Goldenson, Geffner, Foster, & Clipson, 2007;Stuart, Moore, Gordon, Ramsey, & Kahler, 2006). As an association between PTSD symptoms and an increase in the likelihood of engaging in subsequent violent acts has been found in other samples (e.g., Pollock, 1999), this is certainly an important facet of violence perpetration in the domestic context.…”